1. He is the nicest, kindest, gentlest, sweetest, funniest, handiest, most generous man you'll ever meet. Hands down.
2. When I was 4, he was in a freak accident and had both of his legs crushed. This would have been a horrifying, debilitating, depressing, awful injury for anyone else, and I'm sure it was for him, but for my sister and me, it meant Daddy got to be home with us for three whole years. We were super lucky.
3. Speaking of lucky...my dad is the luckiest person alive. I'm pretty sure. I don't know why he doesn't play the lottery, because if he did, I'm sure he would be a bazillionaire. He wins stuff all the time, but the best thing he ever won (in my opinion) was a local grocery store contest when we lived in Wyoming--grand prize was a GO-KART!!! We looooooved driving the Pepsi Car around our neighborhood, and he would humor us and go out for hours upon end to cruise with us...and all our friends. Believe me, when your dad owns a go-kart, your neighborhood coolness factor shoots through the roof. And he always let me drive. :)
4. Everytime that silly Pepsi Car broke, he'd fix it. Don't know how, but he always got it working again, even after many summers of use. It's still in their garage, and with half an inkling, I bet he could have it running again in no time.
5. He can do a spot-on impression of Donald Duck. Can your dad talk like Donald Duck?
6. Or better yet, can your dad sing Christmas carols like Donald Duck? Mine can.
7. Since my dad was the "stay-at-home-dad" for three years, he learned how to do our hair quite nicely. Not too many dads can muster an expert braid or ponytail (and he ellicited FAR fewer tears than mom or grandma when they did our hair...he was gentle).
8. He is a CRAZY good cook. Like, we're talking gourmet. And he can cook ANYTHING, from BBQ to homemade bread to chili to fudge to soup to steak to salads...you name it, he can cook it. And it will be the best thing you've ever eaten. (Right, April?) If a guy can't cook or isn't willing to learn, he would have to work pretty hard to win my sister or me over, since we're totally used to that.
9. He always saves the best bites for us. If we're out to dinner and he has a steak, he will find the juiciest, best-looking bite and offer it to me or my mom or my sister every time. And if we want it, he'll give it to us. Same goes for whatever else he might be having. He's always willing to share, and not just the tiny crappy bite he doesn't want.
10. He is a world-class, top-notch TEASE. But never in a hurtful way. And this has made it so that I can take crap from just about anyone and laugh about it. Thanks, Dad.
11. Even though he is a professional engineer and doesn't need it, he has a mechanic's license. Which means that each and every single time there's something wrong with my car (which, if you've heard about my last year of car adventures, you'll know that's a frequent occasion), he is the first person I call, and he can usual tell me, with certainty and accuracy, what's wrong with it and what I need to do to fix it (even with my very un-scientific explanations over the phone from three states away).
12. Before he broke his legs, he was a professional bowler. Seriously. And even though he just bowls for fun now, he has bowled at Nationals for the last 5 years or so. So if you want to learn a lot (and get totally schooled), ask him to take you. :)
13. He has the best sense of humor EVER, and when something strikes him as being really, hilariously funny, he closes his eyes and laughs so hard he SHAKES--silently. If you see the silent laugh, you know it's gotta be good.
14. "Your dad is so nice he could tell someone to go to hell and they would enjoy the trip." This is a direct quote from one of his co-workers. I strive to live my life so that someone could say something like that about me one day.
15. He rarely gets mad and hardly ever raises his voice, but if someone is trying to screw over one of his girls (HELLO, Jiffy Lube!), and said girl asks him to step in and help her out by making some phone calls for her, his employees MIGHT have to come and ask him to shut his door because "it's getting a little loud." True story. Thanks, Papa Bear!
16. He can DANCE. No, seriously. He is the best person to be with at a wedding, because he can really cut a rug. He's always wanted to dance at our weddings to "Butterfly Kisses," but Amy couldn't stand to dance to a slow song with him because he is SO much fun to dance with to a fast song--he really knows how to spin you around the dance floor. He has danced me right out of my shoes MULTIPLE times.
17. He is a total sap. Seriously sentimental. I mean, really, he LOVES that "Butterfly Kisses" song. LOVES it. (It's pretty sweet.)
18. He is suuuuuuuper easy-going. Pretty sure that's where I get it. He's mastered the art of laughing, shrugging, and saying, "It's up to you. Whatever you want to do."
19. He's ALWAYS the one to drive on long trips. He doesn't mind it. My mom almost immediately goes to sleep, but he was always the one to tough it out and drive those crazy long stretches from Utah to Montana or Seattle or wherever we happened to be going. Once I was old enough, he always let me have a turn if I wanted one or if he got too tired, but he never complains about having to drive. Now that I'm an adult and I have come to completely HATE driving, I really appreciate this about him.
20. He is UNBELIEVABLY generous. As a super independent kid, I hate asking for things, but if I EVER need something, he's the first one to offer. When they came to visit me in my apartment this year and realized I was functioning without a proper dresser, while I was at work he went to the store and bought one for me. I didn't ask for it, I could have done without (as I had been), but he decided I needed it, so he went out and got it. And this is NOT the first time he's done stuff like this. I would have been SCREWED without his help in this whole car fiasco this last year. And he never wants anything in return. When we ask him what he wants for Christmas or his Birthday (also in December), he always says, "Nothin'. I just want my girls home." And he usually pays for our plane tickets. His favorite gift (besides us being home)? Clothing from whatever college or university we happen to be attending--talk about supportive. Thanks, Dad.
21. He's a crack fisherman, hunter, outdoorsman, etc. And he's always willing to take us along. :) (He's planning a trip to come up this summer specifically to take me fishing on the ocean--can't wait!)
22. My 93-year-old grandmother (his mom) is a tough lady to get along with sometimes, and gets harder every year, even just over the phone. EVERYONE thinks this, including my dad. And yet he calls her EVERY SINGLE TUESDAY NIGHT and talks to her for an hour or so just to catch up and see how she's doing. And if she needs anything, he figures out a way to take care of it. And he hops in the car and drives to Montana a couple times a year to check on her and make sure she's doing okay and spend some time with her. He's an amazing son.
23. He's an incredibly hard worker. He works from 5:30 in the morning until sometimes late in the evening, and even though he's tired, he never complains.
24. He still holds my mom's hand whenever they walk anywhere, even after 30 years of marriage. He loves her fiercely. She's had a lot of surgeries and health issues, and he is always there, by her side, patiently doing everything he can to help her heal. He never complains about it, even when it would be wearing on even the most patient person. He's been through a lot with her over the last 30 years, and he loves her more every day--you can see it. He's a great example of a loving husband, and he has really shown my sister and I what it means to have a faithful, loving, sacred marriage.
25. Even though he never talks about his faith, he is incredibly faithful and he lives it out every single day.
I could go on and on, but these are just a few reasons why my dad is an incredibly special, wonderful man.
Love you, Yop!
Happy Father's Day to all you Father's, Fathers-in-law, Grandfathers, Uncles, and Father Figures out there! We are all blessed to have you in our lives! Thanks for doing what you do.
