All In All it's Just another Brick in The Wall....

First things first,  I want to say that I have terribly missed blogging the past few days, I truly have even though I have had a good reason to take a break and that reason was to spend time with family.  My oldest daughter Cierra, who lives in Colorado flew in on Thursday to go to a special event at her old high school and my Dad who lives in SC flew in on Friday to visit with his grand-kids and help me with some home improvement projects. We have had a great time so it is needless to say that I am sad they have to go back home soon. Usually when I take a break from blogging it's to spend time with family or I am working on a freelance job where I don't have internet service. Tonight though, after finishing up what I had to do and seeing everyone off to bed, I had to sit down and write even if it was just a little bit.

It has been so wonderful having my Dad here. Despite my yearly visit to South Carolina each year, he has not been to Florida to visit ME in about 13 years, but after the death of his wife back in April, I felt getting away may be just what he needed. My dad is an amazing craftsman, a builder of a different kind; an artistically brilliant man when it comes to anything that smells of sawdust or requires hammering a nail. He is just like his father... my Pépère and when I watch him think as he works, I know where my artistic side comes from as well as my problem solving nature. We have tackled a few small projects around my house over the past few days, but today, we started the kitchen project aka "My  Rustic Tuscan Kitchen Project" and phase 1 was laying adobe bricks onto my back splash. I am one of those do-it -yourself kind of girls, and it's because of my dad that I am that way.

While other girls were in dance class and attending cheer-leading practice playing "girl" I was in my dad's workshop huffing sawdust and wood stain. I loved being involved in my dads woodworking projects and today as we planned the brick project, I was abruptly brought back to my childhood. As the Simon and Garfunkle Pandora station played in the background on my Ipad my dad taught me a new craft and that was how to lay brick on a wall.  I have to say that it turned out pretty amazing and I cannot wait to finish over the next few days. I will cherish this time with him more than he knows because I know that one day all I will have is the memory of doing this with him along with the faint smell of sawdust and the feel of his calloused craftsman hands.

"Memories we hold in our minds should be only the ones that made us smile; for the things we remember that are painful are there only to have taught us a lesson." 

©2012 shelleygiard