for dads, present and future

for father's day on sunday AWD got a bag of m&ms at church (which i ate) and then i let him do all the dishes after dinner.

my mom said i seemed to have missed the point.

AWD said it was OK because he isn't a dad yet. but when he is i better step up my game.

(just kidding. he would never say something like that. even though it's true.)

but, my lack of celebratory recognition aside, i did want to say this. every day that i wake up and remember that i am married to AWD i feel happy and lucky and so incredibly grateful. being married to him and learning how to live as partners together has been so much fun and so rewarding and it feels like the time so far has gone by in the half-blink of an eye.

i will admit that lately, for the first time in my life, i've found myself feeling really envious of people who got married in their early 20s because they had all that time to spend just the two of them (if they wanted to) before the realities of the biological clock came knocking and i have to say that ten years of just me and AWD sounds like a dream.

but, i will also admit that the thought of AWD cuddling a little baby that belongs to me and to him, and the thought of him teaching our kids how to ride bikes, and the thought of him helping them with their homework, and the thought of him reading them bedtime stories and saying family prayers and getting up in the middle of the night to send monsters and nightmares away makes me pretty melty and excited.

i hope that our kids, whenever and however they come, have his kindness and patience, his calmness and confident decision-making, his smile and his belly laugh, his knack for putting things together and people at ease, his willingness to try just about anything, his desire to serve and show love, his dedication to the church and the lord, his silly sense of humor, and his calves.

i have no doubt that our kids will feel just as lucky as i do to have him around.

despite my sub-par efforts on the home front, i did manage to get a gift (on-time) to my own dad, who i love very dearly. my dad taught me how to be brave and try hard and i still get all giddy inside when he tells me he is proud of me. making him proud makes me happy. my dad has always been my ally and my advocate and my friend, and i don't think you could ask for better things from a dad. he always has time for me and my questions and my problems, and he also always has time to rejoice in my triumphs, however big or small they may be. from him i have learned a lot about how to show people they matter, and that is something i am glad to know.

in short, my life is richly blessed in the dad and husband/future-dad category (not to mention the m&ms bonus) and i just figured i'd better say it out loud. i sure love you both.