Happy Father's Day!

I LOVE MY DAD!!!
Happy Father's day to the best dad in the whole world. My dad is so special to me and I only wish I could find even a fraction of the words I need to describe how I feel about him, but for now I'll just try.
All growing up my dad was my hero, and he still is today.  I was always his little Princess Hilary, his "big H" and his "daddy's girl". I still remember holding baby Rachel and someone saying she was a princess and I made sure to chime in, "no! I am the Princess... Rachel is the Angel" because I didn't want anyone replacing me as my dad's girl.  He would never deny though, that I am his favorite and always have been.  Most people would think that is a bad thing for a parent to say, but my dad has always been proud to tell anyone who would listen that his girl Hilary is the most like him.  And every time he said that, I would just SWELL with pride. I couldn't ask for more!  My dad and I shared a lot of the same dreams growing up and he never put them down or said they could never happen.  I was in LOVE with horses as a kid and always shared my dad's desire to own a ranch and have lots and lots of horses.  Instead of telling his little girl to go to school, not worry about that because it will never happen or to just enjoy my horse pictures, my dad signed me up for horse back riding lessons.  I was in heaven! I still remember going to classes, riding around the coral, and practicing saddling up a horse on my barbie horse next to my dad on the kitchen table, while he quizzed me about the parts of the saddle.
 It was always my goal each and every day to please my dad; one wrong look from him and I knew that I needed to switch gears quickly.  The day I disappointed my dad would have been the worst day of my life. (And still will be).  A very special memory I have that I don't share often shows me just how much he meant to me and how much I, in turn, mean to him.  I can't remember the circumstance, whether it was not getting along with my little sister, throwing temper tantrums, or saying bad words but for some reason my dad wanted to talk to me. I remember sitting in the front room couch and my dad telling me that I needed to watch my temper and it would be a good idea if the two of us had a "code" so that when he could see me starting up, he could give the code word or phrase and that would remind me to keep my cool. Dad was watching.  I thought that was a great idea and only now do I think that maybe the code phrase was a bit of a inside joke he shared only with himself, but I still remember sitting in the car once when I must have been acting like a brat because my dad looked at me and said, "huh... look at that!" (feigning to look up at the sky) "the ducks fly South in stormy weather..."  That shut me up.  I wanted nothing more that to remain my dad's favorite little girl but I think the reason that code was such a success between us was because we ARE so similar, that he knew exactly what I needed.  I also remember while sitting on that couch (whether it was the same day or another I'm not sure..) my dad saying to me, "now don't forget that I love you. You're my favorite of all the kids but you can't tell them or they'll be sad. Instead, how about every time I wink you remember that that means I love you and you're my favorite".  Let's just say that for years after that I watched for those winks and my heart would soar every time I saw one, even though I'm sure he'd forgotten out little code soon after.
I also love my dad though, because he is amazing. He knows his scriptures inside and out, he knows how to befriend people who don't have friends, involve students who don't want to be involved and run a family. I've heard countless people tell me they LOVED having my dad for seminary because he is so cool and funny, as well as other students who have said they wouldn't have served a mission if not for my dad. That makes me so proud! Most kids might be embarrassed to have their dad teach at their high school but not me! I was so excited and got into his class three semesters in high school. I think it helped me with my popularity for everyone to know who my dad was and still to this day if I run into someone from HS who doesn't know me all I have to say is, "did you know brother Pearce?  ...ya that's my dad" and I am welcomed with open arms to any conversation. On my first date with Brian we walked past the temple and began talking about the Urim and Thumim.  We couldn't come up with an answer to a question we were looking for so I though, "hey I'll call me dad!" and we did. And he knew. I LOVE knowing that I can always count on my dad to know the answers to whatever scriptoral and religious questions I have. He has always been my rock when it comes to that.  I have also always looked forward to father's blessings every time the first day of school rolls around, I get sick or I'm nervous for an audition or something; I always knew he would be there to do it!  I still remember my senior year of high school I FINALLY decided to be brave and sing. I wanted so badly to be a moonlight singer because I love jazz and I love the harmonies and everything about them.  Dad told me that after school I should come to his office and he'd give me a blessing before auditions.  I remember I had practiced and practiced my audition the night before, but when the end of that day was drawing nearer, I felt sick.  I literally had tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't think straight. I have never been confident in my singing and I was about to just give up. I happened to have my dad's seminary class at the end of the day, though, and I think he could tell I needed him.  As soon as everyone was out of the classroom he ushered me in to his office, went to get Ron Adams to help, and gave me a quick and simple father's blessing.  He blessed me to be confident and do my best and that was really about it, but I felt this wave of calm come over me and I couldn't help but smile through my tears.  I went to the SBO room to meet up with Bruce who was also trying out and could tell he was just as nervous as I had been.  I was surprised to realize that I was the one reassuring him and that I wasn't nearly as jittery as I had been before! In fact, I actually had a BLAST at auditions and didn't get moved from the group once! (Jane would change the group up to see which voices blended the best together).  I made the group and I was very proud of myself. It was that experience that helped me realize that maybe I DO have a decent voice and I shouldn't be afraid to share it! But more than anything, my testimony of blessings was strengthened, and my knowledge that my dad is my rock and my comfort was once again reassured.
I could go ON and ON about everything I love about my dad but this would be super long and never end.  So instead, I'm going to list a few more things I love about my dad and just hope that this gives a little justice to the feelings of love I have for my daddy. :)
-his loud laugh
-he loves salt as much as I do
-his talent in baseball and karate
-I can always brag about the fact that my dad is a black belt
-the way he always talks on the phone SO loud
-he loves the pool water to be colder than anyone else likes it
-he loves to bbq
-his love for my mother; he has never been ashamed to kiss my mom in public or to tell her he loves her or cuddle on the couch in front of all the kids!
-the way he teaches
-how he can always answer my questions about the church
-he helps me write my sacrament meeting talks
-he is everyone's favorite!
-his great sense of humor
-he loves to read fantasy books like Harry Potter and Fablehaven
-action movies
-he loves to spend time with the family
-he used to feed me crap stories that I believed for years, like the refineries were perfume factories and there were monsters inside the Bear Lake cave that ate blondes!
-when he has an idea he is SO passionate about it. He can't stop thinking about it until it is done
-he is creative
-he supports my mom
-he supports me!
-he loves life
-he loves scuba diving, mexico, vacations, traveling and adventure. I definitely get my sense of adventure from him and my desire to live all around the world.
I could go on and on and on but I won't. I hope my dad knows how much I love him and that he is the BEST dad I could have asked for.
I LOVE YOU DAD!