Chapter Seventy-Eight: Rare Creatures

Happy Summer! Summer (the season, not the break) officially started June 21. Ironically, it was mostly cloudy and rainy here. Oh well, I'm sure we will get our fill of sunlight and heat as the season continues.
Anyway, between now and my last update post (June 1), I've started an online class, began working for the first time, and celebrated a couple of things with loved ones. I feel like the word "busy" is mentioned at least once in every blog post, but I really mean it!
I started training to be a waitress about 3 weeks ago. Although stressful at times, I'm definitely getting the hang of things the more practice I get! I'm now serving on my own in small sections (about two or three tables) and am really enjoying it so far! It definitely gives you a workout.

My first day as a waitress...lookin' good and lookin' for tips!

After graduation, I began my short summer class. Thankfully, it isn't too demanding, so I can (for the most part) easily complete assignments at home. It's a basic physics course, so lab is required, too! I am now the proud owner of a small lab kit, so I can perform physics experiments without leaving the house! It's been pretty interesting so far. 

On June 9, we celebrated Mom's birthday. She turned 21 again, and hopefully enjoyed every minute of it! Since I had access to it, I bought Mom a Red Lobster specialty dessert and made it for her that evening. She seemed pretty pleased (plus it tasted amazing...couldn't let her eat it alone). 

"Hurry up and take the picture so I can eat this already."

The very next day, Luke and I had an early morning date that started with Starbucks. Ahhh, just like old times... For lunch, we had Whataburger with a couple of friends. Unfortunately, I had to cut the fun short to go to work. Nevertheless, it was still a great time! 

*Dramatic Frappuccino*

Remember my post I contributed to the Class of 2015? Well, there are a lot of reasons I had connections to this younger class, but two very big reasons are a special set of twins. I haven't known the two of them for very long, but I've known them for long enough to know that they are special, beautiful, and wonderful in every way. 

And I'm not the only one who sees this. 

The Dallas Morning News, in one of the smaller sections, had a whole article about the twins. Noemi and Ruth. Noemi graduated as Valedictorian at her school, while Ruth graduated as Salutatorian at a different school. A huge success. These two have been closer than most sisters, and, to quote Noemi from her Valedictorian speech, they will soon "be over 676 miles away from each other." I'm tearing up writing this because these moments they spend with (and without) each other will truly be the definition of bittersweet. 

But, obviously, they like to do the impossible. And so they will.

I love them so much!! 

On Friday, June 19, we celebrated Dad's birthday. We drove to a favorite restaurant and got Dad some gluten-free birthday pizza... yum! 

A couple days later we celebrated Father's Day. Well...kind of. Holidays like Father's Day are very busy for restaurants, and I was sure put to work! It worked out pretty well, I was just a little bummed I didn't see Dad pretty much all day. My restaurant provided for us servers though...we had Monster shots and free lunches (the trick was finding time to actually take advantage of these gifts). Let's just say that after my long shift, I was tired, but still like my job!

But let's get back to my blog title of the night: "Rare Creatures"

What is this rare creature I speak of? I'm sure you can guess. 

This "Rare Creature" is rare indeed, only seen or recognized every once in a great while. Their grace and patience really catches the eye, but most of all - how sneaky they are. Their actions are rarely caught by the human eye, let alone a camera (God, they aren't too keen with cameras!). They do not perform for appreciation, but simply to care. They are more protective than a Mama Bear, but can be as gentle as a smooth hair brushing. 

Have you guessed it yet? 

As Billy Graham (who's quote I used from Google Images) said, "A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." 

This "Rare Creature" are fathers.

Dads.

So, Dads, thank you for all the things we don't see. Thank you for taking care of our mothers. Thank you for brushing our knotty hair. Thank you for working hard everyday to get food on the table and smiles on our faces. Thank you for the life lessons, even when we don't want to look at a car engine or credit card bills or grocery lists. Thank you for helping us with math homework, science projects...Thank you for giving us confidence that we can ride without training wheels. Thank you for drying our tears, helping us up, and pushing us to keep going. Thank you for showing your daughters what to look for in a man. 

Thank you for everything. 

We love you, Dads!