happy retirement, pop-pop!

Today is the last day of work for A & E's Pop-pop (aka, my dad). After 30 plus years in the workforce, he is retiring! While no one is quite sure how he will fill his days in his golden years (afterall, there are only so many hikes and man-chores you can do in a week), one thing we all can agree on is that this retirement is well deserved.

One of the cool things about being a parent is that you suddenly have a greater appreciation for all of the things that your parents did for you. Since I recently went back to work, the balance between work and parenting is on the forefront of my mind...and I'm totally in awe of how well both my parents handled this growing up. My mom always had heinous commutes, often getting up at 4:45 am during the week to fit it all in. And, my dad's job has always involved extensive travel. Despite this, they were very involved parents and I remember the times that they were there, and not the times they weren't.

For example, when Kiki and I were sophomores in high school, we played JV Soccer. My dad made it to every game. For any parent, this is a feat (I mean, JV Soccer isn't the most action-packed game around). But, for my dad, this was amazing considering one of our games was held during a business trip to Philly. So my dad drove to Philadelphia in the morning, went to his appointments, drove back down to watch the game, went to bed and then got up in the wee hours of the morning to drive back up to Philadelphia the next day. The kicker? He was the only parent in the stand (it was an away game). I can still picture him doing a one-person wave in the bleachers.

So, enjoy your retirement, Daddy! And thanks for all you did (and continue to do) for me! I'm doing the one-person wave in your honor right now.