If you were hanging out with us last month, you know that we treated two special moms to some of the things moms enjoy most – a day at the salon, updated family pictures and a delicious home cooked meal (that mom did not have to cook or clean up after preparing!).

This month, we have the honor of celebrating amazing dads – and of course, we want to do so in a way that will give two lucky dads some fabulous loot to enjoy, too!

When I think about growing up with my dad, I see things differently now that I’m a parent. I remember the days of nagging him incessantly to “pleeeeeease play Barbies?” with my sister and I. We needed someone to be Ken, duh. When my dad would cave in and agree to play with us, Ken always knew karate and wanted to show Barbie and Skipper his crazy karate moves. These crazy moves often resulted in Barbie’s RV kitchen turning into a giant mess or occasionally, Skipper losing a leg from a sparring match gone wrong. After a few minutes of play, my sister and I would usually have a secret side conversation in order to determine the nicest way to let dad down easy regarding the fact that “um, Dad? We kind of want to just play Barbies by ourselves instead.” He never seemed too upset. Smart man my dad is. Rather than let on that playing Barbies was likely about as fun as watching paint dry to him, he’d go along with it, enthusiastically, and let us girls kick him out instead. Ha! This is especially amusing to me now that I frequently find myself thinking of ways to occasionally dissuade my son from the idea that I could become super good at Minecraft if I just played more…

Besides teaching me clever ways to escape playing those games you just don’t want to play sometimes with kids, my Dad taught me a million other things. Among them, you don’t quit in the second inning of a softball game, chocolate chip cookies will always be best under baked (though the dough is likely still better), and that maple bars and bacon are the most delicious weekend breakfast options. He also taught me the importance of work ethic, gratitude for work and earning a good, honest living and that for me, “college is just what you’ll do after high school. It’s not an option.” (He wanted me to be the first in the family to earn a BA, and I did.) He taught me to work hard first, then I’d enjoy relaxing even more, having nothing weighing on my shoulders. (Sometimes I wish I could turn that off, ha!)

I’m so grateful for the things my Dad taught me and I bet you are grateful for many things you learned from your father, grandfather or father figure as well. Here’s your chance to share your appreciation for him and win an awesome prize for him, to enjoy this year for Father’s Day.

For our 2015 FresYes Father’s Day Giveaway, we will be giving away two prizes. First prize will be a $50 gift card to Herb Bauer, the place every outdoors man and sportsman can appreciate a shopping trip to AND a four pack of tickets to enjoy a Fresno Grizzlies game of his choice! Our second prize winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Tioga Sequoia Brewery to enjoy a cold one on a warm day, perhaps with you – his kid, reminiscing about the funny things you did growing up.

To enter your father for a chance to win, please send a quick email to fresyesnat (at) gmail (dot) com sharing “one of the best things I learned from my dad/grandfather/father figure was…” and if at all possible, include a photo of the honoree. We will share our favorite stories next week on FresYes, then you’ll have the opportunity to help choose our winners via vote!

Good luck, and I can’t wait to read your entries!