Pop Rocks!

No I am not referring to the candy~ even though I love the watermelon ones! It is a tad bit delayed since I was not home for father's day but I have yet to post about my wonderful daddy for belated father's day! My dad is lovingly called "pop" by my nephews and will one day be called that be our children as well, not anytime soon though. So here as some things I want to share with you about my dad:

1. He loves to make you laugh. My dad has a large sense of humor and is the type of person who lives to make other people laugh. My dad loved, well loves, to tickle me into fits of laughter. My dad loves to try new things and if he is not good at them, he laughs his way through it and has fun anyway. This picture is from a few summers ago when I was trying to teach him how to swing dance, let's just say I almost got dropped! :)

2. My dad's arms were always the place I felt safest. I always felt that when he was holding me, nothing in the world could get to me. He loved me and protected me from all that he could; all the while letting me live my life and learn from my mistakes.

3. He pushes me to be a better person. My dad taught me the values of a strong relationship with God when he sought after Christ in his own trials and tribulations. He pushed me to be closer to God by modeling what that looked like. He pushed me to be a better student which led to graduating college with honors and being able to get this picture at Awards Night. 

4. My dad is a writer. My dad is the type of person who can read three or four different books at the same time and know what is going on in all of them. My dad loves to read and he instilled in me a love for reading as well. Every night when I was a little girl he would read with me at night before bed, if he got home in time. Our go-to-book was Alice in Wonderland. I think about that now and I looked forward to that time so much with him that it helped me love reading as well, which eventually led to me wanting to be an elementary school teacher. The picture above is from a book signing my dad did after finishing a book with Vince Dooley about the Georgia Bulldogs. I am so proud to know my dad played a big part in writing that book and it was a wonderful read! Vince Dooley's Tales from the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs.

5. He is a servant. This picture shows my dad serving dinner to some ladies at our church at a ladies dinner. While this picture shows him serving literally, I mean so more figuratively. My dad is a servant in every way that matters. He is one of the first to volunteer to help out and he is willing and ready when you need him. He is a selfless person who always puts others before himself.

6. He is patient. My dad is one of the most patient men I know. He has put up with a lot of fits over the years, between the three women in his life! I always knew when I had absolutely crossed the ultimate line when my father yelled at me because it took a lot. I don't vividly remember him yelling at me but one time and it was to teach me a lesson I never forgot- accept responsibility for my actions! He probably does not remember teaching me that lesson but he did!

7. He is one amazing pop! He loves those boys so much. I have only seen my dad shed tears when holding his grandsons for the first time. I am sure there were other moments that I missed but those are the ones I remember. I look forward to being able to give him more grandchildren some day down the road because I will be able to show them how lucky I was and how lucky they are!

8. Last, but not least, he is a rock! My father is so much more than the man who taught me how to ride my bike. My father is so much more than the man who did not get angry when I couldn't figure out how to stop said bike and let it run into his car. My father is more than the man who was there with a belt when I got out of line. My father is more than the man who took me to church every time the doors were open so I could grow to love my Savior. My father is the man who gave me away on my wedding day knowing he had done an amazing job at being a dad. My father is the man who danced with me at the reception knowing my husband was a man who would love and care for me just as he had done. My father is the man who hugged and held me as we cried when we left to PCS to Germany for three years. My father is the man whose "I love you" said so much more! I love you dad and I am one of the lucky ones!!!