He tightened my bike strings from seven to thirteen, taught me to drive when I was a wild thing...

Because I am a sucky, sucky daughter (or else just awful with deadlines) I was unable to send my dad a card this Father's Day. In lieu of that I'm doing something better...a blog of why MY dad is the BEST.
(That's him ^)

1. He is a Family Man.
And I'm not just talking about some stupid Nicholas Cage flick that bombed at the box office. I mean for my entire life I have always known one full family, complete with cousins, grandparents, and the occasional second-cousin thrice removed. Every holiday was celebrated en masse (and generally IN Mass) with most, if not all, the Swalling clan. I have never known a Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, First Communion without having a huge to-do with family and friends filled into every nook and cranny of one of our houses. While these occasions are not entirely my dad's idea, he is certainly the number one supporter and let's face it, I wouldn't have my Swalling family if it weren't for him. And most importantly every Father's Day when I was little was spent fishing somewhere with my dad, and I still don't think there's a better way to celebrate the awesomeness of my dad.

2. He doesn't sweat the big stuff.
Of course, being human, I've made some egregious errors in my time. Between breaking the car down out in Wasilla at 3 o'clock in the morning, crashing mom's car at 14, or trusting the wrong people my dad has always helped me out of the worst and never with so much as a blink of an eye. There are a lot of people out there who will make you feel worse about the fact you screwed up, but it's always good to know that your dad isn't one of them.

3. He is my No. 1 supporter.
From all the occupations I have ever pondered throughout my life my dad has always supported me. And how. When I was 11 and wanted to be a veterinarian he went out and bought me my first telescope. When I wanted to study the amount of tar in cigarettes for a science project he and I sat down and figured out how to make a device to do that. He taught me to spit shine my boots, clean my rifle, wax my skis, ride my bike, how to fly (more importantly, how to LAND), and drive my car. Whenever I have ever wanted to do anything he has never balked or "what-if"ed me, but only said "ok". He has never second-guessed me on any of my decisions but has had my back through the ones that didn't turn out according to plan. Even when everyone else was telling me I couldn't do something my dad was always there telling me I could, and that has made a world of difference.

4.He's where I get it from.
Where there are many people who would compare me to my mother, and most rightfully so, there is a lot of me that is my father. My love of reading stems from some of my very first memories of sitting with my dad as he read me 'The Wind in the Willows' or Dr. Seuss. I thought that reading was so cool that I pushed myself to learn how to read and once I learned there was no turning back. My sense of humor, twisted as it may be, is a direct product of my father. My ability to analyze (often over-analyze), think problems through, my love of the outdoors, my patience (mostly in waiting for my mother), and my ability to roll with the unexpected can all be attributed to my dad.

5. He's STILL "Funny and Cool".
...and sometimes I wish he would stop. Just joking. My dad has the best sense of humor and sarcasm even if it is completely lost on others I can still appreciate it. Listening to 'Prairie Home Companion' is a good indication of his sense of humor. And no matter what happens he will always be funny and cool in my book.

So for all this, Dad, and for so much more, Thanks. I love you more than words can wield the matter. Love, Ceece