Happy Father's Day to a Dad and a Too-Dad

And Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

I've been incredibly blessed with amazing parents AND grandparents, so I'd like to say a few words about the two most special fathers in my life- my dad, Bob, and my grandpa, my Too-daddy.

These two men are some of the most unique men I know. They definitely don't fit any stereotypes, but in all good ways :)

My Dad
The first and foremost awesome quality about him is that he is a man of incredible integrity and deep faith. I pick his brain about in-depth questions I have about the Bible, God, and what it means to be a Christian, and he's always patient with me, answering with truth, conviction, and clarity. He reads dozens of books on the subject, the Bible in particular, and would even listen to the Bible on tape during his commute (something that always kinda cracked me up). He served as an elder at his past church for years, giving selflessly and generously of his time and money. My parents are great stewards, and have highly influenced Steve and I in how we handle (and spend) what God has entrusted to us. My dad is a man who loves God, and I respect him greatly for this devotion.

OK, to make sure this post doesn't turn into a mammoth length novel, I'll just keep this at a small sampling of a few other characteristics that I deeply respect, but that also kinda make me giggle, about my dad:

* I have never, let me repeat, never heard my dad swear in my 29 years of life. You know he's mad when "fiddlesticks" crosses his lips.

* I've never seen him lounging on the couch, pants undone, watching the game with a beer in his hands. Not that doing that is a bad thing, it's just not my dad.

* I remember with fondness when my parents and I were driving back from seeing the musical, "Beauty and the Beast" in DC and my dad got pulled over for going about 10 miles over the speed limit. That was hysterical to me- my dad getting pulled over for speeding! Even funnier however, was the officer asking what my dad had to drink that night. I couldn't resist- I responded, "maybe some milk and cookies!" My mom and I couldn't stop laughing and dad got by with a warning.

* He wears his baseball hats on top of his head, not on his head. They kinda rest gently on top of the head and my personal favorite of his is the red and white hat, that reads "Physics" in felt across the top. He's also particularly fond of his newsboy style caps, and has them in just about every color.

OK, that'll do for now. Dad, you've been an awesome father and I love you. Happy Father's Day!

My Too-daddy
Again, where do I even begin with this wonderful man I'm privileged to call my grandpa? This post could seriously go on for days and I'm not sure how to limit this, so maybe to honor my Too-Dad, I'll just do some free thinking/writing and see where it goes.

My dad's father died two years before I was born, so I never had the opportunity to meet him. I hear he was a great man, deeply devoted to his faith and family, and it saddens me that I never got to know him. Partly for this reason, my mom's father, my dear Too-daddy was especially dear to me. My only grandfather. And with a brother and two male cousins, I happen to be his only granddaughter. I'd like to think we share a special bond.

He, too, is quite a unique fellow. Some people don't know how to take him- his sense of humor, his stubbornness, his quirks, but I love those qualities in him. I have fond memories of sitting on his lap while he sang "giddy up to granny's house to get a piece of cake" and "fire bumper, eye winker, nose smeller, tom tinker, mouth eater, chin chopper..." You'd probably have to be there to get it, but us grand kids loved those songs!

Too-dad used to push us along in the "frogger" (a small toy vehicle in the shape of a frog), and let us ride on the back of the moped. He even had a name for all of us- "Posty's Team." Neily-Pealy, Sam-the-Man, Super-Dan, and Beck-a-beck. We even had shirts inscribed. Seriously. We were too cool. Where'd it all come from you may wonder? Well, "Posty" was the name I gave the teddy-bear he gave me when I was five after Too-dad's last name, "Postlethwait." Yeah, try learning how to spell that as a kid!

Like my dad, my grandpa is one of the most generous people I know. Boy, does he spoil us, but we never take it for granted. He doesn't want the government to have his money :), so he graciously bestows it on all of us and loves doing so. He's also very wise with his resources and spends it where it counts most to him- his family.

Speaking of family, Too-daddy was married to my "Nana-bug" for almost 50 years before the horrific Creutzfeld-Jakobs disease took her precious life in 1995. I adored this woman, and still mourn this loss. I'll reserve more on my Nana for a post all its own, but I can't have a post on Too-dad without mentioning her. As his happiness means the world to us, we were thrilled when he met another wonderful lady, another southern belle, Mary Catherine, and remarried in 1998.

My Too-dad is a spectacular man- at almost 84, he's going strong and doesn't look or act a day older than 65. I treasure the special relationship we share very deeply.

This post can't even attempt to do justice in describing the way I feel about my dad and Too-Dad. I love them both and hope they have a very Happy Father's Day!!!