"who gives this bride away?"

i never ever thought i'd be married at 18.
for my oh-so-kosher family, it was like the entire world came to an end:
graduate high school, go to undergraduate school, graduate medical school, build a firm foundation for my career, get married to a successful doctor, have lots of children, become a grandmother, die...
yep, this is the way my cookie-cutter daddy had my life planned.
but somewhere, oh yeah, right after "graduate high school", his plan for me went awry.
i skipped a few steps and got married...to a high school rebel, tattooed, smartass soldier.
yeah...as far as good ol' dad was concerned, i completely ruined my life and made him look bad as a parent. well daddy, it's about time to accept that things don't always go as planned.
nevertheless, i shouldn't badmouth him; he does support me, no matter how hard it must be.
i love that tattooed soldier. he makes me happy. dad's happy when i'm happy. so all-in-all, daddy's happy, right? right.
i know i know, i should really quit lying to myself; but it helps me sleep better at night.
yeah, i'll just keep playing my perfect little fairytale.
i love my father; he has been nothing but the best.
see, all through my life, daddy never wanted me to struggle; he made things easy for his little girl. he paid for everything and did everything possible to make my life a breeze. so, i think that when i got married, he realized how much i'd be struggling and how there was nothing he could do about it and that scared him.
i feel like this blog makes me seem like i hate my father and that i'm happy i disappointed him.
please, don't get that impression; it hurts, but i lie to myself to make it all seem okay.
and it's not like the man is miserable. he loves me and is happy for me, but it definitely wasn't his plan. i am the first-born. i get to make all the first mistakes, so yeah, it's all new to daddy. my brothers and sisters should praise me for taking some of the shock and awe away from their future mistakes :)
anyway, i'm sorry for breaking your heart, daddy. i didn't know that this was the way i would take either. not that i regret it, but it's definitely an off-road, bumpy path. thanks for standing by me and believing in my "fairytale" when you knew it was far-fetched.