Today's post is dedicated to someone who I love and admire so very much, my father. For those of you reading this please take a minute to open this video: http://vimeo.com/28638402 and listen to this song while you are reading! I listened to Youth Lagoon's "Montana," when I was writing this for my dad! Dad this is for you:
I don't know that I have ever told my dad what I truly think of him...perhaps it's because sometimes I am shy with really speaking my mind or perhaps it's because it is hard for a sentimental, emotional person such as myself to tell those around me just how much I love them without getting absolutely choked up. My dad started his own landscaping company in 1985 and I think part of the reason I was inspired and had the guts to start my own business is because of the example my father set. Btw I just have to add in here at some point that my dad (in my opinion) is seriously one of the most talented landscape designers on the East Coast....his work is beautiful and I don't think he gets enough credit for the artistry and absolutely brilliant way he uses plants and puts together designs...he creates outdoor tapestries that would turn any person into a outdoor nature lover.
When I think of my dad, I think of someone that when I was a little child took me out on the screened in porch at our log cabin to hear the birds sing, I think of someone who told my sister and I bedtime stories before bed each night (with different voices and hand gestures I might add) and would always tell us more than one story even when he had worked a full day and was incredibly tired, I think of someone who I would run out into the driveway each night at the end of the day to greet as he got out of his work truck because I was so excited to see him and tell him about my day, I think of the person who had neverending patience when he was teaching me to ride a bike and to drive a car, I think of a person who worked very long work weeks running his own business but was never too tired to go out in the yard at the end of the day with his four kids and throw the football around, I think of someone who showed me the example of how a husband should treat his wife and children, I think of someone who treated me like a princess and instilled a strong sense of self worth in me as a young girl, mostly though I think of a wonderful person who has lived his life with an outstanding amount of integrity, love, and grace for those around him. Dad, today is your day and I may not tell you enough, but I so love and admire you and I always will. Thank you for raising me and for showing me what a "man" is supposed to be like, I am proud to call myself your daughter.
