For the Love of Fathers

If you are like me, you force your family to live in sterile conditions for days before family arrives from out of town. The recently cleaned guest bedroom and bathroom are off limits, all toys must remain contained in their proper place, and no one dare walk on the carpet with shoes unless they want to incur the wrath of the maid, otherwise known as the insane mother from, well you where. It might be a good thing that daddy has to work late every night of the week as to not become the victim of stress outbreaks and mommy tantrums. The children on the other hand must abide by all rules of the newly sterile house because mommies can otherwise take away privileges or set an earlier bedtime.

I am pretty certain that my obsessive compulsive disorder is influenced by a bigger appetite for perfectionism. Are you still with me?

Tomorrow my father and step-mother come to town for the first time in about a year and a half. Although we will be spending the majority of their visit camping at Beachside State Park, dad and Michelle will also be staying with us for a few days. We are excited to celebrate father's day with both of our fathers and with Jeremy's sister's family. It was six years ago on Father's Day that Jeremy met my father for the first time. Immediately they hit-it-off and just a few days later Jeremy took my father aside to ask for his blessing to marry me. I will always be grateful to my father for saying yes. Father's Day will always hold a special place in my heart for it was the first day that the two men in my life became friends.

Happy Father's Day to my three favorite dads!

Al (my dad), Jeremy, and Al (my father-in-law) - photo taken November 2009