"Daddy, I want to be an Artist when I grow up!"

Given that today is Father's Day, I'd like to devote this post to the wonderful man who helped shaped my life and make me the woman I am today.

So about my dad...

What can I say? Bruce Holsclaw is a father of six, one of the most hard-working people I have ever known, a man of integrity and conviction, humor, and faithfulness. In each of his children he has identified and cultivated our unique gifts and talents. He pushes us to pursue excellence and never settle for mediocrity. He loves us enough to know when to let us make our own mistakes. He leads by example. He practices what he preaches.

In spite of some of the terrible things I did as a child who had not yet learned to control her "creative" impulses - like scratching Mickey and Minnie Mouse into the back window of his classic Jeep Willys (something he'll never let me live down!) - or drawing on whatever I could get my hands on (especially the walls and wooden stairs) - Dad let me pursue my goal of becoming a professional artist. I realize now how scary that is, for a parent to let their child pursue art for a living... but he believed in me. Instead of buying dolls, toys, and games, he and Mom got me art supplies for Christmas every year. I am indebted to them for their constant support.

My first paint set - good 'ole Bob Ross! I was 8. :-)

I make him sound like saint, but Dad can also be utterly ridiculous and never fails to make me giggle... Like when he poses for a photo like this one...

Taking a break from stacking hay bales. Or is he dead??

... or dresses the dog in a thrift store wig and sunglasses...
... or makes his version of a PB&J sandwich (i.e. a giant glob of unspread jelly in the middle)...
... or cracks a joke he's made a million times but expects us to respond like it's the first time we've heard it...

Then there are the times when he mixes truth and fiction, all with a completely straight face. For example, he came home after a two-week trip to Brazil donning a full beard. When I asked him why he let his beard grow out he said, "I was shaving and I accidentally dropped my razor into the Amazon. I couldn't reach in and get it back, or else I'd get attacked by piranhas." Ever the gullible child, I believed that story for years!

Or how about this one? He was an officer for the Wisconsin State Patrol for many years - but in spite of all the horror stories he came home with of car accidents and reckless drivers - somehow he thought it was a good idea to buy his young, blonde twin daughters a convertible. What was he thinking? Well, I know what I was thinking: I have the world's coolest dad. :-) In exchange, we let him get this photo of him yelling at us for making some unknown traffic violation... 

Officer Dad.

Daddy's girls. With his three daughters, me, Cara, and Emily, 2005

I don't take for granted that I had a father to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.

Or that he's still there whenever I need some advice or just want to chat about life. We live a thousand miles apart, and I miss his hugs, but I know that he is proud of me and proud to be my dad. I'm proud of him, too, for continuing to set an amazing example for my siblings and me. I love you, Dad!

"Daddy, I want to be an Artist when I grow up!"