A round of applause for dads

"I've always followed my father's advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you, you can be sure I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble. " ~ John Wayne (1907 - 1979)

Looking forward to tomorrow, I thought I'd share a few words about my father. I've thought about this blog for a few days now, and I'm still not 100% sure what all to include. There's so much I could say about my father. And he's no ordinary dad. He's more like your super-dad variety. Father of six who never gave up on us, always encouraged us to do what's right and has helped shape us into who we are today.

So I thought I'd list 10 things I love about my dad and things that mean something to us. So, in no particular order...

#1 - Going with the quote of the day, my dad watched John Wayne movies with me. Probably not as many as he'd like or as often as he wanted to, but with him I know I've seen a good few. More dads ought to make their kids watch movies like that - quality films that have a real plot, movement and morals. Less Dumb & Dumber - more True Grit.

#2 - And still on the movie theme - I love the fact my dad watch the movie Father of the Bride with me and hated it. Not because it was a bad movie, but because how scary it was for him - so close to home. And even now that my wedding's come and gone, and he's walked me down the aisle - I can always know how much it meant to us both for him to give me away.

#3 - My dad's the only man to take me parasailing. It's was on one of many family vacations. Which, for my family, are a feat in themselves. And dad made them happen. Carefully and with great precision he'd pack up the luggage and "necessary" gear - for all eight of the Hinckley clan, and often a person or two extra - and navigate the roads of America - always safely navigating us to the next destination. And even with the headaches, he took the time to spend with us each on our own and make the trips even better.

#4- I love my dad because he allowed me to go off to college, even after threatening to lock me in my room and hire a private tutor. It was a rough couple of days for my dad, but he helped me haul all my junk down the night before, camp out in a hotel and get up bright and early to ensure I was on of the first to move into Collins dormitory. And not only was he a trooper - he brought all the right gear. Every other girl wanted to borrow my dad and his moving equipment. Too bad - he's my dad, girls.

#5 - My dad made me mow the yard. Not really fun or exciting at the time, but it instilled good work ethics and taught responsibility. I know my younger siblings reading this may not think it's sooo wonderful, but suck it up. It's a life lesson. Those aren't always fun.

#6- My dad took me out to the ballgame. We went to see Nolan Ryan pitch in the old Rangers' Stadium - aluminum seats and all. Sure it wasn't the first base line - they were more nose-bleed seats, but we took the binoculars, ate hot dogs and had a great time. We also went to Rangers' games at the then-new Ballpark in Arlington, but those couple of games out at the ball park - complete with the 7th-inning stretches - those were great.

#7- My dad took me camping at Enchanted Rock and tubing down the Guadalupe River. It was a father-daughter weekend with a couple of other friends from our church, but I remember climbing up the rock, encountering my first crawdad (crayfish for you who don't speak Texan) and lazily drifting down the river. Nice....

#8- Dad has also moved me clear across the country to Virginia. Talk about a move - it was a real nightmare. But dad didn't miss a beat and we arrived here in one piece - a couple of days later than expected and with a busted Dodge truck in tow. And after all that he got some seriously nasty food bug from eating under-cooked seafood. Not dad's favorite trip across the nation, I'm sure. But it meant a lot to me.

#9 - My dad worked my elementary school field day every single year - and always on the softball throw. He attended countless school field trips, church youth trips and even "suffered" through youth ski trips. Skiing with my dad is always a blast. He's not Bode Miller, but he enjoys the day and carefully navigates down the mountain - soaking in the surroundings. Skiing with dad will always be a cherished memory. And hopefully, we'll get to do it again sometime soon.

#10 - Another great thing my dad did - he took me hunting. Not that I ever shot anything, but just taking me out to the lease, letting me curl up on the floor of the deer stand to snooze and eating some great deer lease food - it's a great experience. I'm sure if and when I ever have kids - they'll go with their dad to the hunting lease. It's a great thing.

And I could go on, but to spare everyone else reading this, I won't.

So - here's to dads! The men we always knew could beat up anyone else's dad, and the men who still tucked us into bed at night. Take a minute, stop and think about your pop and be sure to call and say "Hi" on Father's Day - it's the least you can do.