To All the Dads I've Loved Before...

The sign says, "We Love You, Dads!"

Sorry about the cheesy title, but I was too embarrassed to actually post "Happy Father's Day" up there, being that I kind of missed the (fishing) boat on getting this posted on their special day. But I figured with the combination of "better late than never" and the classic, "Isn't everyday Father's Day" philosophies, I could attempt to redeem myself with a touching tribute to these very special men. And to further redeem ourselves and clear our names, I have to say that we actually did send real cards in the mail to them (albeit those were probably a bit late as well). But I digress. This one, after all, is all about the dads. And what very special dads they are! I've been blessed from the get-go with some pretty incredible father figures in my life: my very own sweet, wonderful dad, and my two amazing grandfathers, the late, great Son Daddy and my very dear Daddy Buck (now 87 years old and living in Ballinger). I just can't sing their praises enough. These men are responsible for making my childhood pretty much the best one any little tomboy could ever hope for! From all the fishin' trips to the hours spent playing catch, kick, and cards, these guys taught me everything I know about knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep. I'm sure there were some other very important life lessons thrown in there as well, but every gambler, I mean little girl, knows these are among the most crucial to the secret to survivin'. I don't know that a blog is necessarily the appropriate medium for diving much further into the depths of how much these amazing men mean to me, but let it be known that these men are at the top of my Papa-Pedestals, and in my own personal opinion anyway, they are the greatest dads on earth (and now that I've gotten to experience a great deal more of the earth, I can make that statement in all honesty without reservation). And now on to my next dads, the "in-laws" so to speak, but I've never really thought too highly of the term "in-law."  I suppose it has a great deal to do with the fact that my dad's parents, dear Daddy Buck and precious little Grandmommie, never referred to my mom as anything else but their own daughter. I just always thought how sweet it was for them to drop the whole "in-law" thing completely and it's something that always stuck with me. So with that said, I have to recognize my other two dads, the father-in-laws (and I use that term here for clarification purposes only), that I was so very fortunate to have gotten out of the whole marriage thing: Will's dad, Neil, and stepdad, David. These two men have welcomed me into the family from the very beginning and have blessed mine and Will's lives with such love and laughter along the way. Not only did I get an amazing husband in Will, but I also got two more amazing men in my life that I'm proud to call dads and whose family's I'm so delighted to be a part of! I love them both dearly and hope they know just how very special they are to me. Will and I miss all of the dads in our lives more than blogs can ever say. So here's to our own fathers, our grandfathers, our fathers-"in-law", our godfathers, our best friends' fathers and best friends that have become fathers: We think of you guys so often and talk so much about wishing you were here to share some of these great experiences with. We cherish all the times we've spent together, the memories we've made, and the laughs we've shared, and we're so looking forward to the many, many more times, memories, and laughs to come! We love you all very much and wish you each a very special, very belated, happy Father's Day!

Here are some more pictures of the special dads in our life: Dads