6.16.2013

Tribute

Dave & Cam, my dad & me (fuzzy), Dad Hunt and Cam

I haven't blogged in forever and I promise this won't get all crazy emotional. I'm sitting at work on Father's Day thinking how lucky and blessed I am to have such amazing fathers in my life. There are so many experiences and stories surrounding these men that illustrate their greatness in my life and the lives of their children.
1. Dave: I love him so much! He's a great husband, sure, but an even better father. Cami was a huge surprise to both of us, but Dave really took fatherhood seriously from day one.  I could think of a thousand ways of his fantastic fathering abilities. I'll only share one to save space for the others. 
When Cami was a baby, she was HARD. She cried all the time, except about an hour and when she was sleeping. It was so hard for everyone. Dave worked as a call-center rep at the time.  I took the full 12 weeks of Maternity Leave (even though some of it was unpaid), mostly because I didn't want anyone to have to handle the crying more than they should. Anyway, I spent a lot of the days emotionally exhausted with Cami. Both of us took turns crying, sobbing and yelling as I tried to adjust and she just was a baby.  Dave HATED being a call center rep and as soon as he came home, he would take Cami in his arms and take her to the bedroom. He would shut the door and let me have a minute without her, even though he was struggling just as much with the situation as I was. He never stopped loving her. He's the overly-cautious parent in the relationship and worries about her all the time. Dave is such a great dad. I am so lucky to have him as my husband and baby-daddy. Cami doesn't understand yet, but she love daddy. It was her first word and she looks for him every morning when she wakes up. 

2. My Dad: Of course I have to include him. This weekend I've bombarded Instagram and Facebook with my love for him. So I'll keep it brief here. My dad has always been my hero. He's tall, smart and pretty hilarious sometimes.  He's so full of useless information and I'm sure he could talk out even the most patient listener. 
My favorite part of my dad was his stories.  He could make up stories right on the spot.  When I was a little girl, I almost looked forward to bedtimes. I couldn't wait to hear about Tarzan and the Little People or the toys that came to life in the moonlight.  My dad was incredibly creative and he kept my imagination alive for longer than most people.  In some ways I feel as though his stories created my love for books and writing.  We shared the same dream and I hope that I can achieve that for/with him someday.  He deserves it.

3. Daddy Hunt/Bruce:  I'm pretty lucky to marry into Dave's family too. It's true that Dave's dad has a back story that irritates some family members, but he's a pretty great man too.  He met me only once before he found out I was pregnant.  When Dave told him that we were expecting, he immediately suggested that we get married.  I like to think it was because he liked me.
Dave and I have put a lot of work into our relationship with Bruce. He's that type. You have to put in a lot of effort, but you get a lot more back than what you put in with him.  From the very beginning, he has been so supportive of us and our family.  He has helped out on the the countless house projects that have popped up since we purchased our house.
I can't say that I have a ton of memories with him but a lot of small ones stand out.  Although he is very "wary" of church things, he was there in the church for my dad's funeral and constantly praised what a great man my dad was.  Or when we got married.  If there was a boring lull at the reception, he would come over to me quickly saying, "Someone hasn't hugged the bride recently." That night there was a lot of hugs. It didn't take me long to call him "dad".  In my mind he's my second father, one to step up where mine can't right now-especially in house stuff.

I'm so lucky/blessed to have such amazing, strong fathers in my life. There are hundreds of other fathers in my life I could include. Isn't this world amazing to have the word "father" spoken every day.  This is the first Father's Day that I really notice how important fathers are in my life.  I wouldn't be much without them.  I love you guys!