Dia de los Padres

Happy Father's Day everyone! I felt that it warranted a post about my dad, seeing as I did one about my mom. And you know, my dad is pretty great too. And he actually probably reads this blog more faithfully than my mom so he definitely would see this rather than me having to call him to get on and look at it.

So, I present to you 10 reasons why I love my Daddio:

1. My dad is really goofy. If you know him, you will know that without a doubt. But I think that it is a lovely trait that had blessed our whole family's lives and made me a better person. The ability to laugh at yourself is really important and my dad is better at that than anyone I know. And who else would have the courage to ride a French carousel by themselves as a grown man? Sure, when your dad packs your lunch in elementary school and puts in stuff like his swimsuit as a joke it can get a little embarrassing...but being embarrassed builds character, right?

2. My dad is really easygoing. I think that is why I love that trait in Dave so much. He pretty much knows that with four daughters he wasn't going to get his way very much....so he is really nice about going along with what we want. We always joke that the only things my dad cares about are food, sleep, and occasionally the T.V. (but what else matters, right?). He never gets worked up if things don't go his way. When I would date guys and they were all finicky about dumb stuff I always thought it was so lame. Ew....don't they realize that they are supposed to just go along with my plan? :)

3. Along those same lines my dad never gets mad about things. I have done some really dumb things as a child/teenager/college student and I can't really remember a time that my dad hasn't forgiven me and moved on. It's not like he had no expectations or anything...but he was always understanding when I did dumb things like buy a plane ticket for the wrong day and then miss the plane....etc.

4. My dad does anything for us if we ask (usually with a whiny/sad voice). Wow, that makes the rest of my family sound so lame. But he was always doing things like running upstairs to get someone (named Anne) a glass of milk, or he would always have to be the one to take the dogs out at night (a horrible prospect on a January night in AK) or make smoothies for all of our friends. Like the exhibit below, where we are all passed out in some Irish museum, and my dad is the one who is dutifully trying to figure out where we were supposed to go next...we can always count on him to help us out in times of distress.

5. Speaking of traveling, my dad (and my mom too, luckily) love going on trips and having an adventure of any kind. He looks at new things with a really excited and open mind, and he always wants to experience new things wherever we go. He will undergo terrible conditions to see something in a foreign country. Like the most recent conversation I had with him, where he told me that "memories are born out of misery" on vacations (this was while he was trying to convince me that a 16 hour bus ride in Peru would be worth it). For someone that grew up in a tiny town in Wyoming, my dad has a very open attitude to new and strange things that he experiences.

6. My dad never says anything negative about anyone. He is the most trusting person alive I am pretty sure. My mom has spent 25 years of marriage trying to convince him to stop giving random hitch-hikers rides and stuff like that. But he is really kind and never thinks that anyone intentionally does anything wrong. That being said, I learned in 10th grade that my dad, as he says "hates a thief!" when stuff from my locker was getting stolen. He spent hours one night concocting this special cookie recipe containing copious amounts of chili powder and Tabasco, to fend off the criminal when they inevitably stole them from my lunch. Needless to say it worked, though my eyes burned the whole day and the hallway where my locker was reeked.

7. My dad is so quirky. I just love it. I can't imagine growing up with a dad who was just boring and normal. What a tragedy it would have been if my dad didn't tell me about POISONS as a bedtime story or decide that he was going to make it a personal goal to jump in any body of water that he saw whenever we went camping. He also makes up weird nicknames for everyone....even if they don't really want one...and don't even ask about the bible story songs. Family scripture study just got more exciting!

8. My dad is outdoorsy. I would trust my dad to protect me in any dangerous wilderness situation. When we would go camping he would take care of everything like a pro (although this was probably also due to many a camping supply that he bought without my mom knowing/approving), including snacks which were quite set in stone from trip to trip (oranges, Triscuits and cheese, Trailmix/trailmix bars, Cliff bars, Snickers. Oatmeal for breakfast). When Dave came up to AK last summer we went back-packing just me, my dad, and Dave and it was so funny to see Dave thrown into this outdoorsy situation that I had always taken for granted that ALL MEN MUST KNOW HOW TO DO. I have loosened my standards slightly but back in the day they were quite rigid. (Oh, and Dad....I am still wondering about that tent you promised me as a wedding gift...:)

9. Even though my dad never had any sons I am really grateful that he never made any of his daughters feel like he wished that we were boys or anything. He used to let us put play make-up on him and do his hair (back when he had a little more...) when we were little. We played sports and went camping with him and I like to think that we fulfilled the child role to the best of our abilities...hopefully? We used to joke that Grace was his son...SO MEAN....but none of us were too obnoxiously girly so I think it was ok. And, my dad was usually happy if he just had someone to listen to him talk about: the stock market, "how the economy works", the time he was almost an AP, or any random tidbit of Alaskan history he would think up as we drove through the old parts of Anchorage--child appropriate or not (think: affairs and murders. Delightful car-ride fodder). Actually any bit of history from anywhere could fit in there too. Conservative talk radio could be substituted at any time for storytelling in the car.

10. And finally, my dad has always been an example to me of the type of husband and father that I want for my kids. I could always count on my dad to make the right decisions and advise me to choose the right. My dad is really good at being a good example of someone who lives the Gospel cheerfully and happily and I know that the people that he works with notice that there is something different about him and the way he lives, and he isn't afraid to talk about it. I am grateful that we always had the priesthood in our home and I hope it is something that I never take for granted now that I am married because I probably did growing up. He is kind to my mom and always does what's right for our family. I just don't think that anyone could measure up to him...except Dave...which is obviously why I married him :) I have always known that my dad loves me and would do anything for me! I love you Dad!