Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father! ~Lydia M. Child, Philothea: A Romance, 1836
On Smarty Dad Saturday and in honor of Father’s Day we thought we would introduce you to our Dad’s. We invite you to share your dad with us as well.
My Dad – John Hollmer Kinney, Jen Plym
With a middle name like “Hollmer”, you have to be funny. My dad is one of the funniest people I know. He gets it from his dad, who was the other funniest person I know, who also shared the name Hollmer. All of my siblings share the same sense of humor, I don’t remember a time when we were all together and didn’t have a good time. Laughter filled our household growing up, all led by our dad. Our family gatherings always left people smiling and laughing the entire occasion – whether it was a party or a funeral, our family always ended up telling jokes and funny stories. There is nothing that a good laugh can’t cure.
As the youngest of four, I often felt like my voice wasn’t heard, probably why I started a blog:-) My dad never made me feel that way, like according to my sister and I quote “Jen, you were the best mistake mom and dad ever made!” My dad made me feel like the world revolved around me. No mistake – this baby was meant to be born!
Now as a grandfather, it’s so fun to watch him with my four children who absolutely adore him. He patiently plays with them, each of them independently when he can sneak the time in, and they cherish the visits they have.
As we head to Florida this summer for our semi-annual visit, my kids are counting down the days, and I am too.
Happy Father’s Day to the best dad ever! I hope you get 8 straight hours of U.S. Open coverage, which you totally deserve!
Love you!
My Dad – Tom Taylor, Courtenay Wardell
I am a lucky girl – I got to be my dad’s only daughter born between his two sons. There are a lot of things that I love and admire about my dad so I will just list some of my favorites:
– He taught me how to play basketball, starting with a granny shot and finally the famous Taylor hook (just like Kareem Abdul Jabars)
– He taught me how to mow the lawn, change spark plugs, add the fuel and oil and change a tire.
– My mom and dad were at all the events we were involved in.
– Dad gave me a love for politics.
– He is not afraid to cry for his family.
– He makes a mean pancake and omelets.
– He got us up for church on Sundays and taught the High School Sunday School class forever,
– He makes my mom beautiful salads.
– He is the best Poppy to all of his grandchildren.
– He walks our dog.
– He can bust out a mean slide on the dance floor.
– He made me a kitchen set for Christmas when I was a kid (fridge, Stove, sink), he saved it and then fixed it up and gave it to my girls.
– He never hangs up without saying “I love you”.
One of the most special moments for me was when my grandmother was in a nursing home and couldn’t care for herself any longer, my dad visited her everyday. I went to visit and walked into her room and he was there filing her fingernails and polishing them. He knew she wouldn’t be happy if her nails weren’t always done. It is not the words but the actions that show the love.
Happy Father’s Day Dad!!
My Dad – Barry Hunt, Cheryl Perry
I seriously have the best dad in the world – for real. And the older I get, the more thankful I am for him and all that he was (and is) to me and my sister. He’s still on duty as a dad – my husband and I always ask him for advice and really value his opinion. He’s also a phenomenal Papa to all of his grandkids – he and my mom (who’s also an awesome Mimi – can’t leave her out!) come to all their sporting events, school activities, ballet recitals – you name it, they’re there cheering my kids on. He’s a big personality with an even bigger heart who makes me laugh out loud every day with his one-liners. I’m lucky he’s so close so he can be a constant presence in our lives.
My Father – Dr. William Jacobs, Wendy Bentien
I was born when my dad was right out of med school studying to be a surgeon. He did not have a lot of extra time at home. A few of my favorite memories are of riding out bikes on summer nights and then coming home and jumping in the pool only to be surrounded by crickets. He taught me how to use profanity (this is actually an art form for those of you not familiar with it). He instilled a love of horror movies. I do love a good Stanley Kubrick film. He is the smarted man I know. He has a photographic memory and can literally recite from old medical journals verbatim. Amazing. He is an awesome grandfather. What he missed out on with me he is making up ten fold with my two daughters. They Love spending time with him and so do I.
Pops, Krista Wilson
My father is the funniest man in the universe. His humor is infectious and his laugh completely outrageous. When you are in his company you will laugh to the point of tears. I giggled my way through childhood. Everyday with my father was a practice in humor.
Today he is known as “Pops” to my three children. They adore him. No surprise. A year ago my father was visiting and he would greet my daughter with a “Merry Christmas”! She would laugh and remind him that it was in the middle of summer! Silly Pops she would joke!
The final morning of his visit my family awoke to a faux Christmas tree shining bright in our living room. My hilarious dad went into our attic and brought down our tree. My daughter beamed and screamed, “MERRY CHRISTMAS POPS!”
Oh the joy . . .
Oh the memories . . .
Oh my dad!
My Dad, Jennifer Voorhees
To my dad: I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. He is a jokester, confidant, and so much more. Despite being hundreds of miles away, we are able to talk at least once a week and able to skype with his granddaughter. He holds a very special place in my heart.
