Day 119: Our Cute Dad

Here's to Dad

1. For never being afraid to wear a belt and suspenders simultaneously (and attach his hat to his suspenders)
2. For taking a car full of kids skiing
3. For holding things far away from his face when he reads (farsight is always 20/20)
4. For always singing us songs goodnight
5. For always pointing out birds and squirrels
6. For being Canadian
7. For shooting a pistol in the back yard when Maggie swore she saw a rat run under the playhouse
8. For letting the Winters use the Xerox machine
9. For using words like "ubiquitous" as descriptors when playing Catch Phrase
10. For giving the best bear hugs
11. For always being willing to rub your feet
12. For loving lime chicken
13. For Cheers, Wings, and the Fugitive
14. For never saying no to an assignment at church
15. For having the courage to start his own business
16. For building a cabin with Grandpa at the age of 16
17. For calling his sisters every week
18. For always telling Mother that he loves her
19. For being willing to forgive children who snip v-shaped cuts into brand new couches and cut up kangaroo skins from his mission (sorry)
20. For never making his children wonder if he loves them
21. For showing a genuine interest in the lives of those around him
22. For being a friend to the friendless
23. For always forgetting to stir the Crystal Light at family dinners
24. For having an insatiable appetite for antiques
25. For having more restaurant gift certificates than a Wal-Mart check-out stand
26. For always sticking up for Mom
27. For loving music
28. For letting the truck die at the bottom of the hill, jump starting it and letting the battery recharge, forgetting about it and letting it run out of gas so the battery can die again
29. For teaching himself how to do genealogy
30. For reminding me to go to college every time we did manual labor on the back hill so I would never have to move heavy rocks back and forth again
31. For always saying "I'm sorey."
32. For forgiving others and always giving people the benefit of the doubt
33. For pretending to leave the room but really going to bed, the time Mom invited some friends over just after she and Dad were married
34. For always being worthy and willing to give us blessings
35. For skipping a grade
36. For riding Calgary's public transit by himself when he was five-years-old
37. For doing business with Vinta Joke
38. For sunflower seeds, pistachios, clementines, beef jerky, black socks, and blue robes
39. For loading so many rocks into a black garbage can that the arm on the garbage truck falls off when it tries to lift the can
40. For having poems from his youth memorized
41. For having a collection of keys
42. For proposing to Mom while he was on his mission
43. For always singing in ward choirs
44. For choosing to work from home
45. For taking kids with him on trips
46. For coming to watch his kids in plays, musicals, assemblies, road shows, concerts, games, and the like
47. For fasting for his kids when they don't know about it
48. For praying for his children
49. For not stopping at 7
50. For loving burnt cheese, meat ends, and crispy edges
51. For being so good at bartering and trades that he could qualify for Mountain Man status
52. For always using WordPerfect
53. For being spontaneous
54. For teaching us how to read the scriptures
55. For having a jolly demeanor
56. For having a calendar to write down every thing he does each day
57. For always singing tenor at church
58. For making us feel special
59. For sacrificing for his children
60. For being my Dad