My dad is a very special person in my life. While we don't always agree on things, and there are some things that neither of us understand about the other, I will never take him for granted. I have many memories with my dad, but here are three of my favorites.
1. Teaching me how to drive.
From the summer leading into my junior year of high school, all the way until June of that school year, my dad was my primary driving instructor. He would bring me up to the high school and tell me to get in the driver's seat and take him around the parking lot. The first time this happened, I was nervous but also excited. I'd never driven a car before, and suddenly I was driving his boat of a Ford Taurus around the parking lot of Lewis S. Mills. Dad taught me how to park and how his car functioned. He was the first person I drove on the highway with, and he was the one who accompanied me to my license test in June. Because of his incredible teaching, I passed my test with flying colors. He also drove me to and from work on really snowy nights and showed me how my car handled the snow by taking me into an empty parking lot and attempting to do doughnuts and fishtails In the snow.
2. Coaching my softball team.
Everyone has mixed emotions about their parent coaching their sports team. It was never an issue for me. With my dad as my coach throughout little league softball, I grew to love the sport. He made it worthwhile to me, and when I tried out for the school's team and made it, I knew that it was due to him working with me for all those years. The school's team just wasn't as fun without him, however, and I ended up not continuing to play after freshman year. But when he was my little league coach, we would go to practices together, and since we'd have half of the equipment at the house, he'd practice with me in the yard on nights where we didn't have practices. He helped me with my swing and with pop-flies, since after being hit in the head with one I was fairly skittish around them. Dad pushed me hard, but he didn't do it to be mean - he did it so that I could be the best I could be.
3. Playing Wii.
Before my Wii died, my dad and I would always play together. We would race each other in Mario Kart, and we also played basketball in the Wii Sports Resort game. What stands out to me most was when we would attempt to complete levels on Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Brothers together. It almost always resulted in shouting at each other, something my mom called "being Wii-vil" (her own word, combined from Wii and evil). Even though it would often lead to petty fights, playing Wii with my dad was something that I cherished and still do to this day. They were some of the few times we would spend together once our schedules got busy, and it's something I wish we could still do today.
There are so many other memories that I would love to share about my father and I, but those are my top three. When I get to see him, and mom, on those visits and breaks from college, I don't think anything in the world could top those fleeting moments.
I love you, Dad!