9 Years: September 8, 2001

How on earth does time go by so fast?

I think of all the life that has gone by that dad didn't get to be here for.

He was a part of everything I did, He saw it, but he wasn't physically HERE for it.

Not by Choice.

I'm very lucky in the sense that my Dad didn't choose to leave us,

God just decided Dad would be an asset to heaven.

Cancer really sucks.

I am going to lose another family member to it in a few days.

Learning to drive. Getting my first car. My first car accident. Prom. High School Graduation. 2 serious Boyfriends. 2 Broken Hearts. Leaving for College. Going to Mexico on a Mission Trip. Getting a 4.0. Family Vacations. Mom having a stroke. Crawling in bed with mom (DRUNK). Deciding to go to Grad School. Getting my first Big Kid job. Bringing home my new boyfriend. Getting engaged. Going to Jamaica. Walking down the aisle. Marrying Andrew. Having our reception. Buying a house. Finishing Grad School... meeting his grandchildren. Holding them. Reading them bedtime stories. Decorating the Christmas Tree. Learning to walk. Learning to ride a bike. Eating Ice Cream on the front porch. Going to the Country. Working in the garden. First day of kindergarten.

I could go on forever.

My dad will no longer be in any pictures. (I say this knowing perfectly well that he was in my wedding video and reception pictures) One day I will show you this. There is just so much I already wish he were physically present for and there is going to be much more to come.

The hardest part will not be walking myself down the aisle.

It will be making sure my kids KNOW their grandpa.

I promised I would do it.

I promised they would also know their great grandparents.

I feel like my husband and (future) kids are really missing out, not getting to know them.

I also think back to my childhood and how perfect it was.

all of the things listed after the ... are my favorite memories with my grandpa, all things my kid will never get to do with theirs.

They will have 2 awesome grandpas though, I can't discredit my in-laws, Bob Meyerott and Bob Cliffe. They both love their grandchildren very, very much. They just aren't my dad. Who was a part of my memories, and my family traditions.

I can't leave this post on a sad note. Dad wouldn't like that much.

I'm just going to recommit my promise to him that I will keep him very much alive.

Love you Dad!

SIDE NOTE: I would personally like to thank everyone who e-mailed me checking to see if I was alright since I hadn't been posting. It means a lot to me that you all care and took the time to check on me. After talking to a few clients I decided to not post for 4 days after I post a client's photos. I forgot how much my clients love being at the top of the blog for a few days. I don't want to take that from them. Pics from the weekend will come tomorrow!