Daddy-O

This is my cute dad, or Sig, as we call him. Don't know why--just one of those random nicknames my brothers came up with forever ago and it's followed him around ever since. Like "Beckward" for me. Ü Side note: I cannot, for the life of me, understand how he finds this position --head propped against the wall/couch-- comfortable but he's done it for as long as I can remember.

Anyhoo, just wanted publicly thank my wonderful Pops for all he's done for me and to wish him a most Happy Father's Day, even though he's currently in a hospital bed and will be celebrating with my family on a later day. Sig's been in the ICU for 2 weeks now. It started out with a near fatal staph infection, which lead to kidney failure, followed by emergency brain surgery. It's been really difficult being so many miles away and I've worried about my dad a lot. Like, A LOT, a lot.

What can I say--I love my dad. He's has the most friendly, bright blue eyes and an adorable crooked smile. He has a beautiful voice and there's nothing I enjoy more than listening to him play his guitar. I remember being a little girl and thinking my dad was the coolest because he would crank the amp in the front room and play Walk This Way or ZZ Top on his electric guitar on Saturday mornings.
Unlike most girls, I grew up feeling like I could talk to my dad about anything. In fact, when I was in high school, my dad made it his personal mission to find a pain reliever for my sister and I that would alleviate...uh, you know... cramps. As in, the menstrual kind? Now that's love, people! My dad is so easy to talk to and gives THE best advice. I still call him when I'm unsure about something or before making any major decisions.

My dad is absolutely hilarious and always the life of the party but he's also such a hard worker. I don't know if I've ever met a harder worker than my dad. Every day of his life he gets up early, goes to work, stays long hours, without ever taking vacations or time off. When the whole family is partying at my parents, late into the evening, he often has to excuse himself so he can get enough sleep in order to get up for work in the morning. Such a good example for me and my siblings.

I love the way my dad smells. Is that weird?? I used to clean his office back in jr. high and I loved to catch little wifts of him every once in a while when I'd walk into his office or ride in his car. I can't describe it, it's just like a clean-ish, leather-ish, manly-ish kind of smell.

My dad gives the best hugs. One hug alone can heal almost any aliment or emotional stress. I love that my dad is so handy around the house. I grew up thinking there wasn't anything he couldn't fix or construct. I also remember him popping my toes as a kid (torture!) and performing "Manhood Tests" to prove one's ability to withstand a good foot/armpit tickling. He is funny, he is confident, he is selfless. And he's a genuinely happy person. What better example can one be for his children?


This is Andy's wonderful dad, or Papa, as the grandkids call him. I can honestly say that I think he is the most charitable person I have ever met. Like in my entire life. He'd give the shirt off his back to anyone -stranger or not- if asked, or, most likely, w/out being asked. One of my favorite stories Andy tells about his childhood, is when they were living in DC on a 6 month sabbatical. (His dad is a sociology professor at BYU) As a family, they had been saving all their change and one evening around Christmas time, Andy's dad took all his kids to a park downtown and gave them the opportunity to give the money to the homeless. What an awesome learning experience.


And he was always like that. So good about giving his children opportunities and experiences. Andy says that their family trips were never luxurious and they never stayed in fancy hotels, but he had been to 48 states by the time he left on his mission and has so many wonderful memories of long road trips in the big ol', 12 passenger Chevy van. They never had a lot of money growing up or used fancy equipment, but Papa always made sure to have plenty of toys on hand. To this day, my kids love going to Papa's because he keeps a shed FULL of sports equipment. Everything from frisbees, to an old school crochet set. Inflatable boats that can be used for tubing down the Provo river or filling with water for a make-do swimming pool. He has buckets full of baseballs, whiffle balls, footballs, homemade bases made from 70's carpet samples, bats, rackets, bike pumps, even a extra long, super-slider slip and slide--a family favorite.


Don't let these goofy faces fool you. This man is a frickin' genius and I still haven't forgiven him for not playing on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I know he could've won it all!

I just want to end with a great big THANK YOU to our fabulous fathers -who we love dearly- and who have done nothing but their best to give us the best. Happy Father's Day!!