Growing up my father worked a lot of hours & different shifts. He was a patrol officer when I was born and moved his way through the detective bureau as a detective and later an inspector ("gadget" as I liked to call him them), then becoming deputy chief and retiring in 2006 as acting police chief.
He dedicated 30 years protecting the city in which we resided, but always made time for family!! He coached our baseball teams, came to every football game, cheerleading competitions and plays. He opened our pool each year, allowing us to have extravagant pool parties, cemented a portion of the backyard so Phil could have a mini basketball court, took us on numerous family vacations and purchased the property up north so we could mini bike, snowmobile and hunt (Phil, not me)!
He's a very special man!! I mean, not every father would dress as the Easter Bunny each year and hop down the street with Easter baskets for his children :) We never caught on... not even when he would receive a "call" every Christmas Eve when we were celebrating at our grandparents, to go into work... "dang work!!"... but would really go home, take all the gifts out of hiding and leave clues that Santa had been there!! :) He is the best!!
After my mom passed away, I developed a very special bond with my father (after my darker times of that year)... but he was there for me, even at my worst times to make sure I was loved and had everything I needed. He sent me off to Western, paid for my education, my sorority living and even got me a job answering phones for the campus police :) I remember I would call him every single day, sometimes more than once or twice... and even though he was running a police department, he always made time to talk to me, even if it was about what parties I was attending that weekend!!
Nowadays, I still talk to him everyday, so he can make fun of my hangovers, ask how his grand-dog baby V is (they have a special bond too) or as most recently I called him about 10 times the day of the bathroom remodel... "How do you put an anchor into the wall" which ended in frustration and attitudes from both of us until I called back to apologize :) (it was like I was a teenager again. lol)
I don't know if I will ever have the words to express how grateful I am for my dad. He is my rock, my heart. Without him, I would not be the women I am today and for that I can't thank him enough. I am truly blessed to have him!!
| Kisses for my first day of school & first bus ride alone! |
xoxox
| My dad & I in 1986 :) Loved that gorilla costume! |
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