Though Father's Day was yesterday, I still wanted to mention the wonderful fathers in my life.
(Imitating that old farmer and his wife picture after my cousins wedding, notice the plastic fork... love it)
First off, my witty fun-loving dad. He is the king of puns. He loves any play on words, especially when he gets a rise out of his kids, wife, or 4th graders. He is also one of the most patient and giving people I know. He is incredibly unselfish, hardworking, and gentle.
When we got our own house in Denver my dad re-did almost all the landscaping, as it was all rock. He put in a patio in the back and hand built a nice deck in the front. He built us a sandbox when we dug between the flagstone. He built a dog house when we sold lab puppies for our cousin. He refinished an antique family table so we could use it. He redid the whole steering column in our car so they wouldn't have to pay labor fees at the mechanic.
My dad has given us Father's blessings every year before school and was worthy to give us blessings whenever we needed it. I really appreciate and admire that in him.
One of the first times I specifically remember noticing how sharing and selfless my dad is is when my younger brother threw a fit cause his cookie broke in pieces, and my dad willing gave up his thick whole cookie to make him happy. Seems so simple now, but at the time it seemed profound. After that it just became more and more evident.
He's frugal and has always been fine with having something useful, not something that's expensive, new, or the best there is.
Some of my favorite memories of my dad are building snowmen in the backyard in Denver, swimming in my grandparent's pool, camping and fishing, going with him to school on take-your-daughter-to-work day, sneaking up on him during his late-night ice cream indulgences, daddy-daughter dates, biking Green Mountain, cleaning the church on Saturdays or the Runyan Cabin in the spring, having him come to my soccer games and cheer me on, and having him home during the summer. Maybe being a teacher doesn't make as much as other professions, but he earned two Master's degrees, and it's what he loves to do and he's dang good at it. And we got to have him home ALL SUMMER LONG! It was the greatest.
Thanks Dad for your example of an excellent father and husband, and for providing me with an outline of the kind of man I wanted to marry. I love you!
(Right: Jeff's dad is in the water with his leg up in there, wrestling with his boys for the "Mable")
Kay, or Papa K, as I call him, is Jeff's father, and is a wonderful father as well. Though I still don't know him as well as I know my own dad, I've already learned a lot about him and the kind of father he is. I admire how laid back, but firm he is. He has tried to find ways to teach his kids, especially the boys, how to work hard, whether by adding a whole addition to their house, allowing all variations of pets, or providing a huge garden and lots of yard work for them to do. Even though Jeff's idea of holidays/summer is work where mine is play, I appreciate his work ethic and characteristics he inherited from his father as a result.
One thing I've learned is how giving and selfless Jeff's dad is as well. When their expenses provided the opportunity, Jeff's dad has given away a car or other useful item to those who are in need, without even thinking twice about it. He welcomes anyone into his home, including neighbors, kids from the Single's Ward, old college friend's kids, or foreign exchange students from Japan.
Jeff's dad is also a huge pun-jokester. While my family called my dad's pun "Dad Jokes," Jeff's family has come to call them "Kay Jokes." I felt like I fit right in with his joking and humor when I first met the family because of my own dad's jokes. It's a lot of fun.
I've also really enjoyed watching Papa K get down and dirty with his boys, whether it's living room wrestling or "King of the Mable" (above picture) at Lake Powell. He gets in there and holds his own. It's fun to watch 5 boys and their dad wrestle, even when half of them are fully grown.
Thanks Papa K for being a great example as well, for teaching your boys hard work, raising an incredible son, and for welcoming me into your family!
Happy Father's Day yesterday to all!
(Imitating that old farmer and his wife picture after my cousins wedding, notice the plastic fork... love it)
First off, my witty fun-loving dad. He is the king of puns. He loves any play on words, especially when he gets a rise out of his kids, wife, or 4th graders. He is also one of the most patient and giving people I know. He is incredibly unselfish, hardworking, and gentle.
When we got our own house in Denver my dad re-did almost all the landscaping, as it was all rock. He put in a patio in the back and hand built a nice deck in the front. He built us a sandbox when we dug between the flagstone. He built a dog house when we sold lab puppies for our cousin. He refinished an antique family table so we could use it. He redid the whole steering column in our car so they wouldn't have to pay labor fees at the mechanic.
My dad has given us Father's blessings every year before school and was worthy to give us blessings whenever we needed it. I really appreciate and admire that in him.
One of the first times I specifically remember noticing how sharing and selfless my dad is is when my younger brother threw a fit cause his cookie broke in pieces, and my dad willing gave up his thick whole cookie to make him happy. Seems so simple now, but at the time it seemed profound. After that it just became more and more evident.
He's frugal and has always been fine with having something useful, not something that's expensive, new, or the best there is.
Some of my favorite memories of my dad are building snowmen in the backyard in Denver, swimming in my grandparent's pool, camping and fishing, going with him to school on take-your-daughter-to-work day, sneaking up on him during his late-night ice cream indulgences, daddy-daughter dates, biking Green Mountain, cleaning the church on Saturdays or the Runyan Cabin in the spring, having him come to my soccer games and cheer me on, and having him home during the summer. Maybe being a teacher doesn't make as much as other professions, but he earned two Master's degrees, and it's what he loves to do and he's dang good at it. And we got to have him home ALL SUMMER LONG! It was the greatest.
Thanks Dad for your example of an excellent father and husband, and for providing me with an outline of the kind of man I wanted to marry. I love you!
(Right: Jeff's dad is in the water with his leg up in there, wrestling with his boys for the "Mable")
Kay, or Papa K, as I call him, is Jeff's father, and is a wonderful father as well. Though I still don't know him as well as I know my own dad, I've already learned a lot about him and the kind of father he is. I admire how laid back, but firm he is. He has tried to find ways to teach his kids, especially the boys, how to work hard, whether by adding a whole addition to their house, allowing all variations of pets, or providing a huge garden and lots of yard work for them to do. Even though Jeff's idea of holidays/summer is work where mine is play, I appreciate his work ethic and characteristics he inherited from his father as a result.
One thing I've learned is how giving and selfless Jeff's dad is as well. When their expenses provided the opportunity, Jeff's dad has given away a car or other useful item to those who are in need, without even thinking twice about it. He welcomes anyone into his home, including neighbors, kids from the Single's Ward, old college friend's kids, or foreign exchange students from Japan.
Jeff's dad is also a huge pun-jokester. While my family called my dad's pun "Dad Jokes," Jeff's family has come to call them "Kay Jokes." I felt like I fit right in with his joking and humor when I first met the family because of my own dad's jokes. It's a lot of fun.
I've also really enjoyed watching Papa K get down and dirty with his boys, whether it's living room wrestling or "King of the Mable" (above picture) at Lake Powell. He gets in there and holds his own. It's fun to watch 5 boys and their dad wrestle, even when half of them are fully grown.
Thanks Papa K for being a great example as well, for teaching your boys hard work, raising an incredible son, and for welcoming me into your family!
Happy Father's Day yesterday to all!
4 comments:
Yeah that was Orem Summerfest. It was fun! I was looking at your blog and Garrin Palmer (who works with me)just said, "is that Jeff!? I know him, I have had lots of classes with him." Small world :)
We are so lucky to come from such awesome families and to be a part of our husbands awesome families!! Love those boys!
Lindsey,I am speechless! What a wonderful tribute to your dear-old dad! I couldn't help but chuckle and cry at some of the memories you've brought back. Thanks for your thoughtful, kind words. I love you!
Papa Bear
I love that you added pictures of Kay. It's good to see my brothers in settings where I never see them. Of course, living away from them makes that hard, but I am proud of my brothers and love to see them. (Love you blog too.)
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