Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to be by my dad’s side. My dad worked (and still does) a lot for my family, and I am forever appreciative of him. My favorite memories growing up were running from our living room to the front door to give him a huge hug the second he walked in the door from work (while screaming “incoming”).
My dad and I share our curly hair and quiet sunshine glow of personality. My dad, Andrew, is someone whom I’ve admired immensely and never outwardly appreciated him as much as he deserves. I could go on and on about how my dad made me into the person I am today, but instead, I’m going to share some top-tier descriptions and memories of “my old man.”
Love of Books
My dad was originally an English major at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). This love of books is still alive, well, and inherited by his English and Education double major daughter. Starting from my crib, my dad would read me stories while I cooed and got ready to sleep. As I grew up, I started to create my own stories with my dad and read every night with my dad.
If he were away on a work trip, I would steal our home phone to call him before bed to continue the tradition of nightly bedtime stories. I loved being able to steal his old required books that were left on a bookshelf, including an entire volume of Shakespeare’s works. To this day, I still text him about the titles of books I’m required to read for classes or read for fun. I then have conversations with my dad about the books I’m reading, even if he’s never read the book.
Tea Parties and Bumble Bees
My dad has always been a very supportive person to both me and my brother. This fact has shown up over and over again. From when I was little, my dad attended every tea party with me and played with my fake tea and cookies (the lemon tea was frequently his favorite).
He didn’t even get water or any concoction of different flavors for the tea; it was all pure imaginary. He would do this and then recruit me for whatever project he needed help with (changing the oil on his car, building screens, mowing the lawn, etc.).
My dad also watched every one of my brother’s baseball games, standing in the outfield for pretty much every game. My dad could always be picked out, not only because he was the only fan sitting in the outfield away from any other person, but also for his funky and bright clothing. I do not know another person who wears bright yellow and green striped and polka dotted shorts, or a bright puffy lime green to yellow jacket, other than my dad.
Music Nights
Recently, whenever I’m home for breaks or for a weekend at home, my dad and I will sit in our kitchen and play music on a speaker. We take turns playing music we’re interested in that the other hasn’t heard in a while. We chat and sing along, sharing our favorite parts of the song or the album.
It’s a really simple thing, but it is one of my favorite things to do. We have very different music tastes, but it is still incredibly fun to experience (and probably, at least, a little annoying to everyone else in the house).
This wouldn’t be an article about my dad if I didn’t bring up my dad’s second famous phrase. Second to “Always take care of your feet” is “Keep on trucking.” I can’t remember when it started, but it has evolved immensely. It’s now at the point where my dad has two custom shirts with this phrase on them; one of those shirts displays the Google Translate version of this phrase in Spanish. My dad dropped me off every day in middle school bidding me goodbye with “Keep on trucking.”
“Keep on trucking” has carried me through on a daily basis and is purely within my father’s character. I adore my dad and will forever be a “Daddy’s Girl.” My dad matches my energy like no other, and I am incredibly grateful to have him in my life.