Tell Your Dad You Love Him.

So, I inadvertently adopted a dog today. More on that, at the end of this post..(Man, I love a good cliff hanger.)  but first - the important stuff.

Guys, it's Fathers day.  I have SO MANY excellent fathers in my life.  Two brother-in-laws who are amazing fathers to my two nieces and two nephews, friends who are fathers to their own children, or who are raising children that aren't their own.. mothers who play both Mom and Dad, and of course - my own father who I absolutely love to pieces.  My dad is the reason I love music so much. He is not, the reason that I sing.. because.. you do not want to hear that man sing... but he has a passion for good music that has inspired me since I was a very small child. Honestly, he has a little bit of music A.D.D. like I do, too. He listens to JUST about everything. He loves a good sunrise, and we currently have a little bit of a feud over who takes the best photos of the sunrise... I'm pretty sure I win... but I let him think that he does, sometimes. I don't look a thing like him, but I got his wit, and his sense of humor - and those have gotten me farther in life than my looks EVER have. I'm thankful for my Dad, for so many reasons, and I really don't tell him that enough.  For Father's Day, my sisters and I took him to lunch yesterday at his very favorite summer spot, McLoons Lobster Shack.

Outside of having THE BEST Lobster Roll in Midcoast Maine, they also have a pretty great view of the water. I did not get many photos.. which means we were having a good time, because I totally forgot. Dad decided he wanted a Crab Cake dinner, I ordered a half order of Grilled Littleneck Clams (which we devoured before I got a photo of them.. but they were delicious!) and a Crab Cake Sandwich, Sister R got some clam dip, and a Crabmeat Roll, and Sister D and the two littles all had Grilled Cheese sandwiches. We also had some roasted corn on the cob.

I am pretty sure that everyone enjoyed their food - I have NEVER had a bad meal here. After lunch, we tried to get some good pictures of the entire group, but everyone was getting a little tired. 

It was a good day - and I hope my dad felt as loved and adored as he deserves. Also, we had to do lunch yesterday, because I had already made plans for today... so I'm mostly thankful for his flexibility. :)

One of my very best childhood friends, Callie, is an amazing artist.  She invited a bunch of people over today, to her apartment in Portland to have a paint day. She's moving, and had a bunch of paints she didn't want to take to her new apartment, so she provided some brunch, and some canvases, and a whole lot of patience while her friends painted in her living room. Our friend Randi Lynn took the trip to Portland with me, and I was so thankful to have such great company for the drive. I know I gush about this a lot... but I really REALLY am so thankful for having both of these women in my life. Constant pillars of support, humor, distraction, and perspective when I most need it. 

So, about the dog. We got to Callie's and she pointed us towards a stack of blank canvases, and in the corner were a stack of canvases that she said needed to be painted over. As I'm flipping through them, I came across this:

So, meet my new dog.  He doesn't have a name yet... but I'm definitely taking suggestions. He was not getting painted over... so I adopted him, and brought him home for his new life with me.

I'm always the LEAST artistically inclined person in any room. I have a ton of creative outlets - but zero of them have anything to do with drawing or painting... but you know what? As anxious as I was about going (I've recently started experiencing some serious social anxiety that I don't really understand.) I really had an absolutely amazing time. But I'm not going to show you my painting... it pales in comparison to all of the paintings above. (Most of which are from Callie's personal collection.. and two of which Randi Lynn worked on.)

We stopped at Trader Joes on the way home, where I bought ALL the delicious foods.. and now another weekend is coming to a close - and I definitely feel like I need another day to recuperate from the amazing weekend I've had. That's it.  That's all I have. I mean, there's a whole lot more going on than that - but that's enough for today.