Ode to the Dad's

Anybody who knows my Dad can agree that he is one of the nicest Dads around. My Dad always made it a point to get to know his daughter's friends, and in turn, our friends loved Dad. He has always been a jokester, and one of his favorite lines is "More Cowbell!" When he went to Austria five years ago, he took a picture of a store with humongous cowbells, and sent me a letter with the picture saying, "Did somebody say more cowbell?" That was it...no other words. Just a simple cowbell question. My Dad also is one for inspiring sayings. I think I could give you a quote for every situation life throws at you, thanks to my Dad. Because his daughters were always shorter than most of their friends (not to mention, Dad is 5'9" :-), he would always say "It's not the size of dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog". Being a Dad to five girls really turned him into a mushy Dad. He has a heart of gold, but has the fight of a tiger (possibly a random animal choice, on my part..but you get the point). He has worked hard his entire life to provide for his familiy. When we lived in Montana, he was a High school teacher, coach, and truck driver. When we moved to Colorado, he decided he wanted a better life for his children and worked his TAIL off to become one of the most successful Insurance agents in Colorado.
Thanks to my Dad, we were able to take a family vacation every year. He always said that he wanted his girls to be best friends, and knew that if he threw us all in a van for a 15 hour drive...we'd have no choice. Thanks Dad, your daughters are best friends.
Since I am the youngest of 5 girls, I was always the odd-girl out. The two older would pair up, and the next two would do the same. So, Dad was my buddy. He would swim in the ocean with me when all my other sisters wanted to only tan. He would build sand castles with me, he would take me to movies, and he would pay for my gas in High school. THANKS DAD!
And, lastly, he has always emphasized education in his family, and thanks to my parents, all five of their daughters are college graduates. AND, even better....Dad and Mom put their daughters through college. That was a major blessing, as I know not everybody is blessed with that. He would do anything for his children, and well...he has done almost ANYTHING so that his children could be blessed. He bought my sister's house for her family because the market was so bad, but they were needing to get out of the payments. He paid for practically ALL of my medical treatments last year. He bought me a car, and then when we sold it...he let US keep the money.
Dad-thank you for teaching me how to work, how to pray, how to be nice, how to not judge, how to do the laundry, how to serve, how to be selfless, and how to be a successful person.
You have done so much for me, I can't possibly repay you, but maybe this post will somehow get me even with you.
We love you, Dad!

Brandon's Dad is also an amazing man. (Don't know how we got so lucky, but we seriously did). He has taught all of his children the importance of work. Brandon spent his summers during high school working with his Dad, and I have heard Brandon say more than once that his Dad taught him that "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence." And, that is true for Dad Wilkinson. He seems to do everything perfect! It is a tribute to him that his children also are hard-workers and seem to do everything perfect as well. He knows a good joke, and always looks forward to sharing a new joke to his family. He has worked hard his entire life to provide for his family, but especially to make his wife happy. The way he treats her and the way he serves her is such a great example to me. Brandon and I always look forward to spending time with his parents, and even on some occasions: they will come over and surprise visit us! He gives great advice, and has amazing insight. The Wilkinsons have a Family Night with all of their children once a month, and Dad W. always has amazing insight to add to the lesson. He is a very smart man. Also, he too would do anything he could for his children. We have been blessed to be the recipient of his generosity on many occasions. If we need help, the Wilkinsons come. I am sooo glad that we can live so close to them, because they really have taught me a lot.

We Love you Dad!

And, as a shameless plug. I know Brandon isn't a Dad yet...but he is going to be an AMAZING one. I think the greatest gift I could give my children was to have Brandon be their Dad. He is so patient, kind, honest, loving, hard-working, sincere, etc. etc. etc. Our kids will be lucky to have such a well-rounded Dad as their example. (And no, we're not pregnant. Sheesh, people).
I love you Brandon!