Happy Father's Day!!!

Hi everyone and Happy Father's Day!!! Salinger has once again GRACIOUSLY agreed to allow me (Laura) to be a guest blogger just for the day so I can send some props and love to my dad for Father's Day (which I know he's going to hate...but what's he going to do...GROUND ME? hahahaha!)

THIS is my dad, Jim...just taken in the last week or so at Watson Lake in Prescott, AZ!

He lives in Arizona (with mom) and loves all things outdoorsy related after being cooped up indoors as a TEACHER for almost 30 years once upon a time!


Here is an old favorite pic of mine...the date on the back is June 6, 1970 which would make me a little over 3 months old and pretty close to his first Father's Day!

I could make a joke and tell you to imagine banjo music in your head while I tell you that this is his high school graduation picture (HAHAHA!) but the TRUTH is that he had just earned his Master's Degree!!!


Fast forward 38-ish years later and here we are....



I share dad with my younger brother Scott. I realize this is NOT the most flattering pic of ANY of us (hahaha...look at that look of teenage angst on my face! HAHAHA) but there is a very important detail in this picture that I have to share...

Look at my shoes (YES...my shoes!)
This pic was taken in 1982 (in Toronto on vacation!). This was about the time that designer labels and name brands were coming into vogue. Not having much of a clue in the months before this, I wore the regular tennis shoes from Sears (or wherever mom bought them from) and thought nothing of it...UNTIL....some jerky kids started to make fun of me at school for my "cheap shoes" (!!!). I remember dad coming to my rescue one night after dinner and took me to the mall and bought me my first pair of blue Nike shoes, saving me from further shoe ridicule at school! To this day, I don't know if he did it because he was a teacher and saw that kind of thing happen firsthand, or if mom made him do it...whichever it was, THANK YOU DAD! Sometimes character building works in strange ways, and those shoes felt like armor to me at the time. I wish I could say that dad also took my brother under his wing and did something about those tragically dorky tube socks, but sadly, no.

Dad is also know as "PA" to Holden...grandchild extraordinaire! He couldn't say the full word "Grandpa" when he was a baby, so "PA" it was!

FORE!


I love this pic of them fishing last fall!


OF COURSE we had to save the best for last...(since this IS Salinger's blog!)

Their first official meeting...

...and first KISS!


Happy Father's Day Dad!!! I hope your day is full of peace and quiet and everything else you love!!! Thanks for being the best dad and always being able to make me laugh! I LOVE YOU!

Happy Father's Day to all the other dads out there too...human, canine, whatever!

Have a great day!

P.S. Look out Kevin....you're up tomorrow!