I have always loved that my dad's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day. I guess it's the fact that his middle name is Patrick and that his family is Irish... it just seems perfect. Here are a few things that describe my dad and make him who he is:
1. Einstein bagels and diet Coke
2. Franklin Covey planner
3. Talks by General Authorities of the church- he has many 3-ring binders full of his favorite talks
4. Breath mints
5. Comb in his back pocket
6. Chocolate chip cookies for bfast on Saturday mornings
7. Gym every day at 5 am
8. Shining his shoes in front of the TV
9. Eating in his car with a hand towel on his lap (his car is NEVER dirty)
10. Singing "Thank you very, very much!" to us as kids
11. Playing church softball
12. Large scriptures with lots of verses highlighted in red pencil
13. Jetted tubs/long baths
14. Singing "I Heard it through the Grapevine" not sure why this one stands out
15. Wrestling with the grandkids, taking them for rides on the lawn mower, coming to recitals
16. Huge CD collection (at one time it was 8 tracks, then cassette tapes)
17. Country music
18. Salad for dinner every night
This is the first photo I could find of us together (Lori on left and me on the right, circa 1977)
19. Helping his kids become responsible adults
20. Funny sound effects and names in his stories (YEOW! Foofy La Choy and Schlep)
21. Doesn't sing
22. Taking us kids to lots of fun places when we were little (Disneyland, flea markets, beach, etc)
23. Teaching me how to play basketball even though I was an AWFUL bball player
24. Sharing his soda with slobbery, backwashing grandbabies
25. Collecting photos for his desk at work
26. Always giving our family the very best
27. Moving a million times
28. Served in the Army in Europe
29. Converted to the LDS church (from a very Catholic family) when he was 18
30. Started a tradition of going to BYU, met Mom there, the rest of us followed (Jill, Adam, me and Lori) and all graduated
31. He is not a big fan of desserts but likes Mom's Pecan Strata
32. Takes care of his body- exercises daily and tries to eat healthy
33. Grey hair as long as I can remember
34. Working in the garden all day Saturday!
35. Cornerstone at Eastbrook Mall, Grand Rapids MI
36. Running on a treadmill
37. Ok, it's 10:20 pm and I can't think of anything else (sorry, I can't think of 58 things! Jill probably will)
LOVE YOU POP! Happy Birthday! Hope you like the gift that is going to be delivered in a couple days! Hint: It's edible
7 comments:
Hey Robyn you did a great job with this list about Pop, I certainly can't do better than this. The only thing I don't remember is him singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" but that's not really a stretch since we weren't together every minute growing up.
Robyn, I hoped over here from Jill's blog and loved the tribute to your dad. I felt like I knew him by the time you were finished.
This list is great Robyn. I love when people can list things like this about their dads. Most can about their mom, not everyone about their dad. He sounds wonderful.
Happy Birthday to Pop!
What a nice tribute to your dad. :D I love the old picture of him, you, and Lori. I can definitely see the resemblance of you and Olivia! What a cute pic.
Take care!
We missed you yesterday while celebrating.
Sweet tribute.
Rob, I loved reading the list about Pop, it was so good and so thorough! Let me settle the "Heard it through the Grapevine" mystery. My first summer after a semester at BYU, I got a job as a waitress at the original Harmon's Kentucky Fried Chicken Cafe on 39th S. & State. My shift was 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. when they closed, but we were there filling ketchup and honey jars and wiping down the booths until 4 a.m.! We loved the entire two hours though because the four of us that were left turned the juke box as loud as it would go and would sing "Grapevine" over and over and over and boogie a bit between each booth we cleaned! I think (but I could be wrong) that's how Pop picked it up. I still love the lyrics and the beat of the original song by Marvin Gaye (I think it was).
Thanks Mom for sharing the story about the song. I love picturing you dancing in the KFC all hours of the night. I bet you're right!
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