I haven't had much to say recently, the show's been dark and I've been incredibly busy. That about sums it up. I do, however have something to say about my dad.
My dad is a pretty cool guy. He once got in trouble in high school for dancing on the tables in the library.
And then he grew up, married my mom, and had kids.
My dad worked on oil rigs when we were kids, 7 on - 7 off. It was a pretty traumatic experience for a worrier like me. When these are the facts of your life, you pick things up in the paper: explosion on oil rig, helicopter accident, boat accident, etc. I worried all the time as a kid. Constantly. I mean, I still do, but about different things.
He got sick once, after a rig inspection, on a helicopter ride. Worst nightmares sometimes do come true. I was away from home, living in Kentucky. I was terrified and scared and for 3 or 4 days waited by my phone for someone to figure out what was wrong with him because no one seemed to be able to pinpoint what exactly was wrong. It was the worst week of my life and I didn't feel better until he'd had surgery and I was able to finally go home to help bring him home from the hospital. I learned then and there just how much my family means to me and how lost I would be without them.
My dad is an awesome dad. He taught me so much about life and living. He taught me to fish, to peel crawfish, to love my Cajun heritage, to embrace the South, to work hard, to want more for myself, that all that hard work makes the spoils of victory taste so much better. He taught me the unadulterated joy of watching your team win a football game in person, to understand the rules of the game so I would know what I was talking about. The value of money is something my father drilled into me from a very early age. Responsibility for yourself and your own actions. That tough love is unpleasant, but it is always love and sometimes it is the only way to get your point across.
He's not perfect: I have his work ethic and sometimes it was hard to watch him leave our family vacations because he didn't feel like he could be away from work that long. But he did teach me that it's ok to be away from work and work will continue without you. It will also be there for you when you get back.
I learned from him the importance of food. True Southern comfort food. And there is nothing like a pot of seafood gumbo to cure all your ills or your hurts.
He would let me fall on my face to teach me a lesson, but if I ever need a plane ticket home, I know he would give me one in a heartbeat.
My dad is the best dad I have and I could never ask for a better one!
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