With Father's Day approaching, it only felt fitting that I write an article for my father. That's one of the only times I've actually called him, "father." Being almost twenty-years old, I still call him daddy and he's still my best friend. I'm so thankful to have him in my life and I thank the lord for him everyday. There are a million and billion reasons I can thank him but here are just a few of the most important ones.

1. Thank you for being my movie buddy.

Being an avid movie goer, it's always hard to find someone to go with and dad is always there. A lot of the time, especially lately, the movies have been third or fourth installments of the Marvel movies and he still goes with me even though he hasn't seen any of the previous movies before it. He's even there to take me to the little kids movies I still insist on seeing. *Cough cough "The Good Dinosaur" and "Finding Dory" are fantastic*

2. Thank you for being proud of me.

The hardest part about being away from home is being away from my family, especially dad. He's always there when I call to ask me how school is and to tell me how proud he is of my achievements and my grades. He's my own personal support team.

3. Thank you for being my boy radar.

Dad is one of those dads who will personally kill a boy if he were to ever make me cry and he found out about it. It happened once, and when dad saw the guy in Walmart, he threatened to throw a lawn chair over the aisle because the boy was on the other side. Moral of the story, we had to leave Walmart before dad got us kicked out for attempting murder with a lawn chair. I can always go to him for advice and a lot of the time he will be quick to tell me how he feels about the boy before I even know myself. Also if you don't like his cars, you're not going to be worthy.

4. Thank you for being my ride to and from school.

I don't drive and going to a school three hours away can become a pretty big hassle. Dad is always there whenever I need to come home for the Holidays or even just to come home and he's always willing to be there for me whenever I need him to be without question.

5. Thank you for showing me what hard work is.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has never stopped working a day in his life. If he's not at work, he's working in the yard or on his truck. He always makes sure my siblings and I have what we need and then continues working in order to make sure we will never not have what we need now or in the future. He's shown me what it really means to work hard and take care of your family and I'm very proud of him for it.

6. Thank you for helping me convince grandma to get a kitten.

One day Dad came home from work and told my grandma and I that there was a kitten under her van outside. Being the animal loving person I am, I immediately went and took it out from under the van and made it a little house in the garage. It took some time for dad and me to convince my grandma but she finally gave in and now we all have Lily. Dad and I sneaking her into the house probably didn't help much but oh well. We have her now.

7. Thank you for growing out your beard.

There's nothing cooler than being able to tell people that your dad looks like every one of the guys from "Duck Dynasty," especially Jace. It's a wonderful thing when we get stopped places and offered free chicken nuggets. Plus you kind of look weird without it.

8. Thank you for taking me to get ice cream when I've had a bad day.

Every time I've had a bad day or feel like having an emotional breakdown, dad is always there to go and and get me ice cream from Earl's Dari and it is glorious. Always with eyes and extra sprinkles. Every dad should get there daughter a go cup of ice cream every now and then anyways,

9. Thank you for never giving up on my dreams.

There's never been a time when my dad has told me I couldn't do something. In today's world it's very easy for someone to stomp on your dreams like a little ant hill under a lawn mower, but dad has never been one of them. He's always there to read what I write and to tell me I can do anything I set my mind to.

10. Thank you for giving me a best friend.

Even when I feel like I don't have anyone else to turn to, I will always have him. There's nobody whose lame jokes compare like ours. There's nobody who can make me feel better on bad days or can get me ice cream all the time. He's always there and I know i will always have somebody to trust.

11. Thank you for being my father.

I wouldn't trade you for the world, daddy. I love you.