Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

I have always feared my Mom more than my Dad. My Mom is used to the “strict father” and “sympathetic mother” that most of her generation grew up with. You know…the scary and threatening..

“Wait till your father gets home”

This was not quite how it was in my house.

Years ago, when I was in college and still living at home with my parents, I had some crazy times. I would leave to go out with friends, and either
A. Get home around 2:30-3am (3am meant there was a Whataburger run for some taquitos – or Jack in The Box – no way I could eat that now)
B. Not come home at all(get your mind out of the gutter I usually was crashed at a friends place)

Now if I didn’t come home I would receive the dreaded phone call between 6 and 7 am, it never failed.

Me : “Hello”

Mom: “ Where are you”

Me: “Becki’s (or Candace, Jamie, whatever friend I went out with the night before)

Mom : You need to get home NOW – your Dad is so mad – wait until he talks to you.

So I would get home, go straight to my room and try to avoid my parents at all cost. I would get ready and go off to school or work to avoid confrontation. My mom called to inform me I was to meet my Dad for lunch to talk about my behavior and how it has gone on long enough.

I get to the restaurant, and sit down with my Dad. Our food is ordered, and the talk begins.

Dad : Well… the mommy wants me to talk to you

Me : I know…

Dad: We just wanna know where you are….

Me: Ok.

Dad: Ok, ….. you need any money? Here’s a $20.

And that is it.

After leaving the restaurant and getting back to my office I get a phone call, caller Id says “Home”.

Mom : We’re going to need that $20 back.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

I am at my parents house for a wedding this weekend. I made the ever so exciting 3.5 hour drive last night and then went to bed in my brothers messy (understatement of the century) room. This morning, my Dad and my brother were kind enough to take my car to the family mechanic.

My Dad has always been a goofy absentminded guy, and whether intentionally or not, he is hilarious.

After my Dad and brother returned, I was letting the dogs in the backyard while talking to my brother and my Mom.

Mom : Where's your dad? Did he leave? (yelling) AL!!!!

Al: Here (this was coming from the next room)

So Mom walks off to him..... and then....

Mom : Where are your pants?

Now that's something you don't want to hear....

Oh boy.

Early Years....

13 is an amusing age in retrospect. So many things that I found to be absolutely humiliating at the time, I now consider hilarious.

My Dad does not get embarrassed. In fact, my Dad probably does things to TRY to be embarrassed just so he knows what it feels like, but to no avail.

I remember one day, when I was around 13, Dad and I went to the grocery store. We were walking in and just barely in the entry of the store when he noticed his shirt was untucked. Understand it does not matter where or the circumstances to my father, if his shirt is untucked, he must tuck it back in. Onlookers, be damned!! My Dad stops right where he is, unbuckles his belt, unbuttons his pants, then FULLY unzips his pants. Then, right there in the middle of the entryway he tucks his shirt back in. At 13, this appeared to take about 5 minutes, when in actually it was about one. Was the one minute necessary? Nope. Dad just saw the pained expression on my face and the flush creeping up my neck and thought it would be funny to drag out a bit.



I'll never forget, that as my Dad was doing this, a grocery store worker, a teenager, cute of course, was pushing in a line of carts. He stopped, looked at my Dad....looked at me, and said;

"Your life sucks doesn't it"

And then proceeded on.


PS - I'm 27, and my Dad still does this, I'm just no longer affected.... MUCH to his dismay might I add.

Just a Moment

I was sitting at home tonight watching "Brothers and Sisters" and I remembered a moment back when I was 20 years old. I unexpectedly woke up in a great deal of pain and had to have emergency surgery.

The moment I remember is being in "pre-op" with my Mom and Dad on either side holding my hands. I recall being in so much pain that even though I was not crying, tears were streaming down my face.

I remember my Dad looking at me and saying

"You know if I could take your pain for you right now I would".

How lucky am I that that man chose to be my Dad.

A Break From Politics to Focus on Me

I feel I’ve lost my way

I have gotten so involved in politics. So trapped in the pattern of waking up, going to work, going home for dinner, some puppy and tv time, and then to bed, I’m on auto pilot. I suppose I am reaching this plateau. The realization that I am standing still and not moving side to side, up and down, but remaining sedentary hits me in the one question I have received lately from old friends.

“What have you been up to?” or “What’s new with you”

To these questions I have no response, merely “same old, same old.” I am almost 27 years old. I am in the middle of what some people would label an amazing and fun filled time. Yet I truly have nothing new to say or add to my recent “happenings.”

Last week I stepped outside my box, just a bit. I went to see So You Think You can Dance with two friends, one old, one new. I dyed my hair red, yep, red.

I went to see New Kids on The Block for the first time since I was 9 years old and truly thought they would appreciate it if I wore one of their shirts to the concert and take notice. (They didn't) It was SO FUN to sit there and sing the old songs from when I was a kid. And they looked pretty good too.

What an amazing time I had last week. Here I am in the middle of this week asking myself, now what? Do I just go back to the routine? Do I just associate with the same people? What do I look forward to?

I have recently found myself doing something I never thought I would do…. Missing Dallas. Don’t panic, or get excited, I’m not going back. I am just starting to appreciate what it was to have the life I led and how much I truly enjoyed it. I could drop in and visit with my parents. I still talk to my Mom often but getting my Dad to chat on the phone is like pulling teeth. I hardly talk to my brother and sister. I have left so many great friends behind and they have just fallen beneath the cracks. Please don’t misunderstand, I have AMAZING friends here in Austin and I love all of them dearly and would not trade our friendships. I hope they continue to grow, but I don’t feel I’m seeing them either!

What I feel I am saying is I want
-to extend the figurative branch back out to my Dallas people
-I want to go out more
- I want to have fun
- I want to sleep less
-I want to reconnect
- I want to laugh

I need out of this politic bubble the world is constantly shoving at us. I need to leave my home more, see more sights, take the dogs for longer walks, and hell even run up some more credit card debt if that’s what it takes.

Three years ago, I was exhausted, deep in debt, and flying by the seat of my pants. Today I am well rested, for the most part out of debt and about as bored with myself as they come.

Where is the mix between the responsibilities adulthood and life?