the older i get, the more i realize how incredibly lucky i was to have the father i did, despite god deciding it was his time to go a few years back.

as the twenty-five year old woman that i am today, there are so many things i wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for my dad. there are precise moments when i stop dead in my tracks and feel my father’s presence in something one of my siblings and i did, said or thought.

my wish for the poppa’s of this world is to understand how incredibly invaluable you are to your children’s lives. to your little boy, you’re their first hero, teacher and role-model. to your little girl, you’re their ultimate security blanket and protection and example of how a woman should be treated.

although my own “security-blanket” is no longer physically here with me, his spirit lives on in every little thing that i do. dad, thank you for teaching me how to be a strong, giving and caring person. thank you for loving mom with the burning passion that you did and being the nurturing man that came so naturally to you. most of all, thank you for shaping dani, andres and i into the people we are today. flaws and all.

xo

ps: i’d also like to thank you for introducing me to the wonder of java, how to get away with dirty soccer tricks on the field, learning to hold my own in a male-driven industry and how to savor a good glass of whiskey. although john could’ve done without his fiancé inheriting her father’s inability to sleep-in past 7am. oh well, can’t win them all.