I'll always be.

I've got an incredible Dad. Honestly, I don't know how I got so lucky. As the oldest (and probably the loudest and most high maintenance) of six kids, I'm the guinea pig child--and I'm sure it hasn't always been easy. But my Dad is a winner, and he's taught me more than I think he realizes. 

When I came home from the hospital as a newborn, my parents lived in the little brown house next to Pineview Apartments in Logan. My parents both tell a story about how he took me outside to "talk to the sun" the first day I was home. From the very beginning, my dad taught me to love the sunshine--and that hasn't changed one bit. 

When my Grandma had my aunt Maddy, I was about a year and a half old. My mom went home to help my grandma, and my dad stayed and took care of me. There's a picture of me in the hallway of our apartment with my hair ratted to high heaven in a baby bouffant, all thanks to my dad. Since I was little, my dad has taught me the importance of dressing nicely, and making sure my hair looks great. ;) 

As I've grown up, I've done multiple sports and extracurricular activities, and my dad is always supporting me in those. He was in my first ballet class in Texas when I peed my pants all over the studio floor [can't believe I'm admitting that...]. He was there when I played on my first soccer team, and he even ended up coaching it. He was there during all my dance recitals, gymnastic competitions, and every performance in between. He was in the audience when we were sworn in as judges for the Kaysville City Youth Court. He came to my lacrosse games and became the team photographer, even though the sport was completely foreign to everybody else. He came to all my award ceremonies, team banquets, and drove D-TV to the airport at 4 am my junior year. And when I wanted to run Ragnar for the first time? He got us both a spot on the team, and ran it with me. 

My dad is brilliant. He always has the answer to every question I have, and on the small chance he doesn't know, I know he'll have it shortly. He's taught me how to jump my car battery, change a tire, and detail cars and bikes like nobody else. He may tease me all day every day, but he cares more about what I'm doing, who I'm with, and where I'm going than anybody else. It used to bug me that my friends liked my parents so much, and the crushes they seem to have on my mom and dad used to drive me insane. Now though, I completely understand it. I was ridiculously lucky to be put in a family with the parents that I have. 

My dad is an incredible example. He's never afraid to try something new, or help someone out. And he's taught me more about myself than anybody or anything else. Last Father's Day we had just completed our third Ragnar Relay, and he sent me an email that taught me not only about running up that stupid hill, but also about who I was because of who he is. The email ended with this, a thought that I've used to motivate me through basically everything since then.

"...Such is the rest of your life.  What you now know about yourself is not about running. It is about YOU.  You now know that if you want to do it, you will do it.  If you start it you will finish.  It might hurt, but you will never quit or give up, because that just isn't who you are."

 Because of my dad, I know I can do anything--which is plenty of encouragement by itself. But I also know that no matter what I do, he's going to help me finish: and that means more than anything else.

As a girl, my dad has always been a huge part of my life--and he'll always be the first man I ever truly loved. He's one of my biggest heroes, and the perfect example of the kind of guy I want to marry. Someone who puts family first, and works hard. Someone who loves the gospel, and helps others without question. Someone who is supportive, and funny, and intelligent. And most of all, someone who loves me for who I am. 

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you. :)