Three Things Thursday: Dad

I almost skipped writing today because I just couldn't come up with anything to write about! "Three things" is such a broad category that you would think I'd have no problem coming up with a topic, but I was struggling.

Today is my dad's birthday, and it just occurred to me that I could write about him! So, here are three things that I love about my dad...

1. He's a hard worker.

This sounds like a cliché line, but my dad is probably the hardest worker that I know. Starting when he was a kid! When he was 16 years old, his family moved to Florida but he wanted to stay here in Michigan. He was 100% independent and had to work just to support himself--while he was still in high school.

Lately, I've asked his advice a few times about what to do with my kids as far as finances go. I couldn't remember what my parents still paid for when I was a teen (car insurance? gas? entertainment with friends?). My kids have been very spoiled and I wish I'd done things a little differently, but knowing what my dad went through as a teen has made me feel confident about being a little tougher with my kids (making them work harder for what they have/want).

My parents were 18 and 19 when they got married, and my dad continued to work hard to support us (four kids!). He's been an auto mechanic in some form for his entire life, which is not easy money--it's a lot of tough, physical work. Countless people have trusted him to work on their cars for decades, knowing that they'll never get that kind of quality service at a shop.

When he taught me how to change the oil in my car

2. He taught himself to paint.

This talent seemed to come out of nowhere at all; in fact, of any talents that may run in my family, art is definitely not one of them. Once in a while, my dad would catch Bob Ross on TV and I can remember watching with him. We would both be amazed at Bob's work, and then gasp, "Oh no!" when Bob would decide at the last minute to just paint one huge black line down the center of his painting--only to turn it into the most lifelike tree and make the painting even more mind-blowing.

My dad actually learned how to paint by watching Bob Ross.

We may have gone overboard with Bob Ross novelty gifts that year. The painting he'd just finished was of a bridge that we used to go fishing on when I was a kid.

And seeing the evolution of his paintings is unbelievable. I don't have pictures of any of his recent ones, unfortunately, but this one below is one of my favorites. It's hanging in my living room now.

We still have a couple of his first paintings and it's stunning to see how far his work has come. That he taught himself to paint like this is unbelievable.

3. He's very resourceful. 

You've seen on my blog when I've made projects out of wood or fabric or things like that, and I use up every last scrap of materials that I can. I save all of my wood cuts offs and find a way to use the small pieces to build things. I sew things without having to buy fabric (I like to use old clothes or bedding or whatever I have on hand). Rather than buying new furniture, I use leftover paint that I already have and refinish old furniture.

All of that comes from seeing my dad do it all these years. For him, it was about money; when he was younger, he didn't have any choice but to make do with what he had. Even as an adult, he continues to use and repurpose things, because why spend money on something new when you can use what you already have? (There have even been a couple of times where I've given him a gift and had to tell him I got it super cheap or that I got it for me and just wasn't going to use it, otherwise he wouldn't accept it, haha.)

I will say, though, despite the fact that he doesn't like to buy things unless absolutely needed, he's extremely generous. If you tell him you like something, you just may come home to find it on your porch. He likes to do things that he knows will make people happy.

I could list several more things that I love about my dad, but these were the first ones to pop into my head. He turned 72 years old today! I made him his favorite pecan pie, which has become a tradition (I make one for Father's Day and one for his birthday).

This was from a couple of years ago. I wish I'd taken a picture of the one I made today, because it was probably the best looking one I've ever made!

I'll end this post with a little essay I wrote--I don't know what my age was, but I'm guessing about 10 or 11? I wrote it at church to nominate him for Father of the Year, haha. My mom came across it a few weeks ago and gave it to me. It's a little cringey, but cute! ;)