September

September is one of my favorite months — and there are SO many reasons why. Here’s some reasons in pictures — hopefully this makes up for my not blogging all month :)

1. College Football!!! Most importantly — Oklahoma State football!! E comes from a long line of OKState alumni and fans…his grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins…they all went there.  I guess we’re the oddballs for not going there!

2. Labor Day — E’s cousin got married on Labor Day in Tulsa, E’s hometown.  We spent a long weekend in his favorite place, surrounded by family. It was lovely.

3. Kansas State Fair. My sister-in-law is in charge of our town’s MOPS [Mothers of Preschoolers], and to open the state fair there was a huge parade. Even though I’m not a mom — I helped out with the float. The theme was Motherhood — it never changes; to celebrate the centennial. We won the float competition! I was a flapper from the 1920s. It was a secret dream of mine to dress as one one day. Mission accomplished.

20’s, 70’s, and 50’s

3. Baseball — more importantly playoffs! We headed to KC for a Rangers game with the kids. Also, this pic could be number 4 — dark hair! I normally dye my hair every fall to get in the spirit.

5. Friends! One of my best friends is getting married next month, so we had her Bachelorette party! SO much fun.

6. Birthday weeks. While in KC, E and I went to a little birthday lunch with my sister and brother-in-law and my brother and his girlfriend. I love birthday celebrations!!

7. World, this is my godson!! He’s my best friend’s first child…and I love him already. He was born the day before my birthday…which brings me to #8…8. BIRTHDAY! I turned 24 this year. Maybe that’s why September is my favorite month…

9. This guy. Not really part of September — but he did learn to walk this month! Pretty big deal, if you ask me.

10. I know technically this is for October – but October is breast cancer awareness month. E and I ran our first 5k in honor of Mom, in the pouring rain. It was difficult with the weather, but we did it!

I can’t wait for fall!! October is my second favorite month :)

Dad

I am so blessed with a great dad AND today is his 57th birthday! I’m pretty confident that dad won’t be upset with me sharing his age…have you seen the guy? If I can make it to 57 without a single gray hair on my head, I will have lived a happy life. Let’s hope for good hair genes there. Most people tell me that except for the Hinton Big Eyed gene [seriously, if you saw my dad’s sisters, mom, and most of my cousins, you’d understand….we have HUGE eyes], I look like my mom. But there is one thing I have learned from my father…and that’s how to love.

My dad is not a mushy-gushy kind of man.  He grew up on a poor farm in North Carolina, in a small house with his 6 siblings and parents.  He had to learn to work to get what he needed in life; he started his first job when he was 7, and says he’s been working ever since.  He worked two jobs to pay for his college so he could have a better life. He met my mom when she was a single mom of twin 4 year old girls.  She was newly divorced, and working as a secretary just to make ends meet for her daughters.  My dad had just left his small town farm life behind for the big city life at his first job out of college, when he met his new secretary (we’ll call her mom). They fell in love, and dad didn’t let the fact that mom had two daughters sway him from marrying her and raising those girls as if they were his own.  He payed for their college tuition, wedding, and numerous other things.  He provided for them, just as he continues to provide for us even though we are all grown adults.

My dad has the strongest work ethic I’ve ever seen in a man, and with that work ethic comes a sense of providing for those he loves.  My dad’s love language is definitely acts of service.  What that means is that he shows love by what he does for my mom and us 4 kids. This man truly acts out the word love.  He doesn’t express his love in words, which is exactly the same way I am.  I remember when I had my first heartbreak; I was crying my eyes out the next morning, and my dad just came in my room and said “it gets easier”.  That was enough for me, because I knew how hard it was for my dad to use his words to convey his encouragement.  In college, I went through a really dark time.  I’ll never forget the email I received from my dad after an especially hard week.  It was only a paragraph, but it’s something I will treasure forever.  He wrote of how blessed he was to call me his daughter, how much he loved me and supported me.  He just plain encouraged me, and those few sentences meant more to me than anything else anyone could have said. So yes, my father doesn’t express his love with words, but I have NEVER doubted his love for me.

This is one thing I have learned from my father. I am the same way when it comes to love.  I feel uncomfortable saying “I love you” to anyone except my family and husband.  I’m not good with encouraging others with my words.  I just stumble and sound awkward, haha.  But I am good at doing things for people…that’s where my heart is happy. When E and I first started dating, we would get into fights…as my way of apologizing, he would come home to find me scrubbing the kitchen floor, or washing their dishes, or making his bed.  I would be doing something to convey I was sorry, and that I loved him.  Not only do I express my love this way, but I receive it the same way – which is probably why I have always known my father loves me by all that he does.  I am infinitely more happy with a clean kitchen and dinner made by the time I get home then with flowers or romantic gestures.

I’m just so blessed that my Heavenly Father has given me an earthly father who loves the Lord first, and his family second.  My dad serves and serves, and that’s the biggest thing I love about him: his servant heart. It’s something that I hope I have learned from him, because I know that kind of heart comes straight from the Lord.