HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

September 8th is one of my favorite days of the year! Words seriously cannot describe how much I love my dad! I remember growing up, all of my friends would always say, "I love your dad! I wish he was my dad!"...a lot of them actually ended up calling him dad for years. This man is so loving, so kind, so fun, so funny, so cool, so humble, so generous, so AMAZING! One of the many stories about my dad that has truly molded me was when I was about 12 years old, the neighbors down the street only had one car and it broke down so my dad decided to give them one of our two cars for months! I remember being annoyed at the time because of what a hassle it was, but in retrospect I am so grateful for that example of selflessness and charity my father portrayed.

One huge thing that everyone knows about my dad is that he is FUN!!!! I can honestly say I have never met a dad that is even close to as fun as my dad! About 5 years ago my dad called me and said, "Are you sitting down?" and I said, "Yes....why?....." he said, "I got us Billy Idol tickets close to the stage!!!" I was so excited!! In attendance at the concert was myself, my dad, my sister Alicia, our friend Amy, my dad's friend and his daughter. We laughed and had so much fun the whole night! Security moved from the stage for a second so in the true nature of Christina I ran down to the stage, reached up my hand and said, "Billy!!", he heard me and crouched down to put his hands on my face and make our foreheads touch as he sang me the song! It was pretty awesome! Security made me go back to my seat and when I got back up there my dad and everyone else was laughing so hard. We went out to eat afterward and had so much fun the whole night!

There are too many stories to even post, but another thing I always have loved about my dad is that he was so accepting and loving to all of our friends we'd bring home. He understands and lives the true meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would always make sure to show extra love to those who wouldn't normally be accepted. For example, two years ago we had a bbq and pool party where we invited several people. My friend invited his sister and her boyfriend to it knowing that they would feel so loved and comfortable there. The girl and her boyfriend both had severe drug problems along with tattoos and piercings everywhere. Some people may look at them and judge them, but my dad immediately hugged them and told them he was so happy that they came- and he meant it. They in turn talked about how loved and accepted they felt and how much they loved my dad.

Never are there more than a couple days that pass where I don't talk to my dad. Every time I talk to him he reminds me of my great worth and makes me feel better about life and more motivated to do the right thing. He would literally do anything for his children and grandchildren. I am so eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for such a wonderful, Christ-like and loving dad!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I LOVE YOU, DAD!!!!!