Friday, February 6, 2009

Flashback Friday: My First Boyfriend

You all think you're in for some juicy tidbits, don't you?

All week long I've been using some questions Tam posed on her blog to inspire my blog topics for the week... with the exception, of course, of the major twin news that trumped all other stories. Quite frankly, they could have announced that the President decided to give every citizen a thousand dollars to spend willy-nilly and boost the economy, and I still would have been all about the twins.

Granted, I might have been all about buying them bigger presents, but they still would have been the main topic of conversation.

But when I opened her blog the other day and she posed a question about the identity of my first boyfriend, this picture was one of the first things that popped into my mind:

dad me ring

That's my dad, giving me a ring for Christmas when I was a little girl. The photo was taken in his office at the hog farm, and I truly have no idea why that would be the location he chose to put a tiny little ring on my tiny little finger... but it's another great example of the "what" mattering more than the "why" or the "how."

Because this picture embodies the character of my dad. He is a man who is filled to the brim with love. He's the guy who would get on the floor to talk to you, who would be interested in your stories and would take the opportunity to tell you how loved you are, what makes you special and what makes him proud. He's also the dad who would tease you mercilessly, tickle you until you begged for mercy and climb trees to hang homemade swings, only to get stuck trying to figure out how to climb back down. He has always been a big kid, which made being his kid a whole lot of fun.

I was obviously too little to remember being in this photo, but I can imagine the story he was telling to keep me so entranced. I can hear him, all serious, "Now, if a guy would just be extra careful with a little ring like this you won't lose it... there were pert-near 30 rings in that store, but this one was the prettiest." Because every good story dad tells has to have the phrases "if a guy would just" and "pert-near" in them somewhere.

Mostly, I love that this photo isn't taken under a perfectly lit Christmas tree or when we were all dressed up to go to midnight Mass. I love that he stopped in the middle of his day, dressed in his farm clothes... his snap-front shirt that surely had a pen and a tiny notepad in the left front pocket and his smelly jeans with a holder for his pliers on his hip... to let me know that I was his girl. He knew how to savor his moments, and I'm so glad I have the photo so I can look back and savor it, too.

All my other boyfriends had no idea what they were getting themselves into... that first boyfriend of mine simply made it impossible to measure up.

21 comments:

  1. 'impossible to measure up' is what I was thinking the whole way through this post. Here's to wonderful fathers everywhere who teach their little girls how they should be treated by the men in their lives.

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  2. I used those words to describe my own dad just yesterday. "impossible to measure up". What a wonderful tribute to your dad. Now we see more of where you got your wonderful spirit from. Thanks for sharing him with the rest of us.

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  3. Awwww, no fair making me cry before I've even had my breakfast! What a sweet thing to say about your dad. I can't imagine a finer compliment, and I sure hope my daughters say the same thing about their dad one day.

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  4. That's the sweetest tribute to any dad I've ever read. You are a blessed woman to have a man like that as Dad...Tell your dad I just love him would ya?

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  5. This photo gave me goosebumps and yes, a few tears. Thanks for a beautiful post. I have written about my dad and the parallels to "The Greatest Man I Never Knew." Yup, tears.

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  6. Diddo from your sis! Love you, Dad! I have to say though...I wish I had a picture like that of dad and I...you are soooo spoiled (smile).

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  7. That is so sweet! What a great post! You are blessed beyond measure to have such a wonderful father.

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  8. Awww, you just have such a special way of grabbing my heart. That was beautiful. I love seeing big and perfect love and that picture with your words is just that. And how bun to have your siblings show up and comment!

    Thanks for sharing with us!

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  9. Dads are so very special. This was a perfect blog for us today. Abby is having lots of pain after her surgery this week. Her DADDy brings her smiles and comfort. She even had a short tea party with him yesterday when he came home for lunch. Last night she sat at the window longing for Daddy to come home and hold her. As soon as he did she stopped crying and fell to sleep!! Her Daddy is her first boyfriend, too!!! I guess I can share him:)

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  10. Diddo, Sara!! Long before you were born and even before your Dad was married, I was his little girl. I even got to go on dates with your folks!!! He is the BEST!!! A great brother and friend. I love you, Mike!

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  11. Oops... really glad I came back...

    bun=fun :) in case anyone wonders...

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  12. Every little girl should be so lucky, to be able to call her dad her first boyfriend.

    Thanks Gitz, for another wonderful, gee I need a tissue, flashback Friday.

    Have a great weekend!

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  13. Yeah, I definitely got a good one in the dad department. :)

    @laura: you know, we do look a lot alike if you want to pretend that baby was you :)

    @janella: I love the stories you tell about him when you were little. You know, mom made Jerry take me on a date to a movie with him and Amy once... he wasn't nearly as happy about it as your brother was :)

    @leslie: I'm so sorry Abby's having a rough time! I talked to Meg and she said the surgery went well, but I hadn't heard about recovery. :( Poor thing.

    @vicky: it's funny to read your comment like you have a cold or something :)

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  14. Did I hear that right?
    You're breathing fresh (arctic) air?!?

    Congratulations!

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  15. Don't take your clothes off and dance naked in front of the open window in celebration.

    (Trust me on this one. The neighbors WILL talk.)

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  16. @T: Hey, girl... yes, you heard right; it got warm enough today that my window un-froze so I could open it! Fresh air, almost 40* and no reactions!!! I have no idea how long this reprieve will last, but I'm loving it :) After so many months I almost forgot how much I love fresh air...

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  17. What a sweet tribute to your Dad. Makes me realize how much I miss both my parents. Even tho I'm all an old woman now I will always have the memories. My Mother worked and when I was little I stayed with him all day in his workshop. We went everywhere together.

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  18. I get more addicted to your blog with every post. That is one of the sweetest pictures I have ever seen. I think of my dad the same way. Every Valentine's Day he would not only bring my mom something but he would bring flowers home for my twin sister and I too. The sweetest man with the warmest heart.

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  19. that picture, and that story, are so so precious...

    as are you.

    (and you indeed have a purpose. and you're fulfilling it everyday in my life...)

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  20. Super post, Sara. I feel the same way about my Dad -- and about my husband who is also a hard act to follow.

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