Father's Day

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of me and my Dad. Seriously, the 70s were great, weren't they? The sideburns, the puffy vests that have tried multiple times for a comeback.... But what I remember most about my dad when I was little was how fun he was. Always tickling us, chasing us, or throwing us high into the air (while my mom panicked that he might drop us or give us shaken child syndrome...). He always had a plan for us that involved FUN! I grew up camping, fishing, riding dirt bikes, and floating down any stream, creek (or "crick" in correct Idaho terms) canal, or river on tubes. Here's a list of just a few things off the top of my head that my dad's taught me:

1. How to ride motorcycles

2. Handle a horse

3. Shoot guns and arrows

4. Be tough

5. Build a killer set of kitchen cabinets (well, he's showed me how HE does it)

6. Pull weeds and taylor an amazing yard

7. Laugh at my mistakes (and all my bad luck, huh dad?)

8. Say "have a nice day" and really mean it (this is a joke in our family since I was 9 years old... we had this garage sale and my dad let ME handle the money, you know be the cashier. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven with that job... so after every transaction, I proudly told each and every customer to "Have a nice day"... apparently, my shrieky 9-year old voice got pretty annoying after an entire Saturday of that, so somebody finally put a stop to it! And I've never lived it down...)

9. The value of work and how to earn my own living

10. How to love people and offer service to everyone. Some of my favorite memories of my dad were when we took Christmas presents to families in need, or visits we made to the nursing home to see one of his aunts.

11. How to be a lifelong friend. My dad has friends from high school that he STILLS talks to several times a week.

12. Always take a different route home (the scenic one) and appreciate a beautiful sunset.

13. How to talk a lot! He always teased me for this one, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right Dad??? You remember how long we talked last night?? Past midnight!

14. How to appreciate nature and feel close to Heavenly Father in His beautiful world.

15. What my Dad has taught me the most is how to be a good person, live the gospel to it's fullest, and be happy through laughter, love, family, and service.

Thank you Dad, for all your hard work in raising all of us. You are the best, and I love you.

As for the NEW Dad in town, it was a fantastic Father's day here! Mark got to wake up to a fun framed picture of him and his little buddy, and come home from church to a nice pot roast and friends! We had Ian & Liz over for dinner and great conversation (as always!) and we watched the MOST amazing show I've ever seen on TV... it's called "Man vs. Wild" and it's on Discovery Channel. You all have to tune in, it's seriously incredible. This guy, who's a total Crocodile Hunter-type gets dropped off by helicopter into the wildest of places (the middle of the Pacific, the middle of the Everglades) and he has only a knife and a camera crew (who cannot help him) and must find his way out! It's amazing and so educational for those times when you are stranded on a deserted island and need to know how to make a raft and sail to the nearest ship (so Tom Hanks-style like Castaway....) He knew which plant on this island he could mash the roots up with a rock and dunk them in shallow water to poison all these tiny edible fish (but isn't poison to humans, apparently). Then he makes a dutch oven in the sand with bamboo leaves and hot rocks and bakes these tiny fish until the eyes pop out, then it's his tasty meal! Incredible! You have to watch, we are hooked. It was a great Father's Day. And, my husband is such an amazing Dad. Every day I am amazed at how great he is with Rowan... and, Rowan notices because his Daddy is his BEST FRIEND... That little boy never gets that excited to see me!! I couldn't ask for a more patient, loving, soft, thoughtful, or spiritual husband and father to share my little growing family with. He is amazing in every way. Thank you Mark, for all you do and to all our wonderful Dads, we love you all so much!