I called him Granddad, and, when he passed away, I was the first to speak at his funeral. I remember saying to the crowd "He was the grandest dad there ever was." Man, was that the truth. Also, in the eulogy, I made sure to include that every time he took me to the dentist he'd fall asleep in the waiting room and snore SO loud. I was mortified! But, after a few visits over the years, the staff in the office became quite accustomed to his grunts and snorts, as did I. It became an endearing thing, that we just laughed about after the fact.
When I was fifteen, my grandpa had gone off somewhere one Saturday - I didn't know where, I didn't care, I didn't ask. But, a few hours later he returned driving the ugliest orange car I'd ever seen in my life. At first, it didn't dawn on me - And then he said, "Here's your new car!" I'm pretty sure I must have turned pale at that point. But, I didn't let that overrule me. It was a car! It was my second set of training wheels! The first, of course, being the blue banana seat bike he bought me when we lived in Albany. So, there it was. That damn orange car. So I practiced, nearly every day - Parking in the driveway, driving on the highway to Mt. Bachelor with my grandpa, who, by the way smoked NON-STOP whenever he was in the car with me, and driving around the neighborhood in whatever weather came that day. With good intentions, he decided that it needed a "paint" job. Oh, Lord. He spray painted black racing stripes on the bottom part of both sides of that car. I thought it couldn't get any worse. I got in quite a bit of practice when, to my dismay, my grandpa insisted that we take THAT car, attached to our 30 foot motor home, on a trip across the country. Yeah, I practiced. But, for the most part, I stayed hidden in the back. Can you imagine both my grandparents, my great grandma, me, and sometimes a dog, crammed into a 2 door Datsun?!?! I need not say more.
Fall came, school started and I went in for my driver's test. I passed! And, the next evening, was my bible study group that I attended every week. On the way home, I got pulled over! Doing 40, in a 25 and no insurance card in the car......I was so embarrassed. But, for some odd reason, the cop let me off. Just a warning. Maybe it was because I was so cute back then! But, since my memory has failed me for moments such as that, I can't even recall whether the cop was young or old. So, I can't really use that excuse. My grandpa made me actually pay for the car - all $500 of it. I didn't think it was fair, at first, because I never wanted that kind of car to begin with. But there was no way they were letting me learn how to drive in their new Lincoln! I paid for my insurance too - Probably a good thing in the eyes of my grandpa. And, to top it off, it was named the "Tangerine" by a group of loving friends: Thanks Sana, Coco & Erin!
I drove that car all Fall and all Winter, but some days, when I wasn't working, and didn't have anywhere I needed to be, I rode the bus. On one of those days I didn't drive, and just before Spring break 1996, my grandpa picked me up from school. He normally didn't do that, but, he said there was something he wanted to show me. We ended up driving to Prineville and landed on the Miller Ford Dealership on the East side of town. When I asked what we were doing there, he said he was just looking. However, he pointed me to a silver Mercury something, the Mercury version of a Ford Tempo. He asked me what I thought of it - I told him it was cool, lots of room, no dings or dents - It was a good one. But when I asked him why he wanted my opinion, he then told me that he was thinking of buying it. "For?" I asked. "Well, you, if you like it." My heart was racing, my face must have beamed and I'm sure I let out a girly giggle too. Of course, I LOVED it! Then, I wondered how I was going to pay for that. Surely, it was more than the Datsun. It was then, that I found out that he'd already bought the car. "It's your graduation present, a little early". He saw that I was responsible enough to pay for the other car, keep a job, still do well in school, and he wanted to reward me. A tear or two may have fallen on the drive home because I was so happy. I do remember that when I got home my face hurt from smiling.
My grandfather has left such a great impression on me. He taught me all the things a father should have. He talked about the birds and the bees. He talked about boys. He talked about tying flies. He talked about finances - Oh, man were there lots of finances talk. Endearingly named The King of Penny Pincher's, his motto was "if it didn't need to be bought, then it wasn't going to be". A splurge every now and again was fine, but as long as it was paid for in cash, then all was good. That man paid for everything in cash. His cars, his houses, his boats, the motor home - EVERYTHING. Now, though he taught me some great budgeting tools while growing up, I can't say that I haven't had a credit card. Or two. Or three, four or five. But, the basics of financing he taught me well.
Bob was his name - Not Bobby, or Robert. Just Bob. His name was as simple as the life he led. My grandpa was the best father I could have ever wished for, and I'm so glad I had him for the time I did. In third grade I remember all the students in the class were asked to write something about their "hero". Having a rough early childhood, I really didn't understand what the teacher was asking, so I answered something along the lines of "Jake the Snake", WWF extraordinaire. I laugh now, as that seems about the silliest thing I could have ever written. But, at the time, I didn't know what a real hero was. However, if only I had thought about it hard enough, I would have realized that he was right there the whole time and my answer would have been a little different. So, 25 years later, I'm declaring that my grandpa is my hero; He always was, and always will be.
After the cancer took Granddad in 1999, I wondered how I'd go on to live my life. I wondered if I'd find someone that I would be confident enough, and proud enough of to have wanted to introduce to my grandpa. Of course, there wouldn't actually be a formal introduction, just stories. But, that feeling of contentment was pretty important. In 2001, I met Corey. Bachelor of all bachelors, and THE man of all men. Honestly, I wasn't sure if he'd ever settle down. But, there was something about him. It may have his sarcasm. It could have been his free spirited lifestyle. Maybe it was the way he loved me. Any way you look at it, I was in love. Tomorrow, June 9, 2011, is the ten year mark from our first date. Since that day, he's become a wonderful husband, a remarkable father, and a family man that many envy.
There's something to be said for a man who loves his children as Corey does. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't play with the kids. One day it might be the Corey Monster, running through the house, growling and flailing about for the children's enjoyment. Another night, he may bring out the super power fan and stick balloons in front of it to sail across the room at fun speeds. You can even see a water fight, a game of catch, a round of songs or a game on the wii before bed. But, the best thing in the world, is to see that every night before bed, each child will kiss him and hug him while wishing him a good night in a sing song voice. He loves them so much, and they love him right back. There is no question that Father's day is an important day in this household. We've got some pretty awesome dads in our neck of the woods!
Next Sunday, June 19th, is Father's Day. On that day, I will be remembering the man who became my father because he wanted to, and helped me to become the woman I am today. My children will be honoring their father, the man who answers to "Dad," "Daddy," and even "Papa" sometimes. And, I will be giving wonderful thanks to Flip, the best Father in Law that I could have ever asked for. Not only is he wonderful to me and my family, he gave me the best gift that I could have even given to my children: Their father.
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