My Mom and Dad arriving to their new home to enjoy their retirement together!!

Kinda a little late for writing this, but I want to keep with my current three posts a week schedule. So, happy Father's day! (Which let me note I did wish my Dad happy father's day on the day also it is his birthday on the 19th) As I have stated before on this blog, I am adopted so that makes my family more special to me because we got to choose each other to live with, and I couldn't have found a better family. This post will be dedicated to the father figures in my life and also the other father's as well.

My Pops

My dad Michael was born in West Virginia and raised in the Pennsylvania area. So, about half of my family are Pittsburgh Steeler fans. He was big into sports when he was in High School doing wrestling mainly, then after graduation, he joined the Army and was stationed in Hawaii for a few years. During his service, his MOS was 94E (Radio and Communications Security Repairer), and he had to make trips back and forth to Korea to teach Korean soldiers how to maintain the radio equipment sent to them. Then, after an accident unloading jeeps, he was severely injured forcing him to leave the Army.

After his service, he came out to South Dakota to study history at NSU, which eventually led him to meet my mother and everything else is history after that I guess. He left NSU, worked as a mailman for a while, then my parents opened a restaurant and began adopting children. Then, that is how my two older brothers came into the family, then me.

Now, I am not sure where this part fits into the timeline, but my dad is also a big Deadhead. So, I don't know if he chased them around before or after he joined the Army.

Anyways, my dad is one of the best men I know, between my mother and him they taught all us kids that the best quality in a person is honesty. They also taught us respect and that everything in life works out, no matter how difficult or hopeless it gets. The funniest thing about being adopted by this family is that my dad and birth father worked together when I was a baby, so my dad held me when I was a baby. Crazy how life works, ain't it?

My Grandpa

I also want to include my Grandpa Larry in this post, because he raised me for about half my adolescent years. I honestly don't know where I would be if it weren't for him. I can say for sure, that I wouldn't be in the same loving family or have the opportunities that I have in life, today.

It wasn't until my grandmother passed away that he gave me up for adoption. But, despite that, he still kept in touch with each other, having lunch together almost every weekend and going to Walmart to get things. My grandpa taught me that no matter what there is always an opportunity to do better, and don't be afraid to ask for things or to take those risks.

And that is something that both of these men share; they were supportive of anything I did, or who I wanted to be. Which at times kind sucked when you want to be a rebellious teen, but your dad is so cool that he will listen to the same music too and actually listen to you. If I ever become a father myself, I hope I can be half the father figures that these men were.

My Brothers

From left to right (Mom, oldest brother Will, youngest older brother Kevin (both adopted), Dad, twin brothers Joe and Matt from my Dad's first marriage, then me) Our family story is a long story, I will not lie.

My two older brothers are both fathers themselves to two daughters each. It is kinda a funny thing that we are nothing but brothers, and so far we have had nothing but girls. I've seen them both struggle through the diapers, the long hours, and the terrible twos. What I have to say to that, is I am proud of these guys. I may have to deal with children at school Monday through Friday, but I never have to deal with diapers or to make dinner for anyone else aside from myself.

I can't wait to get back home and see how much they have grown because obviously, I don't get to be a big a part of their lives as I would like to be. So, I give out my props to my older brothers Will and Kevin for being able to do the scariest job in the world, being parents!

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