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Well, before I talk about Alin, my husband, I want to say a few things about my childhood and my own father. We’ve had our ups and downs, my dad and I, but I think it’s because we are so alike. Stubborn, hot-tempered, and quick to apologize. I am going to list a few things that I remember growing up with my brothers and the memories we had with my dad. Warning! There are some inside jokes that you won’t get unless you are my brothers. What I remember most about my dad and I growing up is when he used to make me cry every time he called me “darky”…because I would be so dark from being at the local pool every day from open to close during the summer. I also remember when he would make up random stories at night before my brothers and I would go to bed and then before leaving our room he would say in a funny voice “Ciao Bow Amigo Kepaso Mamunos Mogi!” and it would crack us up every time as if we had heard it for the first time. I remember when he would take us to the indoor soccer field one to two nights a week and I would watch him play soccer with the guys. I used to think he was the best soccer player in the world. I remember when I would come down the stairs in the middle of the night during the winter months in Chicago and I would see him next to the fireplace reading and my dog, Max would be right at his feet. He loved that dog. And speaking of dogs, I remember when he would make our German Shepherd, Spike, chase us. Spike would be at the top of the stairs and we would be in the basement. My dad would make him wait until he said “Go get ‘em, Spike!” which would send him running down the stairs after us and my dad would be laughing his head off as Spike would bite at us and even pulled down an underwear or two once in a while. I remember that no matter how little money we had, he would always make sure that somehow we got what we wanted for Christmas…Legos, Gak, and “The Lion King” movie. I remember when we would listen to Jimmy Swaggart music on the way to and from church and how I would complain that I didn’t like the music because it was too “old” but secretly, I would sing along to it. After church we would watch “The Three Stooges” and laugh our faces off even though we’ve watched each episode a bagillion times. We also used to watch Laurel & Hardy (which we called “Stan si Bran”), and Jerry Lewis. We thought Jerry Lewis was funnier in his Black & White days, especially with Dean Martin. I remember when economical times were tough for him, even though we didn’t know it at the time, he always made sure that we lived somewhere where the school system was nothing less than exceptional, even if we lived much more modestly than the kids we went to school with. Lastly, I remember when he turned to Christ again, and from that moment on, we had prayed together as a family almost nightly and spontaneously sang worship songs together in our living room. I appreciate what he had to go through to make our lives, as his kids, easier. I also appreciate the spiritual role model he has been to myself, my brothers & their wives, Alin, my little sister, and our kids. He isn’t the perfect parent and didn’t always make the best decisions, but I think he did the very best he could and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be my father. Happy Father’s Day, dad. I love you.

Now on to Alin. My kids aren’t old enough to write anything of their own, so I will do it for them until they can. I have the best father for my children. I mean, really the best. As you can probably tell, I am not the best writer (not even close). I write like I talk, and when I talk, I am all over the place. I am also a list-maker, so with my ode to Alin this Father’s Day, I will make a list of the reasons why my kids have the best dad. And I am going to write it from their point of view:

1. We love you because you give us 200 kisses a day.
2. We love love because you give us SUPER big hugs.
3. You’re the best because you read us 3 books every night.
4. You’re the best because you’re a big kid and you play with us!
5. We love you because you always take us to places.
6. We love you because you put us in time out when we’re bad, but you always forgive us and give us kisses after.
7. You’re the best because you let us splash when we take a bath.
8. We love it when you tickle us!
9. We love you because you love mommy and you always want to kiss her.
10. We love you because we know you love us.

Happy Father’s Day, Tati!