The Art of Girliness

my shower is currently being used as a drying station for random articles of clothing that i've spray painted.

great use for a shower, by the way.

anyway, this means that every time i've walked into my bathroom this morning, i've been greeted by a fluffy, lacy, pink and white underskirt i made last night. it's joyfully sitting around, waiting to be put under a skirt that's equally girly. and the prospect of wearing this adorable article fills me with joyful anticipation.

now yesterday, a friend of mine asked me who my dad's tom boy was. i told him it was me, like i always do. but within the last twenty four hours i've come to realize that this is not necessarily true.

ture, he did teach me how to throw a football and to hit a baseball when i was a kid. he did teach me how to play basketball, which i would actually be pretty good at if i were competitive or could run at all. i am the daughter who goes to all his sci fi movies and bloody war movies with him when he wants company.

like that one time when everyone went to 'my prince and me'. gag. we watched 'hell boy'.

that was awesome.

i'm the daughter who wears men's clothing on a regular basis. 90% of my friends are guys- congrats to those 3 girls that i actually consider friends- and there have been many occasions when i've needed to remind those guys that i am, in fact, a girl.

early in my life, i caught on that to be gentlemanly, you open doors for others. you use manners. you help your mother with things like taking out the trash. he taught me that real men know how to dance, use handkerchiefs, take pride in their appearance, and stand up for what and who they believe in. and i've tried to live all of these things i've learned from my father.

but absolutely none of this makes me a tom boy. it really just makes me a giant daddy's girl.

my dad has always been the coolest guy i've known. growing up, i totally idolized him. he knew all the coolest music! in high school he was the lead singer in a band! and he had a motorcycle, and he had peirced his ear! my dad was tall and powerful, and super strong! he gave the best, safest hugs. he traveled the world, and he was the smartest person i knew. i mean, he knew absolutely everything!

and my dad is still one of the coolest people i know. now, we don't always get along. i now realize he's not perfect. i think i realized that one somewhere around age 10. occasionally, i have a question he can't answer, and i'm sorry to say that i've outgrown him. his hugs aren't quite so utterly and completely safe anymore. but he is still the only person who can make me cry. which i think might be a good thing. i need to feel things on occasion. it's healthy.

i secretly love watching football with him. but not because i enjoy the football. i just like watching him get uber excited over great plays. i love listening to him yell at the players.

i love how my dad taught all of his girls to be strong and independent.

sometimes i feel that us gals have forgotten how to be ladies with the whole feminist movement. that just makes it so i love that my dad taught me how to be a gentleman even more. i feel that not only does it help me to be a better person, it also helps me to truly appreciate when i meet a gentleman in my life.

today, i'm planning on spending a quiet day in salt lake by myself. i'm dressing up, doing my hair, putting on a skirt. i'll be fun and flirty looking. a complete girl.

and i'm going to be the complete gentleman that my father taught me how to be.

for all of you men who don't have as amazing fathers as i have, here's a site for you to check out:

http://artofmanliness.com/