Remember that time you woke me up early one morning and told me to get dressed, pack my hunting clothes we were leaving for the next two days to go hunting with one of my favorite celebrities at the time? I looked at you crazy, and asked, "Who is it dad? It's too early for all the guessing games." When you told me we were going hunting with Troy Landry from 'Swamp People', I died laughing. How much fun was that trip? We laughed and made more memories that trip than ever before.
I witnessed one of the coolest things that lots of hunters don't get to witness in person. Two bucks had a full on fight right in front of us. You told me, " When this is over, the loser will run off in the woods and the winner is going to strut in front of this field of does and you shoot the winner." I took a deep breath, lined up my shot, and it happened exactly as you said it would. The loser ran off, and the winner began to strut. I took a deep breath, FLINCHED, then pulled the trigger. "You got him baby!", you screamed in excitement. I could have cared less that I shot the deer at this point as I was grabbing my eye and I felt something wet streaming down my face. "I don't give a crap what I did dad! My eye! I have knocked it out of my head and I'm bleeding everywhere!" You laughed and told me, "It's still there Lauren. It is not bleeding, your eye is just watering from where the scope hit it." Well that scope made one heck of a black eye, and one memorable photo with Jackie Bushman pointing at my eye and Troy Landry smirking on the other side of me.
I don't think mom was too excited I enjoyed hunting, fishing, movies like Jaws, and going to a 24-hour breakfast joint at all hours of the morning instead of Barbie dolls, and other regular girl things. But that is what happens when your dad is your best friend. We have made some hilarious, great, unbelievable, and just plain weird memories. I wouldn't take them for the world though.
I'm so glad you have chosen to take me under your wing, make me all yours, and shape me into who I am today. You have taught me to enjoy the little things in life, and don't sweat the small stuff. You've always been behind me and my dreams 110%, even when my dreams were plain stupid, (You knew the stupid ones would change next week). Thanks for taking me everywhere, whether it be to work at The Birmingham News, out of town when you had to go do last minute stories, keeping me out from school to go on hunting and fishing trips, or just taking me for a ride through the country when you needed to clear your head and get away.
We've enjoyed some great times dad. I don't ever want to stop making these awesome memories with you. So I'm going to need them to hurry up and figure out how to start making people live forever. It was just this year when I was afraid that our memory making might stop. You scared me to death that day. So don't you ever pull that crap again. I will never forget the way I felt that day, absolutely crazy and numb as Skylar raced us to the hospital. Stroke is exactly what I feared as mom told me your blood pressure and symptoms. My dad can't have a stroke I thought to myself as I remembered back to just a few weeks before when a man rolled through the ER and suffered from the same kind of stroke you had. The doctor had to tell his family there was nothing else we could do for him. That's exactly what I feared on the way there. I have seen too many bad things to be positive in that moment. But much to my surprise, it was not a bad stroke. You did not have permanent paralysis, permanent speech loss, and you are still here. Thank God you are one of the lucky ones.
I cannot wait to see where the coming years take us in our journeys, Dad. I can't wait to see you become a "Pop" one day, and to make fun of you when you poop in your Depends. Live to be two hundred Dad, because I'll never be through making these crazy, fun, hilarious memories with you. You may have loved me since I've been born, but I've loved you my entire life.
Love your tom-boy,
Lauren
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