Okay, okay its corny I know, but my dad is my best friend and it is rare that he is home for a whole week. So first off, a picture of this great man! (we are kind of twins...)
I am really starting to understand how much my dad has done for me and the things he has given up to give me what I have, and I am learning to really respect it. My dad coached my soccer and fastpitch teams since I was about 6. So for 10 to 13 years he put up with two teams full of girls who criticized his hair, his outfits, and so on. The typical girl things. This means he was with 15 to 20 girls my age for at least two days a week sometimes up to five days (and the long weeks were during high school years!) I must say, that is dedication! Not only that, but he has travelled four to five days a week most of my life for his job. A job that has allowed me vacations to thirty different states, the roof over my head, and a very comfortable life. He has even sacrificed huge promotions to keep my family right where we are during my high school years when a move thousands of miles away probably would have seemed like the end of the world. This is only the short list of his actions that are a great example for me.
My dad and I weren't always best friends. I think I got glimpses of it when I was little and right before bed, instead of a bedtime story, he would give my brother and I "sports talks." I believe our friendship really started when I was in middle school though, he was coaching my teams, and every day he drove me 20 minutes in the opposite direction of his job to take me to school so that I didn't have to catch the 6am bus. We had "our songs" every month or so that we would listen to on the drive and we would stop to get White Castle's once a week. (The breakfast of champions was cheese sticks and a sweet tea!) Just about every ride would end with Rascal Flatts' "Here's to You." We still wave our fake lighters in the air every time it comes on.
Once high school hit my brother drove me to school my freshman year. My sophomore year rolled around though and dad started driving me to school again. That is when we started Friday mornings at Starbucks. Every Friday we would leave for school about 45 minutes early to go to Starbucks and sit and talk about life for a while. We would talk about friends, work, sports, news, celebrity gossip, advice on applying for college...anything and everything. I was his equal now.
Since there is no more Friday morning Starbucks we tend to go on sunrise walks when we are both home, he comes to Lexington every now and then to take me to a nice dinner, and we take weekend trips with my mom to explore towns near Northern VA where he works, or places like Nashville and Charleston. Oh and lets not forget, once a year or so he pays for my mom, a few friends and myself to go on a girls trip. Our last one was to sunny Camelback, AZ!
Anyway, this past week dad was home all week! Even though I had to work most days we managed to squeeze in a ton of time together. First he took my mom and I to our favorite secret spot right outside of Lexington for dinner, Jean Ferris Winery. (We are a huge wine family and this place is right here in KY!) We usually only go to celebrate something and this time is was my mom's 50th birthday and their 27th wedding anniversary. Here's a look at some of our food and the scenery!
Their menu is always fresh and innovative! I mean, basil ice cream?!
On Monday I made us breakfast: Homemade oatmeal with brown sugar and honey and coffee!
On Tuesday I joined dad on a business lunch at Montgomery Inn Boat House on the Ohio River. The next day he, my mom and I went to lunch with 18 of his cousins at Buckhead. Throughout the week we also attended a Fourth of July party and a grad party. Also, lets not forget our morning walks...even in the rain that has been slamming us for a week now!
And last, but definitely not least, we managed to get a few white castle sweet tea's and hit up Starbucks multiple times. One day we even saw a dad and his young daughter also on a father daughter date. My dad chatted with him in line when the other dad commented on starting them young. My dad said it is one of the best things to do as he and I are now so close and have been doing Starbucks dates for 5 years. The other dad smiled and said, "lets hope so!" So precious!
(Dad had Starbucks a few more times than myself this week because he came to visit me at work, which is Starbucks...)
Oh, I forgot to add in here somewhere that he was also a trooper on my day off and was subject to taste tester for some pinterest recipes that will be up on the blog tomorrow!
So some things that my dad and I do, have done, and I am sure will do are extraordinary, but many of them are not. He is the best friend that doesn't have to say anything and I know exactly what he is thinking and vise versa. Silence is comfortable, but so is conversation and we can finish each others sentences...literally, we even talk the same! Too much time together over the years?! Nah, I don't think so!
Im so blessed to be one of the few given such an amazing father down here. If this one is so awesome, I can't even fathom what the one who made this one will be like!
