A helping hand. A shoulder to cry on. Someone who is always there. My best friend. My Daddio. I have absolutely no idea what I would do without him.
I got my very thin (and one day, grey) hair from him. My sometimes annoying stubbornness and my obsessive need to fix everything that is wrong in the world. My love to travel and my hate to have to wait. And, of course, my very loud and boisterous laugh.
All my life, my dad has been my other half. He was the one who taught me how to ride a bike. And then picked me up every time I would wipe out (which happened to be a lot). He taught me to drive a car. And then cheered with me when I got my license. He spent hours and hours on end teaching me how to do math. And even when I got so frustrated to the point of tears, he never gave up on me.
From the moment I was born, my dad held me and swore that he would protect me forever. Like Marlin and Nemo, though, it's impossible for a parent to shield his or her children from all the harshness in the world. Especially when these children are going through their "touching the boat (butt)" phases. But despite how difficult this all may be, that's a dad's job. He's always by my side to support and protect me. And I know for a fact that he would cross the entire ocean all the way to P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney just to find me.
He also always knows exactly what to say. Even if he doesn't think he does, he always comes through with something that only he could think of and only he would know to say. He makes me feel like the most important girl in the world, and I know that he would never want me to feel like any less. He may not be the incredible football coach that Eric Taylor is, but he sure is a million times the dad that anyone else is!
And even in the worst of times, when I'm tired or sad or lonely, he never fails to make me laugh! He will take my hand and pull me to the dance floor, where he will then whip out some slightly embarrassing but incredibly exciting and unique dance moves. Take Danny Tanner's moves and multiply them by like, 5,000. And then, as we leap around with kicks and spins and other moves that are yet to be named, we look like absolute lunatics. But, in that very moment, I would never want to be anywhere else, with anyone else, but my dad!
He's also the wisest person that I know. Whether it's about my homework or just life all around, I know that my dad will always have the best advice. He understands me better than almost anyone else, and knows just what will help me the most in every situation. He will sit with me until all hours of the night, and tell me exactly what to do or say in order to make a bad or scary or sad moment so much better!
Through all of the ups and downs in life, one of the few guarantees is my dad. Friends come and go all of your life, but you only have one dad. One person, one shot. But I know that I can always depend on him. Whether Danny Zuko acts like a typical T-Bird at the bonfire or I lose a once-great friend, he will always be there. With his wise advice and his dance moves, I could not imagine my life if he was not there to be the rock that I could always fall back on.
And the absolute, most important thing about my dad is that, although he loves me even more than Uncle Jesse loves Michelle (which is a lot!), I still love him even more than that. If I didn't have him and all of his incredible assets in my life, I wouldn't nearly be the person that I am today. He's the reason that I've gotten so far in my life. He read and edited my college essays, told me that I could be absolutely anything that I wanted to be, and gave me so many opportunities that I am so blessed to have had. He has inspired me every day for 19 years, even before I realized it. I owe everything to him.
So thank you, Daddio, for everything that you do for me. For being a helping hand. A shoulder to cry on. Someone who's always there for me.
But most of all, thank you for being my best friend.
