Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my dad, Rich. There isn't enough time in the day for me to go on and on about how much I love my dad and the extent to which he impacts my daily life. Just last week he was the one that saved the day when we had the carbon monoxide problem, and about two weeks ago he gave me away to my amazing husband. The past few weeks have been not just a trying time, but a bonding time as well. Right now I am thinking back at some of my favorite memories from the wedding: our walk down the aisle; the limo driver showing my dad how to lift my veil; our father daughter dance; and my dad wandering around the front lawn of my house, watching lovingly as the photographer took pictures of me. Here he is, in one of my favorite pictures from the wedding:

Not only do I have the pleasure of having an amazing father, I also have the pleasure of working with him professionally.  It's a pretty amazing feeling when you are walking down the halls at work and people stop you to tell you how much they love your dad. He's a role model to the employees he manages, as well as a role model to the Senior VP's that he trained years ago. I love that my coworkers love my dad, and I am so incredibly proud of him every day. The hardest part of getting married, for me, was returning to work with a different name. When I first started working I hated that it was so obvious that he was my dad. I wanted people to take me seriously because I was an intelligent professional that offered a lot to the company, not just some important guys daughter. However, I noticed that people actually gave me much more attention - as if to say "this girl must know what's going on, I mean, she's Rich's daughter." When meeting people at work for the first time, they instantly listened to what I had to say, because I knew not only their difficulties at work, but what it felt like growing up on the family side of the organization. I've realized that I am successful because I have a lot to offer and a lot of what I have to offer are lessons I have learned from my dad.

So, happy Father's Day to the man that has given me everything and continues to give me everything. Thank you Dad, for being a friend, a father and a coworker. I love you!

The card I made my dad this year!

And a Happy Father's Day to all the other amazing dads out there!!