My grandpa has been the only constant male figure in my life that has not left me. He has never hurt me, he has never doubted me, he has never done one negative thing to me in my life. Actually, now that I think about it... he may be the only person in my life that has been this way to me. Wow, that's kind of powerful.
Anyways, he's not my biological grandfather, but I would have never known that if I didn't know the family history once I got older. He never treated me any different then he would his biological grandchildren. It might have also helped that I was the first grandchild, let alone a girl :)
My grandpa took me to daddy/daughter dinners that I had to go to as a Girl Scout. I would have been so embarrassed to show up alone. I remember what we ate. We went to KFC and got little individual chicken dinners and sat next to each other with all these other girls and their dads. We didn't know anyone else there, but he didn't make it uncomfortable.
I also remember a picture that used to be in an old photo album that used to sit under the coffee table at my grandma and papas house. I really call him papa, but he's also my grandpa :) I hope to have that picture one day. It's a picture of me and him dancing on the back porch of their house. I think I may have been 3-4 years old. I wish I actually remembered that memory. But the picture will serve as a perfect memory.
I'm not that close to him now because I just don't go around my family as much as I used to. I'm not the real me when I'm around a few people there. I don't like feeling like that, so I just stay away unless it's a special occasion or something. I wish it could be different, and maybe it will once I get all of my issues settled. Notice I said WHEN, not IF! It will happen....
My grandpa is bad ass. He was in the Navy and is covered in tattoos. I love that about him. That's how I knew he was Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. I saw his spider tattoo that is between his thumb and index finger. Since then, he learned to use gloves. He has a tattoo of a naked lady behind a hand of cards on his bottom leg. It's just cool to see a 70 year old with tattoos. Tattoos are less taboo now then they used to be, but I bet back in the day, his mom, Grandma Aileen, would have said what did you do to your body????
I remember sitting on the counter in the kitchen eating raw hamburger meat with him. Yes, I realize this is gross. Once my grandma told me I'd grow worms in my stomach, I stopped eating it. Truth be told, I thought it was gross, but since my papa liked it, I was going to like it too. He also liked to eat cottage cheese with sugar in it. I hated that too, but pretended to like it. The sugar was so gritty in the cottage cheese... yuck! There are so many little memories I remember about him and I hope I never forget them. He'll never know what he means to me, and to be honest, I'm not sure if I want him to. He's on this pedestal to me and I don't want him to know or see what I'm going through in my life right now. I never want to upset, hurt or disappoint him - and I'm afraid I would right now.
My grandpa is kind of a celebrity, too. He's on the wall in every Chili's restaurant in the US. They use the same photos on their walls in each store and he's on one. He started skydiving for his 50th birthday, and to this day still jumps almost every weekend. Someone went out to the drop zone one weekend and took a picture of him and his jumping buddies. That's the picture that's up on the wall. He's the one with the tie dye shirt on and the white beard. That's my papa.
He used to always go to the annual Oklahoma rattlesnake hunting tournament. Thank God he doesn't go anymore. He got bitten one time and almost lost his arm. I remember going to see him in the hospital and his arm was yellow and green. I think that's why I have a huge fear of snakes now. They are my absolute worst fear, other than being alone. I hope everyone else has a constant person they know always loves them no matter what. That's a great thing to have. I appreciate him for him!
That's my Dad. It's so nice that you have such wonderful memories with him. I love hearing you talk so sweet about him. I also think he's bad ass:))
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