I phoned my dad this morning to wish him a happy father's day and tell him that I love him. He always tells me how proud he is of me.

He told me about his real mom and her family this morning. Just a little bit. Obviously, he's been thinking about it. I like to hear those stories because he sounds happy when he's telling them. It's important to him that I know what kind of people they are. I've met some of them, but in truth, I was too young to understand their importance to my family. I wish I could have those times a little bit differently, but one step different in my past might have meant a completely different place for me right now. And my dad is proud of me so I think I did alright.

10 Reasons That My Dad is Awesome
1. He's 59 and is still trying to make himself a better person.
2. He can still embarrass me in front of my friends when he wants to.
3. He wants to bring me white irises from the farm where he grew up.
4. He gets frustrated when I don't let him get to me with his teasing anymore.
5. I can still make him cranky by winning lots of backgammon games in a row.
6. He still wants to teach me everything he knows.
7. He wants to take me ice fishing in his luxury ice shack.
8. He wants to fix all the little things wrong with my house.
9. He tells me stories of the "bad" things he did as a kid.
10. He respects me and my decisions.