L.O.V.E.

I love my dad.

I love being his daughter.

I love traveling with him. All of our roadtrips, vacations in Hawaii, visiting family in California and Utah, my 16th birthday (just the 2 of us) in San Francisco, camping together… so many amazing memories made.

I love that he taught me how to ride a bike by holding on to the back of my seat and running with me for hours. Then later did the same for both Tyler and Jackson.

I love the memories of standing on his feet and dancing in our living room listening to vynol records of Nat King Cole.

I love that he married my 6th grade teacher and was nervous to tell me that they had been dating.

I love how involved he has always been with his 3 children.

I love how he believes that each one of his children are absolutely perfect.

I love his hugs.

I love how whenever he buys a shirt or a coat it quickly becomes "the Shirt," or "the coat" and he doesn't take it off until it smells.

I love that he is a goofy dancer despite marrying a dance studio owner.

I love that he took me prom dress shopping not once but twice in downtown and sat and ooed and awed as I tried on dress after dress.

I love his nicknames for everyone. Mine being Whitty, Whitster or Princess.

I love it when people tell me I look like him.

I love him as a coach.

I love his facial expressions.

I love his voice.

I love his "wayneisms"- "Working hard or hardly working." or "Oh my gosh, you think so? Why do you say that?" when he's fishing for more compliments.

I love that he roots for the Cougs and proudly wears his WSU hat living so close to UW.

I love that he wears t-shirts, hats and pants until they literally disintegrate.

I love that he made it possible for me to attend every WSU football game home and away my senior year of college and made it a point to be there with me 90% of the time.

I love his competitiveness… every single one of his children has inherited it.

I love the way he cooks.

I love the way he likes to teases the people he loves.

I love that he loves my husband more than just an in-law.

I love his "c-chippers." Best chocolate chip cookies in the world.

I love the way he can laugh at me and calm me down when I'm wound a little too tightly.

I love that he puts catsup on his eggs and macaroni and cheese.

I love his advice.

I love that he doesn't waste milk when eating a bowl of cereal and makes it a big debate when others do.

I love what a proud father and grandpa he is. Always boasting about one of his children or grandchildren.

I love his sense of humor.

I love the numerous times he has taken Jordyn to dance class and proudly participated with her, then rewarded her with goldfish crackers in the end.

I love it when people tell me that my son looks like him.

I love it when he tells me how my children like to be held, fed, burped, sung to and is only half joking assuming that he knows them better than me.

I love his honesty, even when I disagree.

I love how we can sit in silence and just be together.

I love his strength… he is a fighter by nature.