Popper is Funny too!

     Before my daughter could speak, she would strum an air guitar when addressing my dad. This gesture was appropriate because of his position as the lead guitarist of his band. Once she could speak, my dad would strum, point at himself and say grand-pa-pa. Nola did her best to imitate him which is where the term Popper was born. My son has carried on the tradition of the name and I expect that my sisters' future children will do the same.

     Adding to that, my kids adore Popper. He is a great grandfather to them and is greeted by screams of joy and hugs when my kids are near him. And his laid back attitude and positive outlook on life are contagious. For these reasons, if my dad ever seems stressed at any level, it is noteworthy, which is why this next story has to be told.

     This past weekend my kids were the flower girl and ring bearer in my cousin's wedding. And as any mother's luck would have it, Miles started to fall apart a few hours before the rehearsal and groom's dinner. I had to act quickly and by doing so, I decided that my only option was to nap him and be late. A late ring bearer had to be better than a crabby one. To save a little face, my parents decided to bring Nola along with them, at least one of my kids would be early.

     My parents actually left two hours early because the had to pick up my dad's tuxedo across town, in traffic and through Minnesota road construction. They needed extra time. Of course, we all found it extremely ironic that Miles and I arrived earlier than everyone.

     Apparently, the traffic and construction was far worse than my parents anticipated leaving them on countless back roads and detours that caused major frustration. Nola approached me at the church and said, "Popper was pretty mad in the car. He hit the steering wheel with his hand and said something like shhh..., I don't know actually, it was something with a shhh..."

     I tried not to laugh for many reasons. I was happy that the shhh... word was not part of her vocabulary, I knew that my dad must have been really lost to hit the steering wheel and Nola knew that if Popper was mad, something must be wrong.

     My dad's face turned a bright shade of red when I brought up the conversation. He backpedaled a bit and tried to explain the frustration he felt being lost and then eventually late. I truly did not blame my dad for his accidental outburst, I've known him my whole life and he is usually very even tempered. This was why I had to tell my mom, sisters and brother-in-law about the incident. When a laid back guy like my dad loses control, the humor of the situation must be embraced.