Grandpa

My dad is a pretty great man. He's simple in so many ways. He's not a man of the world, and has never sought for worldly riches. He worked hard to provide for his very large family and has served faithfully in the church all of his life. One of my greatest memories is the time he took to make us a hot breakfast every morning before school growing up. He'd wake us up at 5:45 to read from the scriptures, pray as a family, then we'd eat together before all of us went our separate ways for the day. I look back on that time and think of the safety he provided for us kids by doing this each day. I felt so safe at home and knew that my parents loved and trusted in God.

My dad is also just fun. Like, crazy fun. He used to call my mom on his way home from work on a Friday and say "I'm on my way home, why don't we pack up and take the kids camping!" He would do this all the time and I can say now that my love of camping and being in the mountains is because my dad made it a big part of my childhood. He used to whip up the yummiest dutch oven dinners, tell us crazy/hilarious bedtime stories, and could roast smores' better than anyone I know; even still to this day.

There's a few things in life that dad enjoys. Working, whether it be projects around the house, making his famous denim quilts, yard work, gardening, or building something, he's always doing something. He also always looks forward to having us all together. As crazy as it is when we are all together, and the volume can be deafening sometimes, I know he loves it.

The last thing I know that dad loves, almost goes without saying. Dad loves his BYU cougars! I think it's fair to say that he's a die hard! Mom is a good sport and goes to most of the games with him, but Nathan had the special treat of going to his first cougars basketball game with Grandpa. He was given pretty much everything he wanted. Hotdog, drinks, popcorn, candy. You name it, he got it.

Thanks dad, for being such a great man and for loving us all so much! We sure do love you.