Dear Dad,

Wish I could be with you this Father's Day, but I'm glad I at least got to spend a little bit of time with you during Spring Term.

Well, you already know what I got you cuz I told you yesterday. Here's a picture of your Stanley Cup champs shirt, which will hopefully arrive sometime soon:

(And just FYI, I got one for myself, too.)

So there are a few things I want to say thank you for. I guess there are more than a few, but I'll only include a few here. (Guess you'll have to wait a whole year for the other ones!)

Today in Relief Society, we had a lesson about fathers. (Seems fitting.) The teacher handed out little sticky notes for us to write down some things we thought about our dads while we watched a short video about dads. This is what mine looked like:

 (That's you as a little superhero on the right.)

Rock Valley College graduation, May 17, 2013

1. You are the most hardworking person I know. You are not only a valuable asset to Motorola, but to every organization in your life, from church life to family life.

2. You've supported me in all my efforts, and you've supported me even when I wasn't there to support myself.

3. You're always very generous and let me have the last piece(s) of chocolate that you've "hidden" in your desk. Thanks!

Ice Hogs game, Nov. 30, 2013

4. I shared this one in Relief Society today. I think you're strong. You were living a different lifestyle before you joined the Church, and you gave up things that many people wouldn't have so you could live the Word of Wisdom.

5. You're selfless. Thanks for putting up those extra shelves in my room even though you were tired and ready to leave for Utah.

White Sox game, June 23, 2012

6. You're loyal. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I was thinking specifically of sports when I wrote that one. Thanks for raising me to be an Ice Hogs and Blackhawks fan and going to White Sox games with me!

7. You're faithful. To your family, to the Church, and to your friends.

8. You're helpful. THIS is actually the one I wrote down when I was thinking about the shelves you hung in my room. Cuz I don't know what wall anchors are, and I would've messed it up if I'd tried to do it myself.

9. You're grateful, and it reminds me to be grateful, too.

White Sox game, June 28, 2013

10. You're funny. You know, when you're quoting the Three Stooges and stuff.

11. You're loving. I don't think there's ever been any question in my mind about whether or not you love me. I can just tell you do.

12. You're clever. Like when you're writing out clues for our Easter basket hunts. That's a tradition I want to continue when I have kids of my own.

13. You're smart. I mean, you must be, cuz you married Mom and raised some pretty awesome kids.

Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, June 26/27, 2014

I'm so glad you're my dad, and I'm so thankful I have you. Today, I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. June 25th, 2014 was the scariest night of my life (even scarier than all the Motel 6's I've stayed in combined). Because I was worried I was going to lose you, and I was worried things would never be the same again.

But I'm grateful that my worries did not become reality. I'm glad we have the priesthood in our lives and that you, yourself, hold and use the priesthood. If the stroke had to happen, I'm glad it happened when and where it did, where we could get top-of-the-line professional help and a priesthood blessing. I still thank Heavenly Father every morning and night for that miracle, and I pray for His continued protection over you.

So... thanks for all you do! I love you!

When All the World's Engaged but You

As a college student, I'm going through this thing where pretty much everyone and their dogs are getting married or are well on their way to it. Seriously, I feel like every single day brings another engagement announcement to my Facebook feed.

And I'm happy for them!

But.... let's face it. It's a little weird when one of your first roommates, and people from high school, and girls you went to girls' camp with are posting totally adorable pictures of their significant others and spouses-to-be and wedding rings. So sometimes you just gotta....

Dear Mom,

Today, in the "Shoot, tomorrow's Mother's Day, and I still don't know what to do" antics of this afternoon, I (only a little) frantically started searching for some relatively fast, easy, and inexpensive ideas of what to get you. I came across some super awesome crafts and DIY projects that would've been sweet, but they probably just would've turned into more stuff that we didn't actually need and wouldn't actually use.

So I did some of them anyway.

But all that's not the point. The point is, when I was looking for ideas of what to do or get for you, I just kept thinking about you. And I might've even started getting a little teary-eyed thinking about all you've done for me. I might even be getting a little teary-eyed right now thinking about it.

Or maybe it's just allergies. I'll use that as an excuse if anyone asks.

I feel stupid writing mushy letters like this, and I feel even more stupid saying things like this out loud. Which is... stupid. Because you never hesitate to let me know how proud you are of me. And I don't do that nearly often enough for you.


Now, I don't want this to turn into a novel or anything. (If I ever work up the nerve to try to get any of my books published, I'll probably dedicate those to you, and those will be your mandatory novel reads from me. But this isn't one of those. So I'll try to keep this short and simple.)

I can't write about everything good about you because that would simply take an eternity. Not to mention, there's probably not enough open space in the Internet to list all the great things about you. So here are just a couple little things I want to thank you for.

You support me in everything I do. Even after I did stupid things like take out my anger that we lost a seventh grade basketball game out on you, a more-than-innocent-because-you-were-coming-to-support-me spectator. You and Dad always made sure someone was there to cheer me on in all my sports, concerts, award nights, graduations, everything. You're always there for me. I know I can call you up crying about a stupid boy, or a church calling I think I can't handle, or a recipe I can't figure out, or even just to chat at work or on my way home from campus.

One of the most important things I think you've taught me is how to say sorry. It's hard to admit when you're wrong, but you taught me through your example that it's important to learn how to. I can think of times at college I've messed up or done something stupid and had to apologize to somebody. That's something I hope to continue getting better at as I think of all the times you apologized to me even when I was the one who'd done something wrong.

You're the best mom in the world. Looking back, I know I didn't recognize how smart and good and right you always were about {almost} everything. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that a little bit more. I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything that you do for me. I take pride in the fact that the kids at the high school know who you are, and I take pride in the fact that my old teachers know I'm your daughter. You're not a normal mom. You're a cool mom. ;)

I've told a lot of my friends at BYU that I'm exactly like my mom in a lot of ways. And that's something else I'm proud of. Little kids always say they want to be just like their moms or dads when they grow up. I may be old enough to drive and pay rent and file tax returns, but I wouldn't say I'm done growing up yet. But as I continue to grow up, I hope I turn out to be a whole lot more like you.

You're my best mom.

Love,

Your Best Girl