30 Days Until 30 - Day 1

I am counting down my final days as a "twentysomething" by dedicating a post each day to something that has shaped me. We all have good & bad moments, habits, loves, pet peeves, etc. This is my way of focusing on the GREAT ones that have made me grow to the.. umm, "adult" I've been told I am today. :) This is Day 1 of the countdown, which coincides with the day, 8 years ago, I lost my father. He was 44 and was a great man with more integrity than most. I learned & inherited a lot from both my wonderful parents (my mom post will be on her birthday so keep a look out!). Besides the integrity & learning right from wrong I inherited something else from my father's side. My spot in line at the gates of Geekdom. If you are a parent, hopefully you are teaching your children to be unafraid of being themselves. Teaching them to embrace their talents, loves, & feelings. My dad never did go out of the way to tell me that being a nerd is okay. He just kept being himself. Star Trek, Quantum Leap, Lord of the Rings... though he never said it, these were his fandoms. Though he'd find "Black Friday" ridiculous, he'd line up for a tech gadget on a whim. He'd marathon science fiction shows & spent many a day at his computer. These are the memories I share with my kids. When we sat down as a family to watch Chuck or Doctor Who I'd tell my kids how much my dad would've loved it. Or when the latest Hobbit movie came out my son knew my dad & him would've been at the theater opening day. Yes, I learned many things from my dad. But my ticket to Nerdvana is the one I cling to & will inevitably pass down. Love you dad!