a tribute that is long overdue...

though father's day has officially come and gone, i still feel the need to dote on my father a bit. though i have been a daddy's girl for as long as i can remember, i have realized over the last year just how much william charles means to my life.

upon careful thought and recollection, i believe that my daddy is the best man on earth for the following reasons:

first of all, my dad has the most hilarious sense of humor. okay, so he's not joel mchale or conan, but he is just so darn funny. my whole family agrees that the man is a deadringer for clark griswald and if you ever experienced a sowder family vacation, you would know why. there was the time he became mesmerized at chicago's o'hare airport because he was standing behind "mr. t." at the ticket counter of american airlines or the time he split his pants at wrigley field because he was diving for a homerun ball with all the other 13-year-olds. but who could forget the cruise of '99 when pops sang "double vision" in the karaoke room (my personal favorite?) pretty much, he's a goofball. but i love it. and believe me, no one's a better storyteller.



second of all, my dad is as tough as nails. he's a man's man. and frankly, in the emasculated world we live in today, it's nice to know a man who possesses true grit. ever since i was born, my dad has worn wranglers, boots, his hat and driven a truck (some of my best memories are when he would take me out to drive that truck and we'd listen to randy travis and bocephus.) he's a marksman and he's wrestled alligators with his own two hands. he's played the gridiron sport his whole life and much to his delight, he is now living vicariously through andy. did i mention that his degree from a&m was in engineering and he is a real handyman? this must be where my love for a man who can put in some real manual labor comes from. what can i say, daddy's right on par with chuck norris.



next, my dad is so smart! upon meeting him, he might not strike you as brilliant (his dialect or countenance certainly wouldn't fit in with any ivy league school), it's a different kind of intelligence, something i like to call wisdom. i'm just so freaking proud of him. he has worked so, so hard to achieve all of the things that he has done (everything from operating a law firm, being elected to four consecuative terms as lubbock country district attorney - a feat no one has yet to attain, serving as a district judge, and finally spending 20+ years with the u.s. army.) amazing things of course, but i am proudest of my dad for using his knowledge to help people. his entire life, he has gone out of his way to aid others and i can't begin to tell you how many lives he has touched by helping out with a struggling family's rent payment or offering to work on a case pro-bono. of course daddy has never mentioned any of these things to me or anyone else, i only find out about such things when the individual tells me out of gratitude for my father's services. the man is so humble that is astonishes me. daddy always fought for the underdog and because of his selfless service and infinite wisdom, i think daddy resembles atticus finch.



finally, i love my daddy for just being him. daddy's a dying breed. he's just such a simple man. he doesn't care much for "new-fangled technology" or luxuries. if he has a place to rest his head at night and his family is provided for, he's more than happy. daddy has been blessed, but he has always given credit where credit is due, which is to say that he has placed all of his faith in God. he has such a strong, deep, and steady faith with the Lord. yes, he's wrestled with God, but he has never lost hope that a relationship with Jesus is absolutely the most important thing in a person's life. though daddy had to deal with a daughter who loved boys on motorcycles and had a talent for racking up speeding tickets all over texas, he never once yelled, he always gave me "the dissapointed look" which was enough to make me cry every time. it's from daddy that i learned about sacrifice, committment, and the power of a positive outlook on life. daddy also taught me about building and maintaining relationships, which he considers to be commandment. i have always, always, always been able to count on my daddy and he has never not been there for me. though i've had some broken hearts, i have never given up hope that a good man exists because i have witnessed the virtues of a good man my whole life.

not sure they make them like you anymore daddy, but i haven't given up yet. one thing's for sure, i'll always be your girl ;)

shannan's book club

yes i am a bookworm, unapologetically so, might i add. i am proud to be a nerd and i am proud to rendevouz at b&n until they kick me out each night.

i can't explain it, but i just love books - everything about them (the way they smell, the carefully contrived cover art, the anticpation and expectation, etc.). however, i think what i love most is that feeling of getting lost in the words, that entanglement that happens when you become so engrossed in the plot that you feel like you're scout finch, josephine march, or daisy buchannan. although it takes an excellent writer to achieve this for his or her reader, when there is a true writer-reader connection, it's the best kind of magic.

whether it is just plain sad or pathetic, the way that i can always guage whether a book has truly been inspiring/memorable/impacting is that moment when i'm about 10 pages from finishing it and i feel almost heartsick. it's like i've had this beautiful, wonderful, passionate, intimiate relationship and it's all ending. this is most evident when i embark upon reading a thick book (case in point: last summer reading all 1,083 pages of lonesome dove...oh larry mcmurtry, you knew exactly what you were doing.) but i will say this, the great thing about books, as apposed to irrovecable, final breakups w/ that tragically beautiful bad boy who made you believe that you were going to be the woman who unearthed his heart of gold (definitely not speaking from experience here ;) is that the book always invites you to come back for another go-around without the sting of abandonment.

so now that everyone thinks that i will inevitably become the old public librarian w/ a million felines, i'll divulge the real reason for this post. i have started my very own book club! though i read a lot in college, there really wasn't time for pleasure reading so i have had an overwhelming stack waiting for the moment when i finally graduated. since i am taking the summer "off" for sorts, i have accounted for reading a book every single week this summer, which means that by the end of the summer, i should have read 14 books.

so far, i have read hemingway's the sun also rises, a book called stolen innocence by elissa wall which chronicles her escape from warren jeffs and the flds, and today i finished john berendt's midnight in the garden of good and evil.

i just want to take some time to rave about that book, because it's seriouly the best thing i've read in quite a long time. of course it being southern gothic and appearing on the new york times bestsellers' list for 216 weeks was great, but berendt's eccentric characters that make the city of savannah, georgia come alive are just fantastic. i cannot believe this book is based on actual events! i would kill to have the opportunity that berendt had in writing his novel. i don't want to give anything away, but this is a must-read!



*also, i was so enthralled w/ this book, that i went out and rented the 1997 flick based on the book. being produced and directed by clint eastwood, i had very high expectations and the movie was really great. fascinating really. and kevin spacey, wow! he had that deep southern accent down to a tee.

starting the shack by william young tomorrow, but i'm open for any suggestions!

a salute to sex (and the city...)

yes darlings, it's time for me to give my thoughts on the sex & the city film! for those of you who have been living under a rock for the last year, you should know that this movie is of epic proportions for women everywhere. i'll admit that i was skeptical about the movie, i mean hello! how could anything be more divine than the television show...the writing is just brilliant!

HOWEVER,

i am pleased to announce that the movie rose above my expectations. it seems to be getting panned by the critics, but i think the story is geuniune and heartfelt. call me crazy, but as loyal fans of the satc franchise, we weren't going to the movie to think, analyze, and ponder life's greatest mysteries a la the constant gardener or hotel ruwanda. this movie was about love, fashion, girlfriends, and bringing together two people despite life's obstacles. i personally came away from the movie with a deeper appreciation for my female friendships, knowing that the women in my inner circle will always, always, always be there for me.

i'm not giving absolutely anything away, but you must go see this movie!