Dear Ol' Dad

I have been conspicuously absent for the blogosphere lately and I am sad and sorry for this. As most of my friends know, on December 27, 2009, my dad passed away after battling colon cancer for several years. I think understandably, I haven't felt like doing much at all--including working on my house and blogging about it.

But now it is 2010. A new year, and a new start, right? A lot of great things happened in 2009, but even better things will happen in 2010.

My dad was an active part of my house hunting experience. He didn't do a lot of the footwork, but when I found something I thought I liked, he was there with his cane, knocking on walls and inspecting furnaces. If it hadn't been for his advice, I would have bought a house for $9,000 less than I did, but with one fewer bedroom, one fewer bathroom, no basement, and no garage. Obviously a huge mistake. Dad was the sweetest man I have ever known, but he was also a shrewd businessman.

He also loved watching This Old House... one of my earliest memories is of him lamenting the fact that Bob Vila was fired (which at the time I interpreted to mean he was burned at the stake). Dad could talk to me for hours about the properties of flashing and shingles on a roof. He spent his life taking care of me, my sisters, my mom, and his many friends. I regret he was only able to see pictures of the house I bought... I think he would have been proud of me, my purchase, and the renovations I am making. He would probably yell at me for spending money, but that was a regular occurrence.

My dad never failed to tell me how proud he was of me, even when I failed. I hope he will be proud of the life I am leading now, even if it isn't as focused on business as he would have liked. Not to make this too corny, but enjoy the time you have with your love ones and learn as much as you can from your parents... I know there will be times in the near future when I will wish my dad was around to tell me what to do. I am thankful for the time I had with him and the honor of knowing him and appreciating him for his quirky humor, his smile, his smarts, his courage, and his love.

So onward and into 2010... a year of big changes for me and my family. And Dad, please don't be too mad at me for blogging about you and my house... I know you thought it was too much to put out into the public realm, but I hope you appreciate my writing and my all my hard work. I just wish you were here to scold me in person!