I am fortunate in that growing up I had a fantastic dad who was (and still is) one of my biggest fans. From the breakfast he made for me daily to the proud words he's written about me or one of my siblings in his articles, he's made every effort to let me know just how much he cares. Not only was he present in my daily life, he was (and is) an example of what a man and a father is. In addition to having a great father, I was surrounded by my grandfathers and uncles. All of these men raised me and my cousins to be strong and independent and free thinkers. All of these men made it a point to be present in our lives and to lead by their words and examples. Because of the many wonderful men who were in my life as I was being raised, I honestly believe I married a man who has been a wonderful partner and father to our two daughters.
My husband, Jimmy, is raising our two daughters to be strong, independent, free thinkers. He allows them to be who they are and is bursting with pride at who they are becoming. He humors their requests to do his hair in bows, paint his toes, or shave his scruff. He reads to them nightly, watches Disney Jr more than his fair share, and serenades them with songs he's written. He's patient and loving and generous with his time and attention. He is leading by his words and his example and I don't think my daughters could dream up a father better than the one they have.
So on this father's day, I honor the men in my life who have chosen the challenging task of being fathers and laud them for a job well done. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be surrounded by men who are as kind, generous, loving, and respectful as these men are.
I too, have such a great freaking Dad! (And yes, he would cringe by my using freaking in a sentence to describe him, because he has tried for longer than I can remember I am sure to break that habit...sorry Dad) But it is true. Have you ever heard the song He Didn't Have to Be by Brad Paisley. The scenario in the song isn't the same, but the idea that a man coming into your life and staying there even when you aren't connected by blood is really incredible to me. My Dad fell in love with my Mom after her going through a tragedy that would probably make a lot of people not be able to function for a really, really long time. But when you have a 2 year old and a baby that isn't always an option, so my Dad also fell in love with a 2 year old and a baby. He taught me so much but having respect, character, love, honesty, ethics in general and being a caring person were top of the list. I am obviously incredibly lucky to have a huge extended family, and even in their over protectiveness I feel blessed to have probably an abnormal amount of uncles! Great father's should be celebrated today, but I have a special spot for those who step in and never leave. xoxo
So in the spirit of father's day, we bring you a few of our favorite book Dad's! And if they're all from Kristen Ashley...think nothing of it, because you should figure out by now she epitomizes all of our favorite book themes. Obvs. :) (Yeah, yeah, we're basically turning into a KA fan page! & as always the goodreads links can be found by clicking the covers!)
Law Man--Mitch steps in and becomes a much needed father figure (and eventually a father) to Mara's neglected cousins. What a good, good man.
Law has officially become one of my favorite book guys, ever. He proves over and over through this book how good of a guy he is, and the epilogue is one of several of KA's awesome epilogues that made me cry! Epic! And any guy who comes in and loves and takes care of kids that aren't theirs, and in this case they weren't even Mara's, totally takes my heart.
Wild Man--OMGosh, Brock Lucas has an evil, evil ex-wife who has no problem using her children to better her OWN situation and Brock has the patience of a saint when dealing with her. Yet another amazing Kristen Ashley father figure!
I was a bit unsure of Brock at first, but by the end holy cow, did he have me won over with how good of a guy he was and definitely how good he is at being a Dad. I obviously do not have experience with kids + ex-spouse but I think he did a great job navigating that mine field!
Travis in Walking Disaster--In the epilogue we get a sneak peek into life for Travis and one thing that may surprise readers about this tough fighter, is that he's a family man--and he's proud of it. Who'd a thunk that this tough fighter would settle down and have children of his own?
I also want to shout out to Trav's Dad. He took on the daunting task of raising 5 boys all alone after his wife died, and I think he did a pretty dang good job. Travis is the baby, so he obviously gets away with a lot, but seeing all of them together grown up says a lot about their Dad.
The Rock Chicks dads--Lee and Indy's dad--both of these dads are sprinkled throughout the series and what we learn of them is that they are patient, kind, loving, protective, and funny. They're also proud of their children and what they've become and isn't that what everyone wants from a dad?
Tom and Malcolm are in varying degrees of the books, and most present in the most recent book #7, but I love them a lot. They put up with Indy and Ally's antics with good humor knowing that they raised good girls who are strong independent women. Love these guys!
Linc and Nix's dad in the Off Series--Their dad had to raise them without his wife and he took on the hard task of raising his children, working full time, and turning both boys into respectable, fine men--a task difficult in the easiest situations, he did in the most challenging.
Mr. Caldwell isn't a huge part of these books, but his impact is definitely felt in the scenes that he is in. This has become one of my favorite series of the year, and this father's impact helped me love Nix and Linc even more.
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