my dad is better than your dad

I think my favorite thing about my dad is that he raised me with a vault full of memories that not many little girls have. For the few years before my brother was born, both of my parents worked but managed their schedules so that I would never have to be in daycare or with a sitter. Not many people can say that. Lucky for me, I had days with my dad. That means I spent my time in little boy clothes (can you see Present Day Page in flannel shirts and overalls?) on a boat with a fishing pole. Or sitting at the kitchen table in a Bill Elliot racing hat, playing with one of the remote control race car tracks. Or perhaps almost catching the apartment on fire trying to make toast because I woke up before he did and wanted breakfast NOW. But that's another story.

I had a dad that believed in making adventures for your kids and bringing them along on yours, in hopes of having something to share excitement over. I had a dad who learned how to braid, because there were days when I only wanted to wear my hair in pigtails. A dad who used to take me on daddy-daughter dates to the bowling alley, making me feel like the most important girl in the world. And as I evolved, he evolved into the dad who stayed up late with me, talking about whatever I found interesting at the time - friends, boys, my religion class in college. He even stayed on the phone with me in the middle of the night when I watched Silence of the Lambs by myself in my dorm room. Dedication, I tell you.

And when another boy started edging in on my time and attention, he made sure that he was the right one and then stepped aside. The true mark of a great father.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I hope you always know how thankful I am to be yours.