Some things are just so difficult to write about and yet one must. Having Paul's dad here this weekend and watching him share his experience as a father up on stage was emotional. David is an amazing man. Having known him for 18 years, I've really been able to peel back the many layers and unpack the person that he is. It takes years and years to really know someone and then you might still feel like you don't know him. It's incredible to watch someone grow and strengthen and yet still dip down into the low valley and then come back up a better man. I was 20 years old when Paul and I married! I was 20 years packed full of glee, extrovert ideas, immaturity, spontaneous combusiton, and more immaturity! One of my first experiences with my father-in-law was right after Paul and I met. We went to home to meet them and were taken out to dinner at a Mexican restaruant, my least favorite food. Just for fun, I thought I'd revisit my teenage pranks and told the waiter that it was David's bday and he'd love to be sung to. Of course the waiters and staff all dashed over singing in happy birthday in their spanish accent and plunged a giant sombrero on top of little David's head and took his picture. To say that he was slightly embarrassed and ticked off might be an understatement. At that time he worked for the government in D.C. and was a pretty serious and straight forward man who liked his shirts double starched and tucked in.............not the type to play pranks on. And that's how our beautiful relationship started and has bloomed since!
We actually laugh about that past moment and the picture is framed and in David's home. He has since retired from government work and paints landscape pictures in Abingdon, Virginia, volunteers at the men's prison, teaches Sunday school at church, and helps with a host of other charitable activities. Not to mention, he's the best grandpa in the world. As you can see in the picture above, he wore the goggles that the kids asked him to wear, did cannon balls with them, and gave horsey rides in the pool. I even think he survived a eye poke by one of the girls. He loves my kids and we love him! He's more than a 'father-law-law' to me.........he is my dad too! I'm blessed to have a few dads in my life and he's one of them. Looking forward to many years ahead and many bday pranks too! To this day, he still tries to repay me for that special moment in the Mexican restaurant.
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