Thanksgiving in Pictures

I am so thankful for my family and for time with them. This year, Thanksgiving was painful and difficult. However, there was definitely joy intermingled with sorrow. 

Rainbow

The Park

Hide and Seek

Starbucks Run

Color Me Rad 5K

Last weekend, I met my cousins Jacki, Sierra, and Meagan in Fort Worth to walk the Color Me Rad 5k.  Jacki decided to run and left the rest of us in her dust.  We had a great stroll through all of the colors and it was fun to catch up with my cousins in an active setting. 

My mother, Uncle Lynn, cousin Scott, niece Blakeley and second cousin Cameron were there to cheer us on.  I can’t wait to do it again next year.  I will plan ahead better and wear a tutu the next time (yep… I am serious). 

 

Washington DC with my Mom…

This summer my mother and I decided to take a trip to Washington DC in late June.  I do not recommend DC in the summer.  It was unbelievably hot (high of 110) the week we were there.  We are talking so hot that I was afraid my mom was going to get heat stroke; so hot that we went into museums for AC in addition to the educational value.  Also, my brother called me while we were in DC and told me that he would be moving to DC in August.  Well shoot.  Bad timing for our trip in more ways than one! 

Despite the less-than-optimal time and heat, we managed to enjoy ourselves in DC. Highlights: Founding Farmers with Tess, the Holocaust Museum, Capital Tour lead by Pete Session’s interns (much better than the general public tour), and the night monument tour.

Other honorable mentions: International Spy Museum, Natural History Museum, American History Museum, National Portrait Gallery, National Zoo, Air and Space Museum, Zaytinya (get the crispy Brussels, you will not be disappointed), White House, and the Eastern Market. 

 

I cannot wait to go back to visit my brother (in the Spring or Fall) when the weather is nicer.  I am hoping to see the cherry blossoms next time.   

Father’s Day

I have never made a huge deal about father’s day.  Mainly because my father never made a big deal about it. I would see a commercial for father’s day and think “oh yeah, I need to call my dad and see if he needs anything.”  My father was a hugely practical man and he ALWAYS bought anything he needed (and half of the things he wanted) the moment he needed it, which made buying for him immensely difficult.  I would always call him a few weeks/days before father’s day and ask him if he wanted/needed anything.  He would always reply, “Nope.  Just to see you.”  And I would inevitably take him out to lunch or dinner to spend time with him and celebrate father’s day.  I loved it. 

This year, every father’s day commercial I saw was a painful reminder that I will not get to go to lunch or dinner with my daddy for father’s day this year. That thought makes me feel so raw. It makes me want to tell all of my friends to take time to tell their dad’s how much they love them.  Luckily I told my dad I loved him almost every day.  He knew he was so loved.  Which give me some peace, but I miss being able to celebrate with him today. 

Grieving is a process. I pray fervently that I am doing it well. I want to remember my father and honor his memory but I realize I have to go on living without him. Knowing him, and his strong gentle spirit helped mold me into the person I am. I acknowledge that losing him is further molding and refining me. It is not a process I enjoy. But I trust the Lord and I trust that this, like everything in life, will be used for God’s glory.

This far, the hardest part of losing my father has been knowing he will not get to interrogate my future husband, give him permission to ask for my hand, walk me down the isle, hold my children or teach them all of the lessons he taught me.  I realize I am not promised marriage or children but somehow my grief does not care. I am sad that my father can no longer teach me but I feel so blessed to have had 28 years with him.  I hate that if I have kids, they will only know stories of him.

My parents instilled the importance of education in me from an early age.  They taught me that dyslexia did not define me. Their abiding love made me BELIEVE I could be intelligent and have a learning disability. My father never missed a single swim meet in the 10 years that I swam competitively. My father always talked to anyone who would listen about how proud he was of his children. I loved being adored by him and most importantly, I KNEW I was adored by him. My father taught me that giving up is not an option. When you commit to something, you follow it through to completion.  Acting with integrity is the only option. Always be true to yourself. He taught me that it is okay to laugh at yourself. 

My dad was the smartest man I knew. Growing up, both my brother and I tried to emulate him. As adults we continued to want to portray his strengths and seek his advise. I miss my daddy greatly. I am honored and thankful to be his daughter.

Happy father’s day to all the dad’s out there. Today (and every day), take the time to tell your fathers/children how much you love them. As someone who heard it often, trust me, it never gets old!