Wknd Asgn #64: My Dad

 

This is my dad & mom when they were dating. They dated for 5 years! They say it was Love at First Sight! I am always intriqued by this concept! My dad worked his way through Dental School & graduated as the youngest at that time. His godfather was a dentist & in the military. My dad graduated from Dental School in June, my folks were married in July & then in August they were at Fort Hood, Tx for the 2 years before I was born. Mom was the one who called base to let them know President Kennedy was shot. She was watching on tv. They all laughed & soon the sirens went off on base stating they were on alert. 

     

This is a picture of me with my dad & then 2 of my niece with him! Isn't that so cool! My niece is much older now, but look at that smile with her! She makes everyone smile this way, but to get my dad to smile that much is just wonderful! Maybe it is actually where my niece gets her smile...hmmm! :-)

 

I love all the pictures with my dad smiling & laughing! He has such a wonderful smile! He works much too hard though & needs to do it more often! :-) This is my older of my two brothers! My dad has sooo much fun with kids! Recently, kids are just coming up to him and sitting on his lap! I love it! This brother is looking more & more like my dad! I guess it is good they share the same first name!

 

My niece had fallen for the first time! I couldn't believe I had a camera to capture this! She did not cry with Grandpa making her feel she was safe! What I lovely lesson to learn about men for later in her life!

    
Look at that Bear hug! He bends over & pulls her up like this still! I get worried but I guess as long as it doesn't hurt him. Amazing how she can get him to relax & play! I think God brought her purposely to do that! :-) The last one I love! Something that would normally be "work" is now "a big puzzle to put together!" Do you know he now saves those tile pieces (floor is 27 yrs old!) until she comes over to do them with her! :-)

Some of my happiest moments are with my dad on vacations & parties. We would go on the Dental Conventions but dad would plan some trips along the way to our destination. I think my favorite is when we went fishing! I love to fish! I also would get so excited for Saturdays in the summers. He would come home from work about 2pm & he would come from his car around to the backyard where I waited for him swinging on my swing. I worked with my dad as a teen and got to see how wonderful he worked with his patients. He loves what he does! Many of his patients are 3-4 generations! They know our family & he knows theirs! Today you get your 15 min with your doctors & you are lucky you even get to explain what you came for ! I think this is many times the problem in why doctors really do not get to the cause of many problems...just slap a prescription! Dad is hopefully retiring this summer though! We all now have to get in quick to get our last cleaning from him! My dad would always save the new sample flavors of flouride & the new toothbrushes for me to try! I have only gone to one other dentist in my life & I think I'm the only one out of his kids! I was in college & bit into our cafeteria food & lost part of a filling. It was really wierd going to someone else! He has not only been my dentist for 40 yrs now but he is daddy & if it hurts...there was nothing that could be done because daddy wouldn't hurt you if he could avoid it. I unfortunately did not get my maternal grandpa's dental genes! He had all his teeth until he died & you could drill down for a crown with no anesthetic! Man! I once got 3 of the strongest shots & my face is all numb but I am still dying in pain. Ugh!

You know my dad & I don't always get along...well it is more like agree on things, but we are actually a lot alike! That may actually be the problem! I do respect my father for being strong with his values/morals though! He has a huge heart even if he is does not always show his affection...well he is like many men who "does things for you" to show their love, rather than perhaps say "I Love You" or give a kiss. Now if you come to him first that is a different story! I remember this one day when my dad came home from work. He gave me this scratching ring for my kitty "Dusty". He had used his dental supply points to get it free for me rather than to get himself something or more supplies! He is just sooo wonderful! You know they say women look for a husband like their dads...you know it may not be a bad idea! I would be lucky. Maybe that is why I have not been married yet...no one out there that can measure up to my dad! Hmmmm!!!!! :-)

     

I also wanted to honor a few other fathers! This first picture is of my mom's dad holding her! I am still searching for some other pictures of grandpa to scan up with me. My "youngest brother" looks so much like him! Their stance, forehead....it is getting eerie the older & older my brother gets! My grandpa grew up on the farms in IN & only went to 3rd grade. He would sign my cards with his name rather than grandpa after my grandma passed away. He could not spell very well but he was soooo smart! He also was a prize fighter for a while & was sooo strong, even up until he passed away when I was 23 yrs old. His uncles were very mean to him when he was young & I remember literally making him stop from pissing (LITERALLY!) on their graves when he took my sister & I to visit some relatives and to show us where he grew up. He was such a character! I don't remember anyone who didn't like my grandfather...unless they were afraid of him! Ha! When my mom was about the age she is in the picture, my grandpa had to go to New Mexico to live for a year because he had the smallest spot of TB. When we would ask grandpa if he would take us to after school events etc he would always say "If I'm here" meaning if he was still alive! He had such a wonderful attitude toward life & death....something I wish I inherited! I remember when he passed away the only thing that made me feel better was that he would finally get to meet his mother! (See below!) 

  
These next two are of me with my Great-Grandpa! My grandpa's (above) father! He is with his 3rd wife (2 others passed away). This is the great-grandma I remember! These are precious pictures to me since my great-grandpa and my grandpa did not talk for many years. You see it was LITERALLY a shot-gun wedding and my great-grandma died several days after my grandpa was born. My great-grandpa left then to have his wife's sisters raise my grandpa. My great-grandpa returned to the picture when my grandpa was about 13 yrs old with a new wife (2nd). My great-grandpa taught me how to braid my hair! :-) I remember him sitting in a chair & I sat on the floor between his legs & he taught me how.

I'll add a few of my dad's father hopefully later this weekend!