Father's Day

My dad is the greatest! Since it's Father's Day I wanted to share a few little tidbits and memories about him.

1. He raised me well (if I do say so myself) and gave me a lot of advantages in life.
   
2. He'd take us on fun outings like to play nine holes on a par 3 golf course, going to drive in movies, snow-tubing in the canyon, a day at Raging Waters, etc. I even remember going with him to a class at the U when he was getting his MBA. My mom packed me a special little lunch - complete with a full-size Snickers bar, which was such a treat at the time! - and I sat through a lecture with him, feeling quite special.
3. One day when my younger brother and I were probably about 5 and 7 years old, we were fighting and would not stop no matter how many times my dad told us to leave each other alone. So finally he put us in the back yard and told us if we wanted to fight then to go ahead and fight! As he encouraged it (reverse psychology - oldest trick in the book), we pretty much stood there scratching our heads and laughing. Problem solved.
   
4. He's comically impatient. (I admit this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.) When we were on road trips he would make it clear that we had only as long as it took him to pump the gas to be back in the car. We'd pull into a gas station and all the kids would scramble in to use the restroom and stretch our legs, then scurry back to the car. We didn't want to be left behind. :-)
   
5. He is very knowledgeable about so many things and is a great teacher and public speaker. He taught institute for many years, and currently he is serving a mission as a docent at the Church History Museum.
   
6. He is always able to answer all my gospel questions off the cuff and takes the time to explain things in depth.
7. He is the best grandpa to my kids! They think he is hilarious (almost as much as he thinks he is! Haha, just kidding, Dad!) - and he really is!
   
8. He and I made a bet when I was barely 18. He didn't think I was going to marry Jeremiah, but I said I would be married to him within a year. On our wedding day eight and a half months later, my dad followed through on the long-since forgotten bet and gave Jeremiah and I a crisp $100 bill.
9. His favorite movie is Mary Poppins, and he cries like a baby whenever he watches it (and when he watches just about anything, for that matter).
10. He took me to my first Jazz game at the Salt Palace when I was six or seven. We even got to stick around afterward for autographs - I got Mark Eaton, "Big T" Thurl Bailey, Bobby Hansen, and several others. I was raised on the Jazz and regularly heard Hot Rod's and Booner's voices on television or the radio in our house or car. To this day I find it oddly soothing to listen to Hot Rod and Ron Boone (and now Craig, of course).

Happy Father's Day, Dad!