linked 52: father

My Dad. A few things about my dad:
He doesn't do anything half-way. He gives everything he's into 150%. The lengthy list has included: gymnastics, swimming, running, karate, skiing, biking, yoga and photography. (I'm sure I've forgotten something...) He's kinda done it all.
He worked his entire career at Boeing as an aeronautical engineer. Even though he's retired, he's still an engineer. ;-)
It used to drive me crazy how he'd always tell my brother and me that we could get straight As in school in high school and college. But I now realize that he was right. He was really trying to teach us was that we were and still are capable of doing anything, if we work hard for it. Really, he is living proof of this if you read the first item on this list. Work hard and you can achieve anything.
He's the person I get the talkative gene from.
He worked very hard all of those years at the Big B, so as to give my brother and me the best he could offer in life. He provided both my brother and me with a college education, believing as I do, that the greatest thing you can do for your children is give them an education. I didn't really realize how great a gift this really was until I was out of college and heard of friends having to start paying on loans or how friends had to pay their own way through college. An amazing gift.
He's the funny one in the family. Don't get me wrong, he can be very serious and a wee bit stern at times. But most of the time he's the one who's helping me laugh about something I'm being far too uptight about. My brother gets the funny gene from my dad.
He knows what he wants. I used to think this was a bad thing when I was a kid, but now that I'm older I have learned from him that knowing what you want is a great thing.
He is honest. Again, this is another one that I didn't really care for when I was a kid living at home. But now I get it. In certain settings I am not afraid to speak my mind or tell people the hard things they might not want to hear.
He's really organized and really good at explaining things in great detail.
He reads directions and isn't afraid to look at a map.
My dad has taught me so many things in the past 38 years. This is just a small sampling of the lengthy list I could write. He was and is still there for my brother and me. He would do absolutely anything for us if need be. And that's really is all a daughter could ask for. Knowing your childhood provider and protector is still there for you as an adult - an amazing gift of love.
Oh, and that little guy on his shoulders? He's the last in the line of people with Roth in their name. Max Roth Meisgeier shares his name with my dad's grandfather, Max Roth. My dad is 500% into that little guy. Believe me, if you could see the thousands (I kid you not) of photos of Max on my dad's external hard drive, you'd spend days looking at photos. Maybe even a week. And my dad would have stories to tell about each photo, and a HUGE grin on his face.
Dad, a thousand thanks will never be enough for all that you have done for me.
I love you.

(This photo was pulled from the archives. Last summer I think.)

52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.

Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Heather, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Kristin, Heather, Amy, Liza, Veronica, Kristi.