Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday. He would be 73 years old. I wanted to write (or type) my thoughts about my dad on this special day. It will probably be all over the place, because I am just going to start typing my thoughts and anything that I remember or pops into my head. It's going to be long, so hang in there. My dad was awesome and special and he deserves a long blog on his day.
He was born on May 19, 1934. My dads birthday is on the 19th. My birthday is on the 19th. My youngest son Mason's birthday is on the 19th. I like the number 19.
I have a special place in my heart for my dad. I think about him a lot. Lately, I don't know what it is, but everything around me has reminded me of him. Just tonight, we were watching a show on the Food Network and they showed the old "Where's the Beef" lady. My dad loved that commercial. He used to crack up every time it came on.
Tyler and I were talking in the car the other night about technology, and how far it has come. We were talking about how my dad would just be so amazed with all of the cool technology. And love the cell phones with cameras in them and the speed of the computers and Internet. He was one of the first to have a home computer. It was the size of a room. He had one of the first cell phones that he used to have to carry the huge battery pack with. We were the only ones in our neighborhood that had Internet, I can't remember the name of it, but we could look things up and do reports. He had one of the first lap tops. We used to take a typing tutor computer on our vacations with us. That's why I was the fasted typer in my whole class in Junior High. I give a lot of credit for my computer savvyness to my dad. He loved computers and technology. I remember on family vacations, he would bring his manuals to the beach for relaxation. Oh we used to tease him! When Tyler and I visited John and Sylvia in Seattle this past December, John's office brought me back to my child hood. It looked exactly like my dads office. Manuals galore. And John loves to read them just like my dad. John reminded me so much of my dad. The way he laughed and his kindness. I loved when my dad laughed. He used to he he he and slap his knee. And then he would rub his eyes and face. We used to tease him when he rubbed his eyes, we told him it would give him wrinkles. I don't know how he managed in a house with all girls. We were always teasing him at every move and giving and him a hard time. He is probably laughing at me because I am in a family with all boys! I know, probably deserved that. :)
My boys would have loved their Grandpa. Tyson's middle name is David. I hope I can teach him as he grows up how special his middle name is. A true heritage to look up to. He was a great grandpa. I was eating wheat thins the other day. I remember when Julie and her family lived with us for a little while. I was a senior in High school. Devin and Josh were young and Julie was pregnant with Spencer. The boys would always go down in the basement and want to hang out with Dad when he was working. One of his favorite snacks was crackers and cheese. Josh was down there and sharing wheat thins with grandpa. My dad asked Josh if he like the crackers and he asked him what they tasted like. Josh replied, yes I like them, they taste like more. From then on, if my dad liked something, he would say, that tastes like more.
Tyson is going to be 7 this August. I remember when I was 7. I remember on my birthday, and the phone ringing and it was my dad calling to wish me a happy birthday. I was standing in our basement in our house in Provo. I can picture myself, like I'm watching someone else. Talking to my dad. He was in the hospital after having his open heart surgery. He told me how much he missed me and that he wished he could be there for my birthday. And that he loved me. I remember crying and I remember how much I wished he would get better soon and come home. I was young so I didn't really get what was going on. But now I do. When Mason had his open heart surgery, I knew then how scared my mom must have been, and how hard that must have been for her. And how much pain my dad must have been in. They are kindred spirits. Both born on the 19th. Both with zippers. They never met here, but I know that my dad was there at the hospital with Mason and helped him. I could feel him there and I knew everything was going to be ok.
There are so many things that I wish I could tell my dad. I wish I could ask him so many questions, that I think..Dang, my dad would know that. I wish he would have had a chance to know each of my kids. That is probably the biggest thing that I wish.
When ever I eat a salad. I put beets on them. The other day, I was at the Salad bar and Tyler asked me why I put beets on my salad. I always put beets on my salad because of my dad. I told Tyler about one family vacation in California when we were out to dinner and we were at a salad bar. My dad wanted me to try the beets on my salad, he was convinced that I would like them. I argued and did not want to try them. We argued and argued and we got mad at each other. It went on for a while and I still was not going to try the beets on my salad. Well, after not talking to him the whole time at dinner, he made me try them. I never admitted it, but I actually like it. And then I felt bad at arguing, but being the stubborn child that I was... I never told him. I always put beets on my salad and I always think of my dad when I am eating that salad, and how much I like the beets because of my dad.
I learned a lot from my mom about my dad. A lot more then I ever knew before. We have had lots of time to sit and talk quietly during hospital stays with my kids. Preston when he was a baby and Mason's surgery. One thing that I would love to talk to my dad about is the Church. I wish I could ask him questions. My mom told me that when he was investigating the Church that he set out to disprove everything. And he read every book on the subject and learned as much as he could. There was a guy who was basically a church scholar that would come over and answer any questions that my dad would throw at him. As soon as he felt that a principle was true, he lived by that from that moment on. For example, he learned that smoking was was against the word of wisdom. He prayed and felt that was true, and he got rid of his cigarettes and decided from that moment on, he wasn't ever going to smoke again. And he didn't. I wish I could ask him how he did that. But I probably know the answer. Faith. He had tremendous faith. After asking all of the questions that he could come up with and having the faith, he decided to get baptized. I wish I could sit down with him so he could tell me everything he learned and all of the questions that he got answered.
I used to love to come home from school and see my dad in his office. I think about him a lot lately. He worked from home most of my life. Kind of like what I do now. He had an office at home and we were always going in there and chatting with him and bugging him. He was always so nice to us. I need to be more patient with my kids. I need to be more like my dad.
I want to always remember my dad. I want to remember him every day. I welcome the little thoughts and memories that have been around me a lot lately. I love to remember the little things that made my dad happy. I want my dad to be proud of me.
I could go on and on about my dad. He was a the best. But most of all on this day, I want to say...
I love my dad. I miss my dad.
Happy Birthday Dad!