Practicing...

I posted this a couple of years ago on Facebook but figured I would post it here as well. Being the dad of a daughter is gift.

 

A dear friend of mine, John Franklin, inspired this idea...he was the first one at the hospital when Chloe was born...the first outside of my immediate family to hold her...he told me about doing this with his daughter. Told me to cherish every moment I had with her because you never knew how long you had...he was right. He died in a hunting accident on December 30, 2010 at the young age of 40. Thank you John for inspiring me to enjoy every precious second I have with my family. Miss you bro...

Every day when Chloe and I get home, we walk from the garage to the mailbox...holding hands...I ask her how her day was and we talk....she has no idea that I do it to practice walking her down the aisle someday...that will be the hardest walk I ever make...so I am going to need years of practice...

I will enjoy those walks with her as long as you will take them with me...and then on her wedding day, I will remind her of our walks to the mailbox and I will tell her that I have been practicing all her life for this moment...and it is still hard...



 

 

Seeing my daughter smile...mission accomplished

I have never considered myself "handy". I used to watch my Dad fix things around the house and wish I had that kind of ability. I still go to my Dad for help and advice on how to fix things. My great-grandfather (Pops) was a carpenter. I remember sitting in his lap and watching him whittle for me. He was an amazing man. Last year I tried my first "project". I made a small "time-out" bench for the kids. It wasn't bad. I made another one for my best friend's new baby. I did a lot better on the second one. Well, for some reason I decided that I wanted to make a really cool big girl bed for my daughter's 5th birthday. This project was WAY out of my league and ability level. I have never known the words "I can't". I was determined to teach myself to be a carpenter and accomplish my goal. On Sunday June 10th my daughter came back from her mom's apartment and for the first time saw her new bed. I made her smile and again showed her just how much she means to me. When she climbed the stairs and got up on the bed she said "Daddy I am going to sleep in this bed FOREVER!" Here are a few pictures of her new bed. Mission Accomplished.