I will start this post by saying that my Dad is GOING TO KILL me for an entire post dedicated to him—but that will not stop me and it is a MUCH deserved post. He is a very humble man and does not like a lot of praise or attention. He prefers to fly under the radar supporting his family and friends in any way he can. However, I would like to tell you all about the rock of our family–I call him Daddy Mac and sweet Riley calls him PAPA!
Anyone that knows me knows that my dad is my hero and ANYONE who knows my dad agrees that he is truly an incredible man! I had the honor of working at the company my dad worked at for about 5 years and was always in awe of how well respected and admired he was. Anytime I would introduce myself and say my last name–the first words out of people’s mouths were “You’re Pat Twomey’s daughter?! He is the man”! I still keep in touch with many of the people we used to work with and to this day–they tell me what a great man he is and how much they loved working with him. I smile every time and always pass on their well wishes. I am proud to be Pat Twomey’s daughter!
Growing up, my dad worked long hours so my mom could be home with us. I remember looking out the window waiting for him to get home and being so excited when he walked through the door. When we were little kids, he often had the weekends off. Saturday mornings, we would get up to watch the Smurfs on the couch, while my dad made us a BIG breakfast–friend potatoes (which to this day nobody makes better than him), SPAM (I loved it), eggs, bacon, sausage, the works! On Sundays for a few years my mom worked at Candlestick park during football season and we would stay home with my dad and watch the game. He would take us for ice cream at half time and we looked forward to it every weekend.
As I got older, even with his 60-80 hour work weeks, my dad still managed to coach our girls basketball team from 4th-8th grade. And we only got more difficult as we grew up and discovered things like hair, make-up, and boys! The girls all loved my dad and many of them are still my closest friends. We often talk about the wonderful memories on Mr. Twomey’s basketball team! I am not even sure I realized then what a self less man my dad was. I just knew he was my dad and l loved him to pieces. I was for sure a Daddy’s Girl!
In high school, we went on a senior retreat before graduation and spent an entire day reflecting on people in your life who have been your biggest support and cheerleader. Of course my mom, my dad, and brother, are my biggest supporters and are always the first ones who come to mind. We were asked to choose one person and a song that reflected what this person was to you. I chose my dad and the song “The Wind Beneath My Wings”. My dad has been the wind beneath my wings since day 1….. and every time I hear that song, I think of my dad.
May 26, 2017 was the day my dream came true–I became a mom and my life was changed forever. I have told my story on this blog already–but once again, my dad, my rock, was on the first plane to North Carolina to be with Riley and I the minute I called their house. I was by myself for almost 24 hours at the hospital and will never forget the feeling of relief when I saw my dad walk through the door. I will also never forget the first time he held Riley (picture above). It was love at first sight for both of them!The three of us lived in a hotel for 8 days–and my dad carried that carseat everywhere we went–and drove us all around Roanoke Rapids for appointments, food, trips to Wal-Mart, and anything else we needed. We got very little sleep and every time Riley woke up screaming in the middle of the night, my dad jumped up to help change his diaper and warm up a new bottle. He even let me go to the hotel gym to get in a few workouts while we were there and made sure I had all the foods that made me happy. He never once complained and we actually had a blast together.
The last two years have been an incredible journey. And although this post is dedicated to my dad, I can not write it without also saying how amazing and supportive both my mom and brother have been always. I am a very lucky girl and Riley has been showered in love by all three of them the last 2 and a half years. My parents watch him every single day at my house when I am at work… and on the mornings my dad comes first, he arrives at 6:30 with Starbucks for me to drink on my way to work. Every Sunday morning since the day we came home, my dad has come over so that I can go for a run around the neighborhood. He and Riley play together and then go to Starbucks to get momma coffee while I shower and make cookies. They go to the same spot every weekend and get a pop and a pouch (or sometimes two) and have a very special routine. We look forward to our Sundays with Papa every weekend!
This brings me to the core reason for this post. It turns out that for the last 2 years, my dad has been in pain-and it has continued to intensify and get worse. I had NO IDEA until about a year ago that anything was wrong.. and this is because he never complains or says a word. Since I know he will read this post, I will not go into great detail–but this past week he had to have a major back surgery. He was in surgery for almost 6 hours and has been told it will be a long recovery. I had to find alternative care for Riley for the month of November as my mom will be with my dad while he recovers. My dad has continued to apologize to us and and has been so worried about how all of this will affect our lives. I am happy to report that he came through surgery like a champ and arrived home today! He was up and walking within 24 hours and the doctor gave him rave reviews! He is truly such a ROCKSTAR and has had an amazing attitude through the whole thing. This would have been the longest that his “little man” (that is what my dad calls Riley) and him would go without seeing each other–so we went to the hospital every day to visit! Today is Sunday… Riley woke up and while eating breakfast he asked me if Papa was coming so momma could go run. I told him that Papa was still resting from getting his “owie” fixed but we could go see him. And that is just what we did. Momma did her best to recreate Sunday morning–I took him to Starbucks and we got a pouch and a blueberry muffin–but it was of course just not the same without Papa. We will continue to visit every day and want our Papa to take this time to heal and rest. He spends all of his time taking care of all of us, and now we get to take care of him.
I was laying in my bed last night thinking about the high school retreat and the song I chose… “The Wind Beneath My Wings”. I then remembered that my dad often calls Riley his “Wing Man”… I smiled as I went to sleep. WE are truly the luckiest in the whole world and we love you PAPA so very much! I know you will be the first one to read this and send me an email, “Great Post Kiddo” as you always do! LOVE YOU!