Our Nostalgic Father’s Day

Joe and I always have a really hard time thinking of gifts for Daddy. What do you get for the man who has everything or gets what he wants when he wants it? It’s so hard that we have resorted to giving a Home Depot gift card at every major gift-giving event. We don’t like doing it because it seems like a cop-out, but we also know it is exactly what he wants. See Daddy is real handy at fixing things and making things out of wood, so Home Depot is his heaven. 

Trying to break these old habits, I really wanted to do something different. I got to thinking about the “old” days and the things we used to do together when it was just the three of us. My parents divorced in my early teen years. Joe and I lived with Mother, but spent weeks in the summer with Daddy. At the time, Daddy was in the Army and stationed at Fort Gordon in Augusta, GA. When it was time for us to stay with him, he would travel to Montgomery, pick us up from our Papa’s house and take us to Augusta. We made many trips from Montgomery to Augusta with him over the years and no trip was ever complete without a stop in Atlanta for a Braves game or two. With that, our Father’s Day gift was a no-brainer.

This Father’s Day, Joe and I took Daddy to a Braves game, just the three of us. The last time we were there together, the Braves were still in Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. I believe it may have been the summer of 1991. That year, the Braves roster held such names as Mark Lemke, Terry Pendleton, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, David Justice, Ron Gant, and one Deion Sanders.   

Joe got to pick the seats and he put us in left field, which just missed putting us in the shade. It was as hot as the blazes of hell in Atlanta that day and the sun was right over us. We felt like we were sitting under the heat lamp. After a couple of strategic moves, we finally found ourselves a cool place in the shade with an occasional breeze.

Despite the heat, it was a great game. The Braves beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 and saved the series sweep. My new favorite Brave, #5 Freddie Freeman, went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and was named the player of the game. Freddie hit a fly ball to deep left field which bounced off the warning track and over the fence for a ground rule double. The game saving catch was made by leftfielder, Nate McLouth. Left field ended up being the place to be.  

Daddy kept saying that this would be a memorable Father’s Day and it will be. We had the best time just being together, like old times.

Things I Wouldn’t Have Without Daddy

This is my Daddy.

Where would I be without my Daddy? I don’t even want to know, but here are a few things I do know I wouldn’t have.

I wouldn’t have my name. Daddy’s middle name is Vicky and Mother’s middle name is Lorraine, giving me my name, Vicki Lorraine. Now you may notice that it isn’t spelled the same and that's because Mother preferred it this way.  Then, you might be thinking that Vicky is an odd name for a boy. True, but, from what I’ve been told, he got that name because of a clerical error at the hospital where he was born. It was supposed to be Vickery, which was a family name, but somehow a few letters fell off or Granny Grimes accent was really bad. Either way, it worked out well for me. I have a fantastic name.

I wouldn’t know what the weather was like in Montgomery. Who needs TV or fancy phones that will tell you what the weather is like all over the globe? I have my Daddy. He and I always talk on Sundays. It’s usually around 7:30pm or 8:00pm ET and when the phone rings, I need to answer. If I don’t, then his mind tends to wander and thoughts of me laying dead in a ditch creep in. When I answer, the first thing discussed is always the weather.

I wouldn’t have my love for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Daddy and I have shared love for the Crimson Tide. Sunday’s calls during football season, after we’ve discussed the weather, of course, we talk about Saturday’s game. He and I went to our first Alabama game together in 2008 at the inaugural Chick-fil-A Kick-off Classic in Atlanta. Alabama played Clemson, who was picked to win the game and also the projected winner of the ACC Championship. Guess what? They didn’t do either. Score was 34-10 and Clemson went 4-4 in the ACC. As Ray Goff would say, Alabama “took ’em behind the woodshed.” Roll Tide!

I wouldn’t have a strong sense of family. I’m not the only person who gets a call on Sundays. Daddy talks to Joe and his two brothers like clockwork. Daddy calls them or they call him. My cousin, Carla, jokes about how she knows when the brothers are on the phone with each other. First, it’s the weather, then Alabama football, when in season, and then politics. Throw in a joke or story about the family and you’ve been there. See a pattern forming?

Reunions are also very important. We have two reunions each year, one for my grandmother’s side of the family and one for my grandfather’s side. Both of Daddy’s parents passed away when Joe and I were very young, so for us, these reunions keep us connected with our family. I make an effort to travel up for them when I can, despite being one of two family members who live the farthest from the gathering places.

I wouldn’t have beautiful pieces of handmade furniture that make my friends jealous. Daddy is, as my best good friend, Allison would say, as handy as a shirt pocket. I would consider him a master wood craftsman. He can create, make, or fix just about anything. He made me an armoire and a hall tree for my house. He took the columns of the front of his house and made a four-poster king size bed out of them. People are always asking him to build things and if you ask nice, most times he will.

My Daddy has a lot of other qualities. He’s funny, smart, generous and loyal. He’s a devoted husband to his wife, Terry. He speaks his mind, but can hold his tongue, too. He’s willing to do whatever he can to help others. Along with being devilishly handsome, he’s one cool guy. I could go on and on, but I think you can tell I love him and I think I’ll keep him.

Zac Brown Band’s song, Highway 20 Ride, always makes me think of Daddy and how much I know he loves me. The song about a divorced father who travels to pick up his son and the thoughts that go through his mind during the ride. The songwriter got his inspiration while driving along Interstate 20 between Atlanta, Georgia and the Georgia/South Carolina state line in Augusta, Georgia to drop off his son, so that his mother could pick him up.

When our parents divorced, Joe and I lived with our mother. During the summer, we would stay with Daddy. We lived in Florida, so he would come and pick us up at our Papa’s house in Montgomery. The lyrics of this song hit me right in my tender hearted places because Daddy would travel I-20 from Augusta to Montgomery to come and get to us.     

When I hear the first chingles of this song, it gets me every time - straight waterworks. I recently saw ZBB in concert and I literally lost my mind when Zac began to sing. Thank God I had my sunglasses on because I could tell it was one of those ugly cries. WARNING: You’re going to want to grab a tissue.

Daddy, I do smile when you cross my mind. I love you dearly. Happy Father’s Day.

25 Things about Me: #5

5. As a young girl, I thought that my dad was the actor who played Mike Brady on the Brady Bunch.

Here’s a side-by-side:

If you can’t see it, squint your eyes a little. This was before I had my glasses, so that's probably what I was doing.

Growing up, my Daddy was in the Army and spent some weekends away at drill exercises. I thought that was when he would leave and go to Hollywood to film the show. Little did I know, that The Brady Bunch was already in reruns by the time I was old enough to watch it. So I know now that was not my Daddy.

Here are the other revealed 25 things:

1. I was almost born in the vault at the Alabama State Capital.

2. I fear that my appendix will spontaneously burst and I will die.

3. I am allergic to plastic silverware.

4. I have an ungodly love of cake.