Father Daughter Weekend

picture from the 4th of July because I wasn't smart enough to make him take a picture with me on our actual weekend together.

This weekend was my annual Father/Daughter birthday weekend with my dad.  Three  years ago he said that there wasn't a single thing he could think of to ask for his birthday besides time together, so he made the official birthday request for me and each of my sisters to individually come spend a weekend with him at the farm.  No husbands or babies, just me and dad.  (And mom... but he limits the amount she is allowed to talk, by regularly reminding her that this is HIS birthday weekend :) )  Dad's birthday was actually in June, so it took me a while to be able to settle on a weekend for our time together, but finally an open weekend came and so I packed my bags, made a pie (BIRTHDAY!) and headed to the farm.

We spent the majority of the weekend watching lots of movies, then discussing them in detail, which is one of my dad's favorite things.  And mine too, actually, but with the place I am in life right now it seems that the majority of movies come and go and I never seem to see any of them.  That is, until this annual birthday weekend comes around.  I have started looking forward to it all year, keeping a running list of movies I want to see in google docs so when we come together I can pull out my list and start running down the contenders.  This weekend we watched:

The Good Lie

Draft Day

The Edge of Tomorrow

Blade Runner

Million Dollar Arm

The Host

 All great in their own way.  The Edge of Tomorrow and Million Dollar Arm were my top two, and I would highly recommend both of them. The Host is really only for a true fan of the book, but Dad and I had both read it and enjoyed watching the movie and discussing the differences.  Draft Day was surprisingly enjoyable, especially for football fans.  Blade Runner was required viewing once I told Dad I had never seen it, and I enjoyed watching it, then debating our thoughts on it, which included trips to Wikipedia and confirmation that Harrision Ford is in fact a replicant (SHOCKING REVELATION 25 years post movie release!)  The Good Lie was excellent, but hurt my heart a little, and made me realize how clueless I was to the world around me in 2000.  There were parts that felt rushed, but the story of the Lost Boys was unquestionably moving and worth watching. 

But our weekend is about more than movies.  Spending two nights with my parents give us time to really talk, to truly discuss the ins and outs of what is happening in our lives.  I am lucky to live near my parents and to see them regularly, but there is something different about having this concentrated alone time with them. Time where I am not wife and Mama, I am just daughter.  I can talk in detail about my work and my life without interuption.  I can ask about thier work and life without needing to have part of my mind wondering what Henry may be doing in another room.  Truly, dad's birthday weekend had become a gift to us both.  A weekend to slow down and really just be together.

It is one of my favorite weekends of the year.  And I am so thankful he came up with the request.  Sometimes it is hard to get scheduled, and leading up to it I always fret over my boys being home without me, but in the end I know I will never regret taking this time to be with my parents.  It really is special.