love, us: 24 Things I Learned From My Dad

Everyone that knows my dad, knows how awesome he is. He's a pretty likable character and I have learned a lot from him. Some lessons intentional, some not. I mean, look at that crazy, short shorts, Hawaiian shirt wearing man below. He just screams knowledge!

24 Things I Learned From My Dad:

1. Have Fun - Did you know that my dad used to be a clown? No, for reals. He also knows how to balance things (chairs, wine bottles, mops, etc.) on his toes, chin, nose, tongue, etc. I mean, I can't do any of those things, but I think I got my fun gene from him.

2. Punctuality - I'm going to blame it on my kids and LA traffic but....I'm not always on time. I'm never TOO late though. It's because of my dad.

3. Family First - My dad is a family guy. Period. He was always the driving force making sure we were getting to family reunions in Texas when possible and family events in California at least twice a year. Also, did you know he is one of 11 children?! My grandmother was a hero.

4. Sacrifice for Family - I would have loved to have had my dad at all my sports events growing up, but sometimes, he had to work. And I knew that. I knew he had to work to help financially support my extracurriculars. When he was able to be there though, he was in full force cheering in those, as Roberta B. would call them, "pecker peekers".

5. How to Iron - Sometimes I iron my husbands shirts. It was my father who taught me how.

6. How to Drive - When it was time for me to drive, I was forced to learn how to drive a stick shift. It was miserable. But thanks to him, I was able to drive many a drunken friends cars home for them.

7. Never to Late to Start - There are still a lot of things I want to do/try/experience in my life. My dad proves that that is possible no matter what your age. My dad acted for the first time with me when I was 16 (he stole the show), and now (as a grandfather to 6) he is training to hike the Appalachian trail!

8. Clean Windows - I'm like REALLY good at using a squeegee you guys. No, for reals, there is a technique. My dad is the master.

9. Never Yell - Okay, I've yelled at my kids. But I am getting increasingly better with those adorable little monsters. I don't remember my dad EVER yelling. That doesn't mean he didn't get angry. He just kept his cool by whistling.

10. Admit Mistakes - Along with the fun gene I inherited from him, I also inherited the stubborn gene. But when he knows he is in the wrong, he'll admit it. He won't let stubbornness get in the way of truth.

11. Breakfast Skills - I probably sound like a broken record with the amount of times I've said that I'm a bad cook. I can, however, cook a mean breakfast and know the value of salt and pepper on eggs.

12. Importance of Snacks - I'm not a big meal eater but I love snacks. I remember many nights snacking on popcorn and bugles with my dad, laying on his belly, watching TGIF and chatting. With snacks, comes bonding.

13. Tipping - My dad always tipped well. Even with the worst service, he tipped high. He taught me that everyone has a bad day, still tip them. We don't know their story.

14. Kindness to All - My dad is one of the nicest guys around. He doesn't care about your economic status, race, religion, etc. He will have something wonderful to stay about you and will love chatting with you.

15. Always Check the Oil in Your Car - In college, I killed my car. Eek! I fully expected angry whistles from my dad but nope! He just showed me how to do it for the future.

16. Real Men Like Romantic Comedies - He won't admit it but...my dad likes girly movies.

17. "Y'all" - Sometimes there just isn't a better pronoun to use! I've lived out west my entire life but, I've also been saying "y'all" and "all y'all" my entire life thanks to my southern dad.

18. The Art of Storytelling - Sometimes my dad tells the longest, most vivid stories. We tease him a lot about it actually. They are usually wonderful and crazy though. Did you know my dad accidentally derailed a train when he was a kid?!

19. Importance of Friends - Most of my time is spent with my kids. But I know the importance of having adult friends as well. My parents spent a lot of weekends (kids welcome) at game nights, camping, karaoke get togethers, etc. with their friends.

20. Stop, Drop, and Roll - All children are taught how to "stop, drop, and roll" when on fire. Or has that changed? My dad had to do it first hand. I also learned not to put gasoline on a BBQ. Hence WHY he had to stop, drop and roll.

21. Importance of Sleep - I have two small kids. I don't sleep. My dad had a job that often required him to wake up extremely early. I know he probably would have preferred to stay up and watch Gilmore Girls with me (you know you would dad) but he also knew the importance of sleep.

22. Vacations Don't Have to Be Expensive - A lot of my friends growing up went to Europe or Hawaii for their vacations. We went camping! It was a blast hiking, kayaking, making s'mores, etc. I never felt like I was missing out.

23. Tetris - I've never played video games with my dad but he is INCREDIBLE at Tetris-ing a car full of suitcases and suitcases full of clothes. Even now, my husband hands me the bags to fit into the car.

24. Have an Opinion - I don't see eye to eye with everything my dad says or believes, but I respect him. He's taught me to have an opinion and to be educated with the opinion.

And now some photos of this rad dad who taught me 24 things. 24 things off the top of my head. I know he's taught me many more than that!