When bride Kandice Mickunas joined her dad on the dance floor for their father-daughter dance, she had no idea what her 'ol pops had in store.
The dance started out traditionally -- a slow number to Louis Armstrong' "What A Wonderful World." A few moments in, dad Jim Mickunas grabbed a glove and baseball for himself and his newlywed daughter and started throwing around the ball to the tune of John Fogerty's "Centerfield."
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"My daughter has always found her own path," Jim captioned a video of the dance on YouTube. "She played flag football at 6. She hated wearing dresses. She wore a tuxedo to her first communion. She lettered in soccer and track. She then became an engineer for the largest automaker in the world when she was 22. I could not imagine having a traditional father-daughter dance with her. That is not what we were or are... So I came up with this. She had no idea!"
In a sweet twist, Jim hands off the glove and ball to his new son-in-law. Watch the video above to see how it all unfolds.
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Before You Go
1
Mike Sapian
"I was told to wait in the hallway when my wife was brought in for an emergency cesarean. Four minutes later, I was called in and they handed me our beautiful baby girl. I fell in love with her the minute I saw her and wouldn't trade her for the world!"
2
Lindsey E. Althaus
"My husband held our son for the first time and said, 'Hi I'm your dad. I don't have all the answers your mom does. Just know I love you. I will always love you.'"
3
Simran Singh
"I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have such an angel. My boy is my superman and my buddy."
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4
Andrew Coffill
"The doctor who delivered my wife's daughter had to give me step-by-step instructions on what to do and where to go (he literally told me to give him my phone so he could take pictures!)."
5
Jennifer Guldenzopf
"The doctors took this photo of my fiancé holding our son for the first time (don't mind me in the background!). My fiancé is adopted and has never tracked down his birth parents, so he was very emotional at meeting his first blood relative."
6
Logan Fisher
"My husband, Jeff Fisher says that because he was told that he was infertile for twenty years before our daughter came along that he was thinking, 'This little girl is an absolute miracle and I hope that I have what it takes to be the dad she needs.'"
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7
Chandra Sly
"My husband at the hospital with our two girls. He was so happy. Unfortunately we lost him four months after this moment."
8
Elisa Campos Hopkins
"My husband holding our third child right after we had him. He immediately became overwhelmed with joy and love, like he did with our first two. I feel very blessed to have him as the father of my children."
9
Lia Griffith
"I got out of the shower after giving birth and found my husband holding our brand new baby girl skin-to-skin and singing Cat Stevens."
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10
Pablo Can'tu
"The greatest day of my life: The birth of Abrianna. I can't even put into words how I felt or how I feel still to this day. The day my whole life changed."
11
Caitlin Dodd
"I'm not sure what to do with my hands?"
12
Gil El-Gato Hernandez
"I was 21, she was 19. We were newlyweds, we were brand new to the Air Force, it was our first time living on our own and we were 2,000 miles away from home with no family. We were both scared and super excited. That day was one of the greatest days of my life."
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13
Sarah Woodbury
"Never get tired of looking at this picture my friend took of my husband and son. Such a perfect moment!"
14
Lindsey Deming
"My husband holding our son. He said at that exact moment, his thought was 'This. This right here is what I've always wanted.'"
15
Liz Knabe
"Meeting his firstborn son."
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16
Jessica Jeanis Marshall
"This is real. I am now responsible for this little life."
17
Danina Avery
"He falls more in love with her every day."
18
Katie Fields
"I couldn't believe we had really made something so beautiful. That she was amazing and perfect and that I was in love. I couldn't believe I was really someone's dad. And I couldn't believe I wasn't scared to hold her like I thought I would be.'"
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19
Angela Taylor Harris
"My husband Cory said he felt tiny in the universe in this photo. This is him with our first daughter, Beatrix."
20
Chris Perillo
"I immediately felt different. Like I wasn't living for me anymore. I was third now. Fourth, actually if you include my dog. When the Dr. was done doing whatever it is she was doing, she said, 'Everything looks good. You can take him to mom now.' Only problem was, I had never held a baby before. 'How do I, um, grab him?' I asked. She showed me how to scoop him up and I carried him over to my wife, or 'mom' as she was now referred to, when our doula snapped this picture. I put him on mom's chest and said the only words appropriate for the situation: "I am your father." His name being Luke and me being a huge Star Wars fan, it just seemed appropriate."
21
Steffany Hosmer
"He was scared for me (c-sections can look quite violent) but he saw her tiny face and she hushed right down in his arms. Love at first sight."
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22
Alexis Carver
"My fiance and baby boy. He loved hearing his daddy's voice before he was even born, and when he said 'hi,' he knew exactly who it was. Still loves listening to his dad."
23
Jennifer Ralston Baldwin
"She was in the NICU and he was the first to hold her. I was still recovering from an emergency c-section. I actually didn't get to hold her until 22 hours after she was born. He told me his first thoughts were 'Omg, Omg, Omg.' Then he fell in love. She is our whole world."
24
Michael Marcinko
"First thought: Holy crap things just got real and I have no idea what I'm doing."
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25
Crystal Scott Tenorio
"My husband was stationed in Illinois and they were sending him photos of our son as he was born and he was crying in the airport, overwhelmed that he was now a father. He didn't arrive till six hours after baby's birth, but this photo is the best one of them meeting."
26
Kristina Gargano
"My husband after our son was placed in his arms. His first thoughts: 'thank goodness he's clean and his head is perfectly round.'"
27
Emily Bond Cox
"My husband, Jamie, holding our daughter Mackenzie for the first time."
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28
Vicki Duthie Stone
"Sheer joy. Life does not get sweeter than this."
29
Rachel Beranich
"My boyfriend wasn't able to hold our daughter for almost a month. His first time was Father's Day last year he said it was the greatest gift he ever had gotten. The entire 124 days she was in the NICU we held her every moment we could."
30
Gabrielle Rystedt
"Falling in love."
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31
Cassie Botka
"Daddy holding his son for the first time."