Semper Fi

My dad was the proudest dad of all his kids! He was an especially proud Marine dad.  The day that Zach joined the Marines, dad couldn't of been prouder. The day that Zach told us he would be leaving for Iraq, and later on for Afghanistan, my dad couldn't of been prouder! He was proud to have a son who was serving his country over seas.  Even though the days spent waiting on Zach to come home were hard, we couldn't help but be so proud of him too.  Dad would write zach a note everyday that he saved in a box for Zach's return.  Each time Zach came home dad threw the grandest and bestest welcome home party! He was the best party planner ever! When he did a party he did it big!  He would spend months getting things together for these gatherings.  You could see it all over him, how proud of a dad he was.

(Boot Camp Graduation! Seeing Zach for the first time in 3 months!)

It's been 6 months now. Everyday is still hard.  My dad did so much that we are still trying to figure out how one man could do so much for everyone! When it comes to fixing things, making something, or just putting a smile on our face, dad's the first we think of. But for the first time, through this hard time, I've had a different outlook on my dad not being here with us. As bad as I need him, I can't help but be happy for where my dad is and what he must be up to.  A little bit like my dad must of felt for Zach.

Dad told Zach in a dream that heaven is so amazing he couldn't even put it into words, because our mind could not comprehend it! How crazy is that to think about the wonder of heaven and my dad gets to be there!! I would much rather him be here, but i feel like I have got to be proud of what he is doing today. I believe that God needed him for a really important job and he knew my dad was the one for it!  I can only imagine the welcome home party that my dad is putting together right now, to welcome us home.  God picked out the perfect party planner for the job!

I will be sure Haylie knows all about her Pop-pop.  So much to tell her and so many stories to share! She is going to think he was a crazy man, and rightfully so! I'll be sure she also knows-

• how crazy good looking he was (that would be at the top of my dads list to tell her about! lol)

•   how he prayed over her from the day he found out she would be born.

 

(right after we told him we were having a baby! Still slightly confused! lol Once he understood he was overly excited! And prayed with us right then!)

• how he had a passion for life

 (these two were always trouble together!)

• how he could make anything you ever dreamed of come true.

(If you wanted to meet the president, he could make it happen! He did autographs too!)

 (he made this for our new house!!.. the things he would think of were never ending!)

• he made the coolest tree house and perfected it just for his grandkids.

(we bought this slide at a garage sale and knew dad could make it work! He used a tree stump to put it on and made the handles!)

• how he could play the guitar and sing like no other!

 (singing "I got you babe")

• how He was the love of our lives.

(Lolli & Pop)

• he was The life of the party.

 

(Last Halloween- He was dog the bounty hunter!)

• And he was the party wherever he went. He had a way of making any event a fun place to be.  We strangely looked forward to family reunions if dad was going to be there! 

 (Poor uncle Jackie just got out of surgery! Dad was right by his side to make him laugh!)

• He was loud and proud and not afraid to speak his mind!

 

(Nothing unusual here!)

 (or even here!...)

• He was always there to help out for anything!

 (Grandad locked himself out of the house..decided to find an expert for some help.. Got my dad.. my dad came up with the great idea to climb into the smallest window of the whole house!.. this did not turn out so well...this is my dad taking the picture himself! He knew what he was up to!)

• He somehow could get away with anything

 (most likely up to no good!)

• He was our rock.  In times of troubles, my dad was the one to go to about anything. He would tell us exactly what we needed to be told (whether we wanted to hear it or not.) And he always reminded us that what we really needed to do was pray about it and he'd be the first to pray with us. He was not only there for any of his family, but friends and even clients would call on my dad for advice or just someone to pray with. 

(Aunt Niki and Dad!)

(Aunt Lisa, Uncle Sean, Dad & Aunt Niki)  

• and how he relied on duct tape and Velcro to make anything work! The inside of his truck is mostly covered in velcro so he could conveniently stick things all around for easy access!! 

(he didn't use duct tape here.. but this is a heating blanket switch thing that he kept on his nightstand...the on button wouldn't stick, so apparently he used a toothpick to keep it in place..mostly a good idea in till you reach over in the middle of the night to change the setting and get stabbed!! ...yes, that happened to me!)

• and How he lived his life out loud! Literally! That might be what I loved most about him. 

(He was a crazy bull rider!)

Each day we only miss him more! Missing his loudness, his singing, his crazy songs, and the list goes on and on. The things we love about dad are endless and the things we miss the most.  What a great life to be remembered for so many great things, that it seems almost impossible to mention them all!

Can't wait for the day we get to attend the big welcome home party that dad is helping put together now!

OORAH daddy!
(..or I suppose the new term might be YYYEEEEUUUGGGHHH!!..

Love you and miss you like crazy dad!