Father's Day

Father's Day is always a very bittersweet day for me. This year, perhaps more than others. While we LOVE celebrating this guy...

 ...who is always down to simply enjoy life, not afraid to act silly, who works hard but not *too hard* because he realizes time with his girls is more important than any amount of money...

...it is also always a day to remember the incredible man I called Dad for sixteen amazing years.

He left too soon, as the good always do. I try to focus on the good - the "Go Tiffer" shouted above all the other parents' cheers, letting me skate around his warehouse in rollerskates (something OSHA would never allow today), his ridiculous singing and dancing in the truck when a boy I had a crush on pulled up next to us a stop light...

It makes my heart ache for that time back. It hurts even more knowing my girls will never know their Papa, in the physical anyway. He was an amazing father, but an even more amazing grandpa. His love radiated to everyone he was around. 

He left a legacy I hope to pass down to my girls, though I'm not sure anyone truly could. In his absence two men stepped up for the remainder of my teen years...my incredible brother and my uncle (Dad's brother). I've always adored those two, for different reasons, so when it came time to decide how I was going to walk down the aisle without my father, there wasn't much question as to who I was going to ask. 

Unfortunately, in between recitals yesterday, I received a message from my cousin to call her followed by an email from my aunt. My beloved uncle had passed away of an apparent heart attack. It was sudden, unexpected, and I quietly cried to myself on the drive home while the older Things were immersed in a roadrunner DVD. 

He will be so incredibly missed. I am completely guilt-ridden - we have talked for the last three or four years about driving out to visit on the east coast but never getting around to it, other trips taking priority. I find peace in that he is no longer suffering as he had been in pain for many, many years (a Vietnam vet with a broken back, to put it mildly and without much detail). But my heart still hurts and this one will take time to process.

With all that said, we did try and enjoy our Father's Day. Our plan was to make a big breakfast, head out for lunch, and then hit the zoo as the next week is supposed to spike into the 800* mark. We accomplished the first two before car troubles stopped us from heading to the zoo. 

Mmmm Noodles!

Thankfully Grandma (my mom) is close and was able to come pick the girls and I up (and let us hang at her house because I forgot the garage door opener and keys so had no way to get us inside!) while The Husband waited for AAA to two him to the repair shop. It appears to just be a battery issue but we decided to leave it for the mechanics to fully inspect - something we needed to do prior to our drive to Florida in a few weeks anyway.

Despite the heartache and stress of car issues we had a great day celebrating this guy. My girls don't know how lucky they are to have him. To all the dad's out there, living and not, a very Happy Father's Day.