This man will believe until the day he dies that George Strait is the “King of Country Music”. He is a diehard Ole Miss Rebel fan. The Manning’s have a pretty special place in his heart. Dale Earnhardt is his hero, dead or alive. We jokingly say he is a long lost Earnhardt. He cried when Dale was killed in Daytona in 2001. Yes, my Daddy is on a first name basis with The Earnhardt’s, ha. Being able to hunt every single day of deer season is his heart’s desire every year. I really hope he gets to one day. He loves to read. John Grisham novels are his favorite. He can have a 500 page book read in a few hours. Unfortunately, I did not get this trait from him. This amazing man with all these passions is my sweet Daddy.
When I was a little girl, I called him “Daddy-do”. He had an orange truck I called, “The Pumpkin”. We used to go to EVERY Ole Miss Football game together. I would hold onto his belt loop so I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. On my nineteenth birthday, I got tickets to see George Strait & never did it cross my mind to take anyone but my Daddy. My Mother, Daddy, & I drove 500 miles to see Dale Earnhardt race in Bristol, Tennessee. Jeff Gordon won the race & we all three got sunburned; therefore, the ride home was horrific.
A daughter’s relationship with her daddy should be one that cannot compare to any other. Thankfully, I have this remarkable relationship with my Daddy. I’m really not sure what I would ever do without him in my life. He has taught me so many things, whether it was manual labor or just a simple life lesson. He NEVER missed a basketball game, softball game, or piano recital. Even though, having to listen to me practice the piano was a horrendous chore for him, ha. He has encouraged me in everything I have tried or accomplished.
When I was six years old, I broke my arm in May; therefore, the summer was miserable. To make it more enjoyable, my parents took me to Atlanta, Georgia to see the Cincinnati Reds play the Atlanta Braves and to the Cabbage Patch Birthing Center. For my parents, the only good thing about the trip was seeing the Reds beat the Braves. They got food poisoning and were sick the entire trip. Surprisingly, they still took me to see those cabbage patch babies being born; therefore, making the summer worth the broken arm. As you can see, I was & still am a much loved child.
Against my mother & grandmother’s wishes, my Daddy taught me how to ride my first horse, Dakota. Once when I was ten years old, at Witch’s Dance on the infamous Natchez Trace, she & I rode ahead of the crowd. We finished the trail ride before anyone. When my Daddy finally got back to the truck (at dark), he was worried sick about me. That is just one of many predicaments we never told my mother about. Another sticky situation Dakota & I got ourselves into was in Forrest, Mississippi. We had to cross a 4-lane highway on the trail ride & a car spooked Dakota causing us to run right into the car. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, yet we still failed to mention it to my mother. When Dakota was injured in the pasture years later, we had to sale her. That was the most devastating experience of my life, but my Daddy promised me a new horse. At the time, that promise made it no better, but he held to his word & not long after, I had a new horse.
The first time & one of the only times I was ever embarrassed by my daddy was when I was in the 3rd grade. He had to carry me to school in his old, muddy Toyota that was the loudest truck you’ve ever heard. I made him drop me off at the road & I walked the rest of the way. This is not exactly a story I’m proud of, but it sure is a little humorous looking back on it.
When I became old enough for boys to start calling my house (way before cell phones), my daddy would have to give them the third degree before I could even think about talking to them. At the time, it was awful & I always got so mad at him for it. Looking back on it, I appreciate it & will more than likely be the same way with my children.
When I decided on a major in college & realized I was going to have to attend Mississippi State, I thought my Daddy was going to have a heart attack. We made a deal not to “trash talk” the other one’s team. Wouldn’t you know the first year I was at Mississippi State, they were awful in EVERY sport. Ole Miss held them to ZERO points in the Egg Bowl. My daddy never said anything, just had a little smirk on his face. I knew what he was thinking though because I would have been thinking the same thing if Ole Miss had lost. Contrary to most of my family’s belief, I am still an Ole Miss Rebel at heart.
Walking me down the aisle on my wedding day will be the hardest thing my daddy will ever do, but other than becoming Adam’s wife on that day, that is the most important thing to me on my special day.
They say a girl marries a man that reminds her of her daddy. In my case, God has blessed me with two amazing men who I know love me more than anything. Adam Carnes has some huge shoes to fill, but I know he can do it.
