Ode to my Father

I always considered myself a "Daddy's girl"growing up, and loved to try and tag along with my Dad wherever he went. I thought he was the coolest, and always wanted to impress him. Dad's approval always meant the world to me. I mean there's a lot of things Mom's get upset about, but if I really dissappointed DAD, I'd be heartbroken. Daddy's are so important to little girls and I'm so grateful to have mine.

Here's some favorite memories I have growing up with my Dad:

• Going to his flag football games when I was little. I loved to bring a blanket, sit and watch my Dad play for like 5 mins (haha), and then go off to make friends and find pollywogs or whatever it is we would do.
• Playing Stratego. I don't even remember how to play it now, but it was an old board game he loved and I felt so grown up when I'd play it with him.
• When he coached my basketball team. We were called the "Blue Devils". My Dad came up with that name. haha.
• Having free throw shoot offs with him in the backyard. Or as he called it, "The Bread and Butter shot".
• Going to movies with him like Star Trek or Star Wars, not because I was particuarly into them but because Dad thought they were really cool (which made me excited). I also loved the running commentary I'd get throughout the movie as he'd love to fill me in on the history I was missing. "See, Spok is HALF human, HALF vulcan..." LOL
• Staying late at Disneyland when Mom had to retire early with the babies, and closing the park down while we ran from all the "big kid" rides like Space Mountain and Matterhorn.
•  Going to work with him once on "Take your kid to work Day". I remember just having paper and markers and sitting at a desk (I think I just stayed til lunch time) but I felt so grown up and cool in a real office. I loved seeing where my Dad went everyday.
• Going golfing with him, and getting to drive the golf cart. I became quite the experienced stunt driver on that golf cart.
• Saturday morning pancakes. My dad is the master of pancakes and I think that's where my love for them started. Weekends you could always count on Dad for a good stack of pancakes.
• Staying up late and watching Headlines on Jay Leno. Me and my Dad were both always the night owls of the family, and it would usually just be us two left up. Every Monday was our favorite, that's when Jay Leno held up the hilarious headlines and news storys found in the paper the past week.
• And of course, the best memory of all... watching him get baptized and getting sealed as a family. This is the one I will forever remember, and the one I am eternally grateful for :-)

I love you Dad. Happy Fathers Day!

I really wanted to put a picture of my Dad and I when I was a baby, but my scanner wouldn't work!! So these will just have to do.