PAPA

I’ve been thinking about you all day and feel so lucky to be your son.

You are the best because you are such a good example-unlike some other gals out there, I want to be like you are in so many ways. I remember you always multitasking, whether it was perching a mixing bowl of Wheaties on your knee while you were driving us around or flossing your teeth or doing pushups while we watched a movie, you’re always accomplishing. I love this about you and wish I were more like it. I remember you up before anyone else, often reading a book or in more recent times the world wide web. I am always baffled by how you retain so much information, conversation with you is the best because I learn a lot.

I admire your work ethic so much dad, I don’t know anyone who works as hard as you and it inspires me to do better myself. It’s funny to get to know other people and their families and you start to see how singular you are. Not many people have such a hardworking, loving, and with-it dad. And you work hard in every aspect of your life, from your professional work to your fitness to your kids.

I’m so glad I’ve always been able to talk to you about things. Growing up I was able to talk with you about difficult things and always knew I could trust and come to you when I was having a hard time. You’ve always been good at carving out individual time playing foosball or catch when we were little, or running, or trips together, and that meant a lot to me.

I have so often been the recipient of your extreme generosity. From a pragmatic level, you always provided so well for our whole family-now that I have a “real job” and have to buy my own milk I realize what a thankless position that is for you-growing up I never even considered how much a box of Wheaties cost, or the lights in the house or all these little things, and you provided them freely for 10 people! But beyond needs, you are so generous in giving us fun experiences or trips. I have so many memories running with you around Medicine Lake, or hiking in Switzerland or Peru or Africa with you. You’ve exposed me to so many different places and experiences and I love those nice memories.

I had such a good time with you in Yosemite a couple months ago-you are crazy generous to just ship me out there and play travel agent and listen to Shirley Q with me and hike around and laugh at the funny signs and other tourists. I love traveling with you.

And most of all, you are just fun-I love when we sit around the table at night and rehash Vicki, or Shannon (both) or tiffany, or exercise contest stories. You are so quick and witty and I like how we can always laugh together at a funny character, even if it drives Rose a bit batty.

I am glad that as we get older I only feel closer to you. At Grandpa’s funeral the saying “family is everything” kept coming up. I am so glad you feel that way and embody it. Thank you for calling me all the time to check up and chat, and for all the fun trips-the NBA road trip, Thanksgiving in Utah, and our upcoming Von Trapp extravaganza.

I love you dad, I am so proud to be your son and don’t tell you enough how much I respect and think of you. Y’all tell yo fathas I said happy fatha’s day.

POPSICLE

Dad is the greatest popsicle i know. Do you realize all he has done for all of us 19 chillins? Well, on this beautiful fathers day, i would like to recall a few memories of this great guy! When i was a small girl, in middle school probably, dad would pick me up from sports. When i got in the car, the Bee Gees would be blaring from the Maxy's speakers. I loved that because we would sing our hearts out to the Bee Gees on the way home! Another, not so good, memory, is that of him picking me up from track in 8th grade. I was ready for dad to drive up in the Maxy, but instead, i find him decked out in his spandex biking suit, on the tandem, calling my name and telling me to hop on. I will tell you that is about the most embarrassing moment of MY LIFE! To make me feel better, he recalled Dave Barry's story about Dave picking his son up from school in the Oscar Meyer Wiener mobile. Of course, i as a teenager, was more embarrassed by him telling me that story, because it would be much better to be picked up in the Wiener mobile than on a tandem with your dad in spandex. The worst part of that experience was that my friends thought it was tight, when in fact, it was not! Anyhoo, i love you dad, you are bomb.com!!!!! HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Happy Fathers day, DAD!

Dad,
Thanks so much for all you do for us! Planning amazing trips, sorry I never went in the past, I wasn;t ready, thanks because this year I am ready, excited to go to France and Switzerland! I realized how much fun I was missing, and we are so lucky and blessed that we get to do awesome trips. Thanks for letting me have Tuffy and Kay, it means so much to me, they are both my horses, in which I love taking care of them. Alos, for letting us have Sammy, he is our friend and he is so much fun to play with, it means so much to us, and they are all part of our family. Thanks for always supporting us in the talents/hobbies we wanted to do, for example I remember you coming to my soccer games, cheering me on, taking pictures-you are amazing at, and encourging us to excersice which is important liek to run or go on a bike ride. When I was little you would let me do horseback riding lessons, and let me ride at both Grandparents house/farms, I remeber when I was little you would call me: Mels, Melizie, and you taugh us how to work hard, showed us how to save money/important that is. That is was important to love each other, because later on in life we would be best friends. Thank you for letting us go to Utah to see our family/relatives, I love going becasue it is so much fun to be with everyone, and thanks for letting me go to stay longer! Also, encourging us to do our best in school, and work hard. you are truly amazing dad, love to read, hike, bike, work so hard for us, etc. Happy fathers day! I love you so much. Families are forever! Remember when we would all watch movies together and how I didn;t like to go to bed so you would let me stay up and watch with you! I rememeber when we were little you would love to tease us. I am very grateful for all you have done for us, thanks for working so hard all the time. Also, thanks for helpign us at school, lettng us learn more and letting us go to colloage, it means so much. I love you dad.
love always,
Mels

DAD

One of my favorite memories of dad is definetely our Anual NBA Road Trips. I really love and appritiate all of time he has taken out to sacrifice his time and take me on trips and do things like this. Another thing that i love about Dad is that he has taught me a lot of life lessons that i will hopefully learn and follow in my life. ONe great example of this would definetely be his integrety. He is always honest in every curcumstance and it has made his life so much better and definetely more easy. Anyway i really love you dad and want you to know that. I have a ton of great memories on trips and in my childhood of you always being here. Thanks for everything and i lvoe you.
PAUL

DAD

I remember when we went on a bike ride on fathers day?????Just kidding!I remember when we used to steal Mark's marbles and throw them into the river off the bridge.i love the names my dad used to have for me like little guy,drew boy, and my little doody. i love all the trips my dad has taken me on and my favorite was switzerland because there were amazing hikes and chocolate and yogurt. I also liked Greece because of the hikes and the amazing waters. I like being able to make crepes for him. I really love my dad.

For Dad

My dad holding me on my blessing day.

Dad holding Joyce when she was just 7 days old. You can see how small Joyce is compared to Dad's hands.

Dad you're notorious for your comments on infants. I've often heard you say they are boring. I think you've claimed your own children held no special interest for you until they turned two and could talk. And then I think you mostly loved the kind of hilarious antics that little toddlers just discovering the world come up with and the fiestyness of figuring out their independence. If mom was oohing and aawing over a relatives' infant, you would loudly proclaim your disinterest and tell people that you didn't care for babies. All of this is done with a high-degree of ironic self-awareness. After all, you are the father of eight children. And despite your aversion to small babies, I know you were starting to get anxious for grandchildren.

A year ago on Father's Day, John and I found out in a Fairfield Inn in the middle of Florence South Carolina, that we were going to have a baby. The first person I called was you. You had been wondering out loud to any relative if you were ever going to have a grandchild and even though it was really early to be announcing a pregnancy, I wanted you to be one of the first to know. You were in the car with my Aunt Janice driving through Sardine Canyon on your way home from Grandpa's. I could hear the excitement in your voice.

So when I gave birth to your first grandchild in the dead of a freezing midwest winter, I knew you were excited and happy - even when I called you at 6am. But I didn't expect you, with your proclaimed disinterest in infants to come and meet my baby when you did. During that first week after Joyce was born, while on the phone with John and I, you told us you always tell your employees to take as much time off work as they can after they've had a baby. The time is so precious and goes so quickly you said. You told us that you regretted not taking more time with each of your children just after they were born.

And then a week after Joyce was born you took a red-eye flight to Indianapolis so you could spend just a little over 18 hours with us. Watching you hold my little girl and knowing the sleep it cost you to do that meant so much to me dad. And now that Joyce is even just a little older and can smile and respond to people, I love watching her smile and grin at you. Your tenderness with Joyce makes me realize how much you love not only her, but the rest of us too.

As we were hiking up Crystal Lake yesterday, with Joyce strapped to John, I imagined that most of Joyce's memories of her grandpa would be outside with him, hiking and seeing the grandeur of the world. Your passion and love for the beauties of the world will be a priceless gift to my children. Thank you and I love you dad.

DAD

My Dad loves a good challenge. Commuting to work (31 miles each direction) on bicycle regularly and racing himself by keeping track of his time each day; running 15-20 marathons (keeping track is a challenge); keeping himself on ‘no sweets’ diets for extended periods of time (years, it seemed, when I was a child); summiting various mountains across the globe; reading an average of 3 enormous books weekly; flawlessly planning a yearly vacation for a family of 8 children (which usually involves crossing an ocean) – complete with an hour by hour itinerary; literally never missing an answer in Trivial Pursuit (unless it was the pink category: MTV is not worth knowing about); holding himself to a higher standard in almost everything he does than the average person around him. He is an ambitious variety of extraordinary.



So, I often felt challenged by my Dad. From grades to exercise to my personal integrity, my Dad was there to challenge me for more. He made a most convincing argument: he was all of the things he expected from me. I think many parents in their claims and expectations for children fail on their end – their kids look at them and see that even they have not lived what they want their children to live. I never had the luxury of dismissing some of what my Dad said because he lacked the gumption to be what he himself required.

Since I moved to France, my Dad has been my biggest supporter. I didn’t expect this, necessarily. My choices have not always aligned with what my Dad would have been after. My Dad went to France on his LDS mission (2-years) when he was 19 years old. About 6-months into my stay in France, when I was really despondent and wanted to leave, he shared how difficult being in France had been for him initially and how much he had gained through perseverance. Perhaps it was at this time that he began to enjoy a good challenge. Knowing that even my Dad, the toughest and most resolved person I know, was challenged in this was heartening in a significant way for me.

Happy Father’s Day to a remarkable Dad. I love you.