My Dad

I am so grateful for my dad. He is such a wonderful, amazing guy. Growing up, my dad could do no wrong. I thought he knew everything! When I first got married, David had quite a few rough years until I learned to be a bit more tactful. Whenever I had a question about something, I had to call and ask my dad. I knew David knew a lot, but since I had access to the person who knew everything, why wouldn't I call, just to double check the answer? Over the years I have come to realize that my dad, in fact, doesn't know everything. He just knows more than anyone else I know. I love my dad so much! Here are some of the things that make him such a great dad.

My dad is always there for me. My dad is a dentist. He has never worked a 40 hour week since he started practicing dentistry. I think he started out at 36 hours, and has gradually gone down from there. Currently his weekend is longer than his work week. The result of this schedule was that he was always around. He was always there for me growing up. He came to all of the events. He always had time to play with us, read to us, travel with us, etc.

My dad is fun! Growing up in my house was never boring. We went boating, we travelled, we went hiking, camping, bike riding. My dad, my sister Teri, and I trained to run in a 5 K race together when I was about 10. My dad was running marathons at the time, so he would run with us, take us back home, and then go back out and run some more. We ran in the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days 5 K, and I placed 3rd in my age division. We played board games as a family several times a week. As a parent, I realize how now frustrating it can be to try to play complex games with small children: they slow down play, they don't understand the rules, etc. My dad never got impatient, he just had lots of fun. He never, ever threw a game, or took it easy on us. Ok, he took it easy on us, but not easy enough that we won without deserving it. Some of the fun games we played growing up were Acquire, Can't Stop, Pictionary, Scattergories, and Nerts. We still get together often and play games like Ticket to Ride, Liar's Dice, Take Two, and Yatzee Free For All.

My dad loves to read. He passed on that love to me. Studies have shown that if you want your kids to read, dad reading to them is much more impactful than mom reading to them. My dad read to me. For several years he would come into my room each night and spend an hour reading to my sister and I. We loved it. He read us many books. Two that I remember in particular are, The Princess Bride (one of my favorites) and The Illiad by Homer. He read the Illiad to us when we were about 6 and 9! I remember he kept stopping every few minutes and saying "Are you sure you like this book?" We loved it! I tried to read it again as a teenager, and realized how difficult of a book it was. I couldn't get through it. It was just too dry. But he had a way of making any book exciting.

I also saw him reading for his own pleasure. I asked him the other day how long an airplane flight was, and he said "It's not very long. It's about one book long." If he's in the middle of a book, you have to work really hard to get his attention. I inherited that ability to focus on a book. I also inherited much of his taste in books.

My dad loves to travel. We went on so many fun trips. We never flew or stayed in hotels. My parents bought an old motorhome and we drove everywhere, and stayed in campgrounds. We often traveled with my parent's good friends the Scholes and their children. We all crammed into the motorhome together and were on our way. I think on our last trip together we had 15 people! We went to Disneyland regularly. We went to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. We went to Flaming Gorge several times. We would stay at Mustang Ridge, and we would waterski, raft down the river, swim, and jump off cliffs into the water. We went when I was about 13, and my dad, sister and I jumped off a 60 foot cliff. My dad didn't say I was too young, or it was too dangerous. He just told me how to do it safely, and then let me jump. We drove all the way to Mexico in our little motorhome. We stayed one night in the parking lot of a tiny grocery store. In the morning we played soccer with the children of the family who lived in the store. Then we continued on to our destination where we played on the beach, collected hermit crabs, played in the pool and had a blast! Now my parents have a timeshare in Cancun, Mexico. Each year they take one of their children's families with them. It's my favorite place in the world!

My dad can do anything. I mean anything! He instilled in me a can-do attitude. If he doesn't know how to do something, he works hard until he not only can do it, but he can do it as well or better than a professional. Here are some of the things he has done. He has made many beautiful items out of leather. My favorite is a book cover that is beautifully tooled with a fairy painted in the center. He made lots of furniture for our home and his office. He made an amazing doll house for me. He made a racecar bed for my brother, bunk bed water beds with built in dressers for my sister and I. He made a beautiful walnut desk for his home, and an amazingly intricate desk for his office. He made cabinets for his office and my sister's home. His woodwork is exquisite. It would cost a fortune to buy his furniture in the store. He learned to play the guitar and the banjo. He was in a band as a young man. It was called Three Hits and a Miss. He rebuilt his car's engine. He beautifully lanscaped his yard with many tons of lava rock that he collected and moved himself. He made my mother's wedding ring. He ties his own fishing flies. He became an airplane pilot. Like I said, my dad can do ANYTHING!

My dad has a testimony. My dad taught me about the gospel through his example, and displayed (and continues to display) a deep level of commitment to following the Lord in his everyday life. I remember walking into my parents room many times growing up and finding my mom and dad kneeling in prayer together. I overheard a conversation between my parents once when my dad had been asked to do something for a ward member that was going to interfere with some plans that he had already made. He said to my mom, " I raised my hand in church and sustained him (the person who had asked), so I feel like I need to do this for him." I realized then that sustaining a person wasn't just a vote yes, but a commitment to help them fulfill their calling. We always went to church, even when we were on vacation, even if we had to drive around for hours, lost, trying to find the meeting house. My dad always goes out of his way to serve others, from helping David and I move many, many times, to helping us finish our basement, to being secret santa for people who are struggling financially, to selling his car to a neighbor for $1, because they needed a car but couldn't afford one, to doing free dental work for disadvantaged people. My dad is truly a disciple of Christ.

My dad is patient and kind, and he loves me. I haven't always been the easiest person to love. I was a difficult child, and a rebellious teen, and did many things that I'm sure disappointed him. He always treated me with love and patience. He never raised his voice, he never spanked me. He just expressed his disappointment, his confidence in my goodness, and his hope that I would make better choices in the future. I always wished he would just yell at me, because his sadness always cut me like a knife. I hated to disappoint him.

I have always been sure of my father's love for me. He has always been there for me, teaching me, guiding me, and setting an amazing example for me. Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!