My Daddy is My Favorite Pal

My dad was always the coolest guy I knew when I was growing up--always chill, always with a funny quip. He taught me how to ride a bike, and he taught me long division after I spectacularly failed a test in grade school. He would pick me up from gymnastics and then we'd either ride the bus home together, or he'd drive us home in his Fiat Spyder convertible. He tried to teach me not to be too depressed after a breakup. (His famous line was: Cheer up! There's half a billion Chinamen you haven't even met yet!" Trust me, it really did make me laugh and feel a little better.)

When we were little girls, Dad sang us "The Bortsie Song", gave us "Flying Billygoat" and "Hey-up!" rides, and taught us how to do the "Willie the Lizard" face.

He walked me down the stairs at Rowdy's and my wedding, which gave us both great joy. I think that it was a little hard for my dad to want to open up to a new son-in-law, having had two bad experiences in the past. But he and Rowdy are good friends.

My dad thinks (knows?) that my mom is the most wonderful woman in the world. I really appreciate that he feels that way about her, because she deserves such love and devotion. When I finally met the man who felt that way about me, I knew he was the one.

I love my dad so much!

Here's a picture of Rowdy, his dad and my dad on our wedding day. One of the things that made me so comfortable with Rowdy was the way he interacted with his kids. He cares about their well-being, their interests and their progression. He shares his testimony with them either verbally or in the way he lives his life. The kids love being with him, and they don't care if they're doing something fancy or just hanging out.

Terry is a great husband, dad, grandfather and father-in-law. A 70's rocker who became a bishop, who has his own music studio in his house and can give a great sacrament talk and be the musical number in the same meeting. He likes cowboy boots, doesn't like to play board games.