For Our Dads

If there could be one stereotype that I perfectly filled growing up it was most certainly "Daddy's Little Girl". After 5 boys, I think that he was ready for a girl. Although he may dispute this fact. Did I ever tell you all that most of my childhood I was called "Fred" (or Jugbutt? My dad gives out some wacky nicknames, but that's a different blog post)? He told me for years (in a playful way) that he had really been hoping for a 6th boy. And then, puberty hit and I went though the phase of not wanting to be anyone's little girl. But by my late teens, with the hormones sorted out, I decided yet again that I was "Daddy's Little Girl" and have been since, despite the while 23 year old married adult thing...

Here we are at the last Steelers game Jerome Bettis (my favorite Steelers player of all time) played at home before that years world wind, on the road playoff season which ended in yet another Superbowl win. You can tell I was making my way through Culinary school at the time by the extra 5lb on my face.

Lo and Behold, we have a picture of the two of us with Tom, my wonderful Father-in-law! And it's not 10 years old! This photo was actually taken at Michael's graduation from Carnegie Mellon University and unbeknown-st to Tom (and everyone else for that matter), we were secretly planning for our wedding two weeks later. I know, we are cruel.

Honestly, I feel like a broken record but I don't have much to say that is very different from what I said back on Mother's day. We both feel incredibly lucky to have grown up with the parents, and more specifically, the fathers that we ended up with. In my humble opinion, Tom and my dad (Jack? it's weird to use his first name) have been nothing but the best as role models, friends, and occasionally, disciplinarians (although I'm not sure Michael ever needed discipline?) to us. And if it was even possible to sweeten the deal, we both have ended up with correspondingly wonderful in-laws.

We are lucky, we know it. And we love you both!