Dad,

Happy Father's Day! I know that sometimes...okay, a lot of the time, we don't get along perfectly. We both have this strong stubbornness that often gets in the way. We just say things out of the heat of the moment. I know that we don't always see eye to eye. But, at the end of the day, you've still been one of my biggest fans and I'm grateful for you.

Throughout my 19 years you've done a lot for me, more than I could ever really thank you for. Some of my favorite memories from my younger school days come from when you'd come on field trips with me. You would always take a day off of work and come to the aquarium, the zoo, or a state park with us. I didn't really get it, but you'd put up with screaming kids on the bus and little girls being scared of touching a fish just to spend time with me. I know I probably didn't thank you then, so here is me thanking you now for being there.

We didn't have a lot of time together when I was younger because you would work so mom could stay home and get that quality time, and mom and I are both so thankful for it. I know it must have been hard to leave such a cute baby, but you did it and you provided for us. Thank you for that. Since you and I missed out on a lot of the time that mom and I had, you would set aside special things for just us to do. Whether it was going to the daddy daughter dances or going to the fair every year, it would only be for just us and it was special. Thank you for always taking me out of school to go to the fair and for standing up to people who would give us attitude about me not being in school.

As I was growing up, you were never really ashamed of being who you are. That was really hard for me to come to terms with. You were never "normal," and it used to drive me crazy. But now, even though sometimes it still drives me crazy, you are unapologetically who you are. In every situation, you stay true to who you are and you don't care what people think. You know who you are and you're not ashamed of it. I struggle with accepting and loving myself, and seeing you being okay with who you are is really inspiring to me.

Thank you for all the little things you do for me. You are usually the driver and I know it is exhausting, but you do it for us anyway. You're our mechanic and the one who usually is the butt of the jokes. You spoil all of us and I know we don't always stop to thank you. Thank you for attempting to teach me about sports and cars so I can kind of sound like I know what I'm talking about. You do a lot for me that I don't think I fully understand.

We've seen each other through some amazing times and some awful times, but we've gotten through them together. From walking me to my first day of school to walking me into my dorm my freshman year of college, you've been there. Thank you for all that you do, and I love you. Happy Father's Day.