On a certain day of a certain month, every single year as
far back as I can remember, I have gone on a date with the same person, my
Daddy. My Dad is my main man, he is my rock, and he is the person I go to when
I’m really really desperate for an honest opinion. (You have to be careful when
you ask him. He can be a little blunt sometimes.) My dad is a business man, and
as I got older I started to see all the sacrifices that he makes for our
family. Even though he is traveling most of the time and on the phone a lot
more than he would like to admit, he made it home to dinner most nights of the
week. As I got older I came to realize that my Dad had it all figured out when
it came to balancing his time. He puts God, family, and friends first, and then
there is his business. Through watching my Dad I learned that being successful
is great, but true success is measured in the relationships that you build. I
thought that every little girl had a date with their dad on Valentine’s Day,
but as I got older I realized just how special my relationship with my dad was.
Because not only did my Dad take me on Valentine’s Dates, but he also took me
to get ice cream when I was a having a rough time at school. He talked business
with me when I started my company my senior year. He takes me hunting, just the
two of us, even though he could go with a bunch of his buddies instead. He
showed me what good music was and jammed to “Red Dirt Road” with me every time
it came on the radio. He taught me how to shoot a basketball, and told me hours
worth of stories about his glory days while he was playing in high school. He
taught me how to put oil in my car, and also how to change a flat. (Again super
sorry about driving on it.) He has been right next to my mom at every choir
concert, sporting event, or FBLA conference, cheering obnoxiously loud. 
He was there the day I accepted my bid to Zeta Tau Alpha, with a smile on his face so big I cried when I hugged him. But the most important thing my dad has done is when was home for breakfast while I was growing up, he read a chapter of Proverbs that went with the day of the month. Sitting at the breakfast table back then I was just being polite and listened to him read out of a book that had no real importance to me, but now I realize that my dad was instilling values in me that I would carry with me the rest of my life. My dad rocks and my mom rocks even more. She selflessly gave up Valentine’s Day with her husband, so that he could take me. Conveniently I have never had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, but I have never gone without feeling special on that day. Daddy would always have red roses waiting for my mom, and right next to them were either pink or yellow roses. (Those two are equally my favorites.) My dad called me “girlfriend” growing up and he was the first man I ever loved. My daddy has molded me into the woman I am today and for that I am forever thankful. So to all the dads out there that think that the little things go unnoticed, trust me they don’t. John Mayer was right when he sang, “Fathers be good to your daughters, Daughters will love like you do.” It might not be tomorrow, but sometime, in the future, your daughter will say thank you.So daddy I'll love you forever, I'll love you always, as long as I'm living your girlfriend I'll be. XOXO.
