Happy Father's Day!

A late blog and a short blog, but a blog nonetheless.

I just wanted to take a couple of minutes and express how deeply appreciative I am of the fathers in my life.

^^^That's my Daddy and I. Isn't he handsome? Now do you see where half of my good looks come from? I could say a million things about my Papa, but I'm going to just say the following to keep it short. My father is the type of hard-working man who inspired me to achieve the things I set my mind to. He set the bar for any husband of mine very high. How could I settle for anything less than a dedicated, ethical, spiritual, intelligent, and somewhat quirky man when my own father had shown me through example what a good man should be? I will forever be grateful that I was born my father's daughter, and even though we are perhaps too alike to always agree... (Did I mention my super strong will likely came from him?) I know that he loves me and will always love me without condition. Because that is what good fathers do.

^^^This is my Mr. Llama. Any minute now (did you hear that, Baby Llama? Any Minute!!!) he is going to become a father, and I know he's going to be excellent at it. How do I know this? Because not only does he posses all of the qualities my father taught me were important, he is also my loving, funny, and charming husband and best friend. Seriously, he's the best. I could continue, but I think he gets uncomfortable when I wax too poetic about him in public. So instead I'll just add that he is the redliest and radliest of men and I love him very much.

^^^And this dude on the left who looks like, but is not my Mr. Llama. He is my father-in-law, and without him my husband would not be the man he is today. I will always, always be grateful that he did such a fantastic job of raising a son who would turn into my amazing husband. He taught him the things my father showed me were important: hard work, serving others, and loving God. Also, he has a wicked sense of humor that I dig and tolerates about as much drama as I do. So A+ to him!

So Happy Father's Day to these great men, and to all the other fathers out there! You are loved and appreciated, and the world wouldn't be the same without you in it.

Tell me about your father and father figures. What advice do you have for my Mr. Almost-A-Daddy-Llama? Do you bleed Maroon and Gold like the two in the previous picture?