Father's Day

I have an amazing Dad. My husband is an amazing Dad. I give them both credit, because it's not an easy job.
  When I was a teenager I was miserable. By that I mean I know I was not easy to deal with. I hated school, I didn't like to do my homework, I never wanted to be home by curfew and I definitely got into my fair share of trouble. Through all of it my Dad was there. Always telling me, "This is for your own good". Now that I am older I know what he meant. My Dad made me strong, taught me life lessons, gave me the gift of storytelling and opened my eyes to many things. He is truly an inspiration to me, his strength through all he has dealt with is, to say the least, admirable.
  When I was sixteen my parents took on the daunting task of teaching me to drive. I had been in a pretty nasty car accident months before, and remarkably escaped unscathed. I was not happy about driving, I was convinced that I would be relying on public transportation and my bicycle for the rest of my life. Nope. I can't remember what car we were using, but one day Dad decided we were going to drive around the block. I did pretty good for three quarters of it, then, pulling back onto our street it happened. I must have hit the gas a bit too hard, freaked out and over steered because the car ended up in the bushes of the house at the end of the street. Without thinking Dad told me to switch, got into the drivers seat and zipped down the road to our driveway. The bushes were fine, and the look on Dad's face is one I will never forget! I cannot help but smile every time I go home and drive past those bushes. I wonder if the neighbors ever noticed?
  My Dad worked as a machinist for many years, first in the family business, then a few other places. When he was forty-nine (I hope I got that right!) he quit his job at a plastics manufacturing company and joined the Fire Department. I was amazed. I don't know many people who would do that, especially at that age. I attended Dad's graduation from the Fire Academy and I realized just how happy he looked. He was finally doing something that made him happy.

Dad, in the middle with his hand on his hip and the biggest smile ever.

  My Dad was the real reason I joined the military at twenty-nine, he's also the reason I wanted to be an EMT. So, to you Dad, I say Thank You! Not just for the inspiration, but for helping to make me who I am.

  

I met my husband at a bar on September 11, 2010. My ex had moved out about a month before and while I did not miss him, I was lonely. I had spent the morning at the botanical gardens and could not stand to go home to an empty house for the rest of the day. I headed to the local bar, deciding that I would have a 'couple' beers and watch baseball. At that point in my life there really was no such thing as only having a couple beers. So I sat, enjoying my heady buzz, watching baseball, then football, talking to whoever happened to sit next to me. After a few hours I was pretty drunk, and this guy came over to talk to me. His pick up line went like this "I just watched you put down like three of those big beers and I'm still working on one." Gotta give the guy credit for creativity. We spent the rest of the afternoon sharing drinks and talking, even with my insistence that I wasn't looking to date anyone, he stayed right there, on the bar stool next to me. It was a long night, completely innocent as far as I was concerned. Just too many beers and some bar food with a nice guy. We exchanged numbers and I reminded him that I wasn't interested in dating. He texted me the next day and asked if I wanted to hang out, I was way too hung over and told him no thanks. 

  Over the course of the week we continued to text back and forth, talking about random things, what movies we liked, our favorite foods, etc. I had drill that weekend, and was stuck on post out of town. The guy texted me that Saturday and asked if I wanted to go out. He used the same exact wording he had the day after our initial meeting. It must have been his persistence and charm, because I said yes. Sunday afternoon, once drill was over, I got dolled up and headed to meet him at (of course) the bar. I remember being worried because I almost couldn't remember what he looked like. When I walked in and saw him my first thought was 'Thank God, he really is cute'. 

  Looking back I never would have thought that we would be where we are now. We were together for about six months when he proposed. We got married the a few months later, the  day after a beach vacation, on the back deck at his house. The only people there were us, the officiant, Brian's mom and a friend who took our pictures. By late October I was pregnant. We were ecstatic. Then I had a miscarriage. We were devastated. We had some terrible arguments in the couple months that followed, fueled by alcohol and hurt emotions. But never once did I think that we wouldn't work. 

  We moved into a new apartment together in December of 2011, by the end of February I was pregnant again. The drinking had stopped, the arguing had let up and we had started to dream about our baby. 

  Flash forward to today, Father's Day 2013. Brian is currently sleeping late, with Beau curled up in bed right next to him. Brian worked yesterday, just to make extra money for our new house. He works as many hours as he can so we can have the things we need. He comes home exhausted and still helps me with the house, he cooks dinner most nights, and he plays with Beau. He talks to Beau about how they will build things together in the future, how he is going to make Beau the best tree house ever and take him fishing and play baseball with him. 

Brian and Beau. 

  He is an amazing father, an amazing husband and the love of my life. Brian is truly my best friend, my soul mate and my confidant. I don't think I really knew what it is to be in love with someone before I met Brian. He makes my world go round and I can't imagine my life without him.
To my Dad and my husband, I say thank you, again. I don't think I say it enough and I don't think they know how much they mean to me. Happy Father's Day.