Our Dads are amazing...

Something completely unexpected and awesome happened last night. And this is how it happened.
I was already feeling pretty good about my Ebay money-making plans and had taken a close look at our budget to check some stuff (which usually makes me get a surge of confidence, just because it lets me see the solid details of what's going on with the wedding money). I got home from my night shift, made a pot of black beans and rice, plopped down on the couch to nibble at mine while Johnny was outside talking with his Dad, who had just pulled up in the driveway, when I got a phone call from my own father. And this is how it went - at least in a condensed, loose form.

Dad: So, how was your weekend down in the hot country?
Me: It was great! We had a great time [insert some exposition here]...
Dad: I bet you did - I stopped by Mommy-doodle* you Mom's house yesterday, she said you all had been gone since Thursday. I bet that was expensive!
Me: Yeah... we ended up spending about half of what our own wedding is going to cost [embarrassed laugh]
Dad: Wow! But... so you know how much your wedding is going to cost?
Me: Yep, I've got it all budgeted out.
Dad: Really? What have you figured out so far?
Me: Almost everything - I didn't want to have any surprises when it came to the money I'm spending on stuff so I'd know how much I'd need to save and when I'd need it available. [Insert long description of our entire budget because Dad loooooooves talking line items and looooooves it when you do a DIY project to save money on making stuff. Even though his DIY projects are more along the lines of home and car repair than fabric flowers, he sees the big picture on those.]
Dad: I am so proud of you! You've got this all figured out... and if you need anything, you just let me know. You're my only daughter, and if there's anything you want that you think you don't have money for, I'll be here to help with whatever you need. If you need a couple thousand dollars up front, I can do that, too, just give me a month or two...
Me: [Stunned. Flabbergasted. Rush of appreciative thank yous. More stun.]

I never, ever, ever, ever would have outright asked my Dad for money for the wedding, and I didn't ever expect him to offer - I'd just been thinking that he was off in Dad-land where he wouldn't think of any of that stuff. And I was thrilled with the conversation in two ways that meant just as much to me as the offer of any help - the fact that he got really interested and excited in it (when I never expected him to) and the fact that he was proud of me and wanted to help. That means more to me than money any day, ever :D

I was so excited to tell Johnny - we both felt ridiculously relieved, and we realized that we can probably still do what we want without having to ask for anything, but just knowing that I won't have to choose between tablecloths and having petals for the flower girls to throw makes me happy! And then he shared his good news - his Dad had struck upon a brilliant idea. You know how we'd been interested in a potluck before we got run over by the tacky bus on the idea?

POTLUCKS ARE TACKY BEEP BEEEEEP

Johnny's Dad figured out that some folks his family (and ours, too...) would love to bring food and are great cooks, so we could just make up a list of the foods we'd like folks to bring and people can volunteer to fix them. That way we won't get a random assortment, but people still get to help out and make those their gifts to us. Sounds like a winner to me!

So HOORAY for our wonderful Dads who fix the things we worry about when we're totally not expecting it. Dads are the awesomest - especially mine :)

Us :)

* He calls her Mommy-doodle... and I'm Merrie-doodle. Oh, Dad :)