Happy Father's Day

Today is Father's Day. But I can't pick up the phone and call my Dad. Nor did I buy him a card, or a fishing pole, or make his favorite foods. Instead, last weekend I paid his grave a visit. My Dad left this earth just shy of 13 years ago. He died from Lung Cancer. His fight was short. His Cancer was very aggressive.

I miss him. I miss him on days like today. I miss him on spring days when the mushrooms are popping out and I want him to take me mushroom hunting. I miss him on days after a thunderstorm. We use to talk about how much rain he got. I miss him on days when my husband is fishing. I know he would love to see those fish. I miss him every summer when The Boy wishes out loud that his Grandpa could teach him how to hand fish. I miss him in the winter months when the snow is fresh and safe to go out rabbit hunting. I miss him on days when my car makes a funny noise and I can't just call him and describe it to him.

Thirteen years is a long time but some days it does not seem that he has been gone that long. The above photo was taken at my cousins wedding about two months before he passed away. I wish we had taken more photos. I wish I looked better in the photos we did take. The below photo was taken when my son was six-eight months old. Maybe about three months before he started to get sick. What is hard to think about some times is that in less than a year between the two photos, my Dad became sick and died.

More than anything, I wish my kids had had the opportunity to get to know him. The Boy was only 18 months old when he passed away. And The Short Chic. Well, she was nothing more than my wish for the future. I can say, through me they know some of his traits. I always thought I was going to grow up to be like my Mom, and in many ways I have. But I can be my Daddy's daughter at times; critical, short-tempered, and playful. So, he does live on, in spirit with us all.

Now, besides missing my Dad today, we have had one crazy Father's Day weekend. The Boy and his baseball team played in our State Championship Tournament. We played two games on Saturday; we won one and lost one. To be very honest, the boys did not play well. We went home Saturday with our heads low thinking we would compete in another tournament without success.

I woke up Sunday and sent a motivational text message to the boy. It said, "very few times in life you will be given a second chance. Hawks baseball has that rare chance today. You are better than you played yesterday. You have to want to bring home that trophy today. You have to make it happen. Not for us parents, but for yourselves. Go out, play hard, win big." Not bad for motivation at 6:14 a.m. even if I say so myself.

On the way to both games I said prayers. Saturday I prayed for a win. Sunday I prayed the boys would all play their best. And their best is what they played. We played two games. We won both. Every member of that team helped our team win their State Championship!

After the tournament, we went to have a picnic at a cute park behind one of our local Bass Pro Stores. The park is surrounded by water and it made for a muggy, humid, and super hot picnic. Of course The Short Chic did not seem to miss a beat. She ran from play equipment to play equipment. We watched The Husband fish around and we found a frog, geese and baby ducks.

To conclude, the day has been bittersweet. You can't help but think about your father on Father's Day. And I miss mine, a lot. The flip side of that, I am married to a wonderful man, who is a wonderful father and stepfather to my children. And to see your children have success on Father's Day is just icing on the cake.

My Weekend Project: A PVC Camping Lamp Post and Flag Holder

I have seen a few of these around campsites and I knew I would like to have one. The only problem that I had is The Husband. He already thinks we drag too much stuff with us when we go camping and if I had told him my desire to have a PVC Camping Light Pole he would have shut it down quickly! So, that leaves a girl with only one choice: Figure out how to do it by herself. I did some internet searching and found a few road maps on RV forums. They seemed easy enough! I visited the local hardware store for the supplies: An exterior post lantern light 2 inch PVC pipe (I used 5 feet but had to purchase a 10 foot piece) A 3 inch toilet flange A 3 inch to 2 inch Reducer PVC Glue A 12 foot electric cord kit 2 - 3/4 inch PVC Caps I also used a few supplies we already had on hand: White Spray Paint 3 1/2 foot - 3/4 inch PVC Pipe Drill Bits (1 inch and 1/2 inch) Tent Stakes The first step was preparing the lantern light. I could only find black i

Tonsillectomy (Warning Photos!)

The Short Chic came down with a pretty nasty case of strep throat back in April. So, when The Boy started complaining about his throat hurting about 12 days later, I was pretty confident that he had inherited his sister's strep. Instead, The Boy was diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess growing on his right tonsil. We had to immediately see an ENT Physician who took a needle and drained the abscess. He removed about 5.5 cc of puss from The Boys throat.and then told us that once you have a peritonsillar abscess you were high risk to keep getting them. The Boy's tonsils were now compromised and needed to be removed. We were told to plan for a two week recovery so we worked a surgery into our summer plans. Between family vacations, summer sports, and the beginning of school The Boy had his second surgery. A tonsillectomy. Pre-surgery prepping went well. It must be nice to be young and have healthy veins for an IV! The Boy had lots of pre-surgery visitors. My

Liver Cheese: A Family Tradition

Today is an anniversary date. One of those dates you wish you did not have to remember but there is no way you can forget. Fifteen years ago today,two days after his birthday, my father died of lung cancer. He was a lifelong smoker and his cancer was aggressive. His battle was short. He fought for six short months after his diagnosis. He knew the chemo was not working and that his time was limited. When he came to this realization he became the best dad in the world. In the days before my father's passing, my family shared some memorable moments. One of those moments centers around the deli meat: Liver Cheese.I would not be surprised if you have never heard of it, or even never tasted it. But I was raised on it as it was one of my Dad's favorite things. What is it? Well, it is a German food that is actually called Leberkase. It is bacon, corned beef, pork, and onion that is ground together and baked. It comes with a

WooJune 20, 2011 at 9:37 AM
I know you don't think I ever read this, but I do... I can't imagine not having my dad to share the things that we do. I know he's just a phone call away for anything I need. Just this morning he called and asked me for a little bit of help moving a picnic table. I know that seems silly, but I shutter to think that some day that won't be possible. What I'm trying to say is that is it makes me sad that you're dad is not here for us to share those little things in life and in our children's lives. It make me sad that Jacob and Olivia didn't get the chance to really know and love your dad.

Thank you for all the nice things you said about me. I know I'm far from a perfect husband and father, but I'll keep trying to be more like my dad. Maybe some day I'll be more like him.

I love you, Pamela.
DebTJune 20, 2011 at 6:09 PM
Well, Pam - Father's Day is a hard day when you've lost your dad, but isn't it great to remember all the good things? That's all I'm sayin' since 'Woo' above here just about made me cry....
Hope he gets a big hug.
PamelaJune 20, 2011 at 11:20 PM
Deb,
He made me choke up a bit too. And yes, I gave him a really big hug! I am a lucky woman.

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