My dad and I aren’t close.

I don’t call him when I have a really good day or when I need a shoulder to lean on. He occasionally forgets a birthday and doesn’t call once a week… Or once a month, for that matter. I’ve only seen him a handful of times in the past couple of years.

But the truth is, I’m more like my dad than any other member of my family. :) I used to think people said I looked like my dad because of my rather, uh, un-mom like build (she’s a 5’2″ marathon runner), but as I get older, I see so much more of myself in his face- Especially photos of him when he was my age. I no longer take offense. :) I won’t say my dad is a workaholic, but he loves to work. Growing up, he was a fighter pilot for the Marines and flew for Fedex, so time off was rare. This was tough as a kid, but as an adult, I can appreciate it. One reason why I have such a hard time picturing starting a family is because of our sometimes 70+ hour work weeks. But like Dad, I really love to work. I can sit at my desk editing photos for 12+ hours a day and be perfectly happy knowing I’m doing a job that I love.

He’s such a good person. Dad’s honest- sometimes too honest, but I always know he won’t feed me a line of bs. He curses, has a wicked sense of humor, and constantly amazes me with his skills on the grill and in the kitchen. He loves Seinfeld and the Beatles. My first concert was seeing Sir Paul McCartney. Dad ended up getting called in to work and my two year old sister took his place- And proceeded to sleep through the whole thing! Dad is a loyal friend to the end- His best friends have been just that almost all of his life. With the exception of the cooking part, I’ve inherited pretty much all of the above. And I have his blue eyes.

While he doesn’t necessarily know my favorite tv show or where Nate and I went on our honeymoon, he does know my heart and what kind of person I am. Which in the end, I suppose is all that really matters anyway.

I’d like to wish an extra happy Father’s Day to my dad, my awesome dad-in-law, and my brother, Charlie, who’s a dad-to-be. Oh, and Nicholas, who is celebrating his first Father’s Day this year with my adorable nephew Hall. :)

(Photo below from Cata and Ryan’s wedding this year.)