Father's Day

Tomorrow is Father's Day. A day that is both very hard for me and also a wonderful celebration of the man who made me what I am. I was blessed to be given the most amazing man in the world as my father. I never doubted how much my dad loved me. Growing up, he was my hero. He still is.

Dad always had time for me. He made a special point of he and I having "daddy/daughter dates" every single month. I knew that was a time for just me and daddy and that no matter what, we would always have those. I was a big priority in his life and I knew it. He believed in me. He had confidence and faith in me. He was proud of me. He made me want to live up to everything he saw in me. No one knew how to have fun more than Dad. But he also knew when to be serious. My friends all loved him. In fact, I don't think there was ever a kid born who didn't love him. And who he didn't love. Dad saw the best in everyone and taught me the importance of doing that.

Dad's been gone for almost 16 year now, and I miss him more every day. Sometimes I wish I could talk to him, take a problem to him, or share a concern with him. I wish he could tell me what I should do or how to fix a situation I find myself in. An amazing friend reminded me today that my dad is always with me and that I can always talk to him. I forget that sometimes. So as we get ready to celebrate Father's Day, please take the time to tell the amazing fathers and men in your life what they mean to you and how important they are to you. Cherish not just this day, but every day you are given to be with them.

Happy Father's Day Daddy. I love you so much. I miss you and I hope you're as proud of me as I am of you.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

Today is my mom and dad's anniversary...#48. My dad has been gone 15 years now, but as I truly believe that theirs is an eternal love and marriage, I still celebrate today as their anniversary and know that mom does as well.

My mom and dad were an amazing example to me of how a marriage should be. I knew every single day of my life that they loved each other. More than that, they liked and respected each other. I always know that the most important things to both my mom and dad were each other and us kids. From my parents, I learned that marriage is a special bond to be shared with your best friend and the love of your life. My mom set the bar super, super high for me by marrying the best man I have ever known.

I love you mom & dad! And for all of us, the 5 kids, 21 grandkids, and 2 great grandchildren who have so far come from your marriage, I thank you for falling in love and for being the people that you are!!!

I love you daddy!

Today is the 15th anniversary of my dad's death. This is always sort of a difficult day, but for some reason, today seems especially hard for me. I miss him a whole lot today. My dad was the most amazing man. I always knew how much he loved me. He was never too busy for me and always wanted to listen to me. I always knew that he would be there for me. My dad loved his family so much. I loved to watch my mom and dad together. They loved each other so much. My parents were my example of what a marriage should be and I am so thankful for the high standard they set for me! I am thankful to be a part of their eternal family!

It hurts me to know that so many of my nieces and nephews either don't remember him, because they were so young when we lost him, or didn't ever get to meet him. He got such great joy from his grand kids! As much as he loved my brothers and me, I think he loved the grand kids even more!! I hope and pray that they know and are told by my brothers how much they mean to my dad & the kind of man that he was.

As much as I miss my dad, I do know that he is still with us. I know how much he still loves us all. I know that he is watching over us and protecting us. Each of my brothers and I all have a story to tell about dad being our guardian angel.

I love you dad & miss you more than I can say!

My mom and dad on their wedding day

Mom & Dad with the family when it was just my 4 brothers

Four of the five of us kids, when I was little. I think John was on his mission