Happy Father's Day!

I want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to two of the best fathers I know.

My Dad - When I was growing up, my dad was the dad that was always around, and it was cool. He chaperoned field trips, came to school to help with projects, and was even my band booster president (yes, I was in the band, and color guard, and it was cool at my school!). My dad is the type of man who would do anything to help anyone. He's a volunteer fire fighter, teaches boating safety classes, and was instrumental in getting water quality testing started on our lake. Some of my most fond memories of my child hood are the nights when my mom had things to do and dad was in charge. We would get fried chicken and go on a wayside picnic, make grilled Hersey bar sandwiches, or (and these are some of the very best memories) go out on the lake and go swimming! My dad is the kind of guy that doesn't say a lot, but when he does it's usually funny and full of love. I know that I am very blessed to have him for a dad and Lily is very blessed to have "Deano" for a granddad.

Josh - My husband, along with being a great husband, is an amazing father. Through all of our fertility struggles he was very supportive and encouraging. When I would want to start saying "if" he would say "when". When we found out we were expecting Lily, his joy rivaled mine and helped me overcome some of my fear. He fully supported my desire for a natural labor, even though I think he thought I was crazy, and was an amazing birth partner. His level head when something is amiss with Lily is a very good balance to my tendency to over analyze and worry. And he loves his daughter...man does he love his daughter. There are few things in the world that give me as much joy as watching them together. The light in both of their eyes when they are smiling at each other, or her laugh when he makes faces at her, is the best thing on Earth. I have no idea how single parents do it. I need his partnership, love, support, and sanity. I know Lily and I are so blessed to have him.

**Sadly, Lily and I are out of town for her first father's day. We made plans with a friend far in advance, not realizing it was Father's day weekend, and Josh is too busy with work to join us. I feel fairly terrible about taking her away, but promise to use FaceTime so Lily can see and hear her daddy! The flip side is that our plans have taken us to Pulaski, so we do get the spend the day with Lily's two granddads.