Daddy's Little Girl

After a busy week, an icy night, and a gray morning, I had the best pick me up on Saturday. This weekend was Dad's Weekend at my college, and my amazing Dad came to spend the day and night with me.

My university won the ranking of #1 Party School in the country this year (Google it. We are simultaneously proud and embarrassed by the ranking here), and the various parents' weekends throughout the year are no different. People go crazy, and there are wasted middle aged men wandering around all weekend.

Don't get me wrong, it's great fun, and it's really heartwarming to see everyone with their families. But, my family does things a little differently. My dad doesn't drink. At all. And my mom is far too small to drink more than one glass of wine before she is ready for bed. Bar-hopping isn't their scene, and I love when they visit because I get to do things around the town that I normally wouldn't. Plus, we get some great time in together after not seeing each other for a few weeks.

So, on Saturday, my dad got into town around noon. We had talked about driving bout an hour out of town to go hiking in the Hocking Hills, but Friday night we had a huge ice storm, and the whole area was coated in about half an inch of solid ice.

You think I'm kidding? No literally ice on everything!

For most people, this would have game-changing. Hiking in an ice storm? Understandably not for most people. Well, not for this girl and her dad. We bundled up and headed out for some slippery hiking at Old Man's Cave. The ice only made it more beautiful.

The falls behind me and Dad. You know you're jealous of my hat.

My Dad even decided it would be a good idea to take an extra mile of trails that were roped off due to "danger caused by falling ice". Yea that is my family. But it was awesome!

We got back into town and relaxed before heading to dinner at one of my favorite local spots, Lui Lui. It was totally packed! So, we were lucky that I called ahead and made reservations. Naturally, I forgot to take a picture of the food, but everything was lip-smacking. I had Hunan Tofu and Veggies with extra hot sauce on the side. Mmmmm.

Later, my friend, Chris did stand-up at open mic night at a local coffee shop. It was a blast, but there is something a little too uncomfortable about listening to raunchy college-guy jokes while sitting next to your father. Only more to laugh about, I guess!

The funny-man, himself. You can't tell, but his tshirt has sea turtles all over it. He was great!

Breaking from the OU parents' weekend traditions again, we didn't sleep in late, nursing hangovers. My dad and I were up at 7 to hit up some grocery shopping. He shares my love for food, and one of our favorite weekly activities when I am home is grocery shopping on Sunday mornings. We made sure to get that in while he was here for the weekend. Thanks, Dad, for feeding me for the next week!

We ended his visit with breakfast at his favorite local place. My treat.

Village Bakery and Café. I love their whole philosophy and their food is beyond delicious.

Again, I forgot to get a pic of the food, but I did manage to remember to snap a shot of our damage. Dad: smoked trout frittata with Parmesan polenta. Me: wheat toast and a side of fruit.

This Dad's weekend couldn't have been more perfect. I am definitely a Daddy's girl, and he is one of the few people in my life that I can say really gets me. It's so sad to think that this will be the last real Dad's weekend before I graduate! But, I guess once I am settled, we can have our own Dad's weekend any time we want.

Wishing you all a Happy Sunday, and a great start to the week!
Rach