Father's Day

I love me some fathers in my life, and in honor of Father's Day I couldn't let too much time pass by before I saluted those who have such a fatherly influence in my life.

My own father (pictured above) has taught me so many things.  He could talk your ear off about cars, cameras, bicycles, anything really.  I think he is the king of DIY, as evidenced by his gifts to us of his famous homemade soap. His philosophy is that if you can make it yourself, why buy it? Before he and my mom divorced we never bought bread, pasta or jam. My dad would always make it.

One of my favorite memories of my dad is when my sister went up to Utah to visit him and he was making homemade root beer. (Am I right in saying that homemade root beer is waaaaay better than the store bought stuff?) He was using dry ice to carbonate it and he had just capped one bottle when I heard a loud bang! I ran upstairs to find the bottle had exploded in the kitchen! There was root beer everywhere, and the cap had shot straight up through the ceiling! It was quite a mess!

I can't mention fathers without talking about my step-father (pictured above). Even though he isn't my birth father, he came into my life when I was 7 and I like to tell people that I hit the jackpot step-father wise. He is one of the funniest, kindest, selfless, and hard-working people I know. He bought the company he runs from his own dad just a year or two after he served a mission in Taiwan and has built it up into a fantastic software company that employs more than 20 people. He works harder than anyone I know, but is always thinking of others. He is always serving others and is willing to give without expecting anything in return.

I love this picture of the two of us because I'm guessing that it was taken shortly after he told me some kind of joke. He is always joking around, and has a not-so-hidden talent of coming up with new lyrics to songs. He is famous for singing songs to us daughters at our weddings, which are full of jokes and sweet memories that have us all in tears by the end. It's really no wonder why he's at the top of the list of those that I go to when I need some advice! He's the bees knees!

And I obviously have to gush about my own baby daddy, Mark. The moment that he became a father is easily the second greatest moment of my life, and it keeps getting better each day. I clearly remember Mark having the largest grin on his face the day that Max was born, and he was beaming with pride as he showed off our little Mr. Max. Both he and Max light up whenever their eyes meet, and my heart bursts each time that it happens. Mark works so hard to take care of our family, and I am eternally grateful for that gift, and it means the world to me.

So here's to all of the fathers in my life, you have made me a lucky, lucky girl.

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