A few memories...
- We went on some fabulous vacations growing up. We traveled often with my dad for business. My mom was a history teacher and my dad could have been one too! We toured battle fields, walked through colonial houses, frequented museums (love the Smithsonian), and saw so much of the US. Funny thing I remember is my dad would stop at EVERY historical marker, you know the ones that you drive by and wonder, who seriously stops to read those? Well, we did!
- My dad gave me 2 tickets to Les Miserables the year I was 17 for Christmas - 2nd row, center!!! He said I could take anyone I wanted with me. I took him. We had a fabulous time and went out afterwards for dessert. I will never forget how much that night meant to him... and to me.
- The night before my wedding day, I stayed at my parent's house and he and I chatted until very late. I loved that even though he was exhausted from setting up for my reception, he stayed up with me ( I couldn't sleep) and felt it important to keep me company and to offer advise. I will always cherish that.
- Every year for memorial day we would pile in the car and travel to Logan and Bear Lake to decorate relatives graves. It was always important to my dad to not only spend time with the family around us, but to remember those who were no longer with us. I guess thats why it is so surreal that now on that day we decorate his grave and reflect about him.
- My dad would often dissapear Saturday afternoons. One of his favorite things to do was to wander around Grand Central (pre-Smith's Marketplace) and buy toiletries and household items. He'd come home with 10 tubes of toothpaste and a half-dozen boxes of lightbulbs and batteries. It happened ALL the time. He also loved shopping the JC Penney Catalog.
- My dad was CEO at University Hosital. No matter where I went in that hospital, I would always run into someone who sang his praises. People spoke of him with such love and admiration. It made me so proud to be his daughter. When he was sick, we had to put an actual security guard at his door to keep people out - not to be mean, but he just needed to rest and have quiet.
- After my dad got sick, I would spend a lot of time with him just tending to his needs. Sometimes he was pretty out of it and would say the funniet things. I guess when you are in a horrible, sad situation like that it is helpful to find humor in it. One of the funniest things he said is when he turned to me once and told me there were just too many dots on the ceiling (in the hospital) and that my brother should get the award for the most dots. An he once to my mom to get the monkeys dancing on his toes off. He went on for a half hour about that. Yeah, he had some really good pain meds.
And a few photos (please tell Scott I want a scanner for my birthday)...
On my blessing day with my mom & dad
LOVE my dad's converse all-stars. Gee, he was HIP!
We always carved pumpkins on Halloween - it was SO fun!
Were the 70's really THAT orange???
Becoming a grandpa! (This is Kesley)
My wedding day.
Vacationing at Disneyland.
Summer 2001.
Summer 2003 in Park City.
The night before my dad started chemo treatments. This is a quilt I made for him for comfort.
I LOVE YOU DAD!!!
4 comments:
This is a really sweet post; I love the pictures too
Rachel thank you for sharing such a personal moment with you. It's a great thing to know you will see him again someday.
i can't even imagine how hard a day like today would feel if my dad were not here. I could tell it was a hard day for you. I loved seeing all the pictures of your dad when he was younger. His part in his hair was awesome.
I hope that Father's day gets easier every year! It'll be more and more a celebration as time goes on!
Lots of hugs!
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