My dad

I almost did this on Sunday, now I'm glad I waited. I was going to do a Father's Day tribute to my dad just in case he didn't make it to Father's Day, but I think he's going to pull through with miracle #??? (too many to count).

The man has the symptoms of a heart attack down to a science, but this one really threw him for a loop. He actually was severly dehydrated and went to the hospital on Saturday night with blood pressure that would put most of us into a coma. Of course, for a man with congenital heart failure, it was pretty serious. Well, let me tell you what dehydration can do for you - as I drink a glass of water! To make a long story short, he will be getting a pacemaker (different from the defibrillator he already has), he is now pre-diabetic (makes nutrition difficult for a heart patient), oh yeah, did I mention he is a prostate cancer survivor? The last 10 years have been really hard on him, my mom, and our whole family.

Let me tell you about my dad - he is one of my best friends. He never missed a track meet, all four years of high school. For two years, he was really the only coach I had out there since we had nobody specific to coach the high jump. He was never ashamed to be out on the field, talking to the judges, other coaches, and athletes. At first, it was a little embarrassing, but wether I got used to it or learned to enjoy it matter very little at this point because it is one of the highlights of my high school career.

My dad has always been my biggest fan - not only in sports, but music, education, my marriage, my children, my husband. For example, when Ben and were newlyweds, we made a lot of stupid choices. He never once told us what to do or had a bad thing to say about those choices. He only supported us and loved us. He never wasted his breath telling us how to live our lives, what jobs to have, how to raise our children, how many children to have, where to live, etc. He did always encourage us to make good choices, and to focus on the gospel plan. He just kept that same smile on his face as he watched us grow and mature in our marriage and in our family.

As many of you know, I don't like people to tell me what to do, what to say, even what movies I ought to see, I generally do exactly the opposite. I know people are good natured usually, but it bothers me. In fact, it is something I don't like about myself, I'm a little bossy and sometimes a know it all (I'm working on it, really, I am.) He is a realtor, and even though we have bought many homes through him, there were a few times when i had to tell him to turn his name badge around so I could ask my dad and not my realtor what he thought about a certain house, just to get an opinion out of him.

**My dad is a man of integrity. I don't care what the circumstances are, he would never lie, steal, or cheat just to better his situation. It doesn't matter who is watching or if nobody is watching.
**He is a man of service, he would give the shirt off his back if he thought it would help someone.
**He is genuinely friendly to everyone. He is rarely critical of another person. He makes friends easily and makes people feel comfortable in all kinds of situations. I love that every single ward I have lived in, people who meet my dad think of him as their brother in the gospel. He is kind, he is concerned, he is genuine. You never have to second guess wether my dad likes you or not, he does, even if he just met you. And, sometimes he asks me about people he met, even if he can't remember their names.
**My dad is teasable. I LOVE to tease him cause he is good natured. We have lots of reasons to laugh in our home. Even situations like this weekend, we have found reasons to laugh.
**He has a positive attitude - the cup is always half full. Considering all he has gone through, even just in the last 10 years, you know what he told me today as I left the hospital? "I've lived a good life, Stacy, I don't think it could have been any better."

Well Dad, wether you are here ten more year or ten more days, I'm so glad you have been a part of my life, and a part of my children's and Ben's. I enjoy when people say how much I'm just like my mom, but I'm glad I'm a lot like you too. You're the best dad a girl could have hoped for. I love you.