Like the time Dad was a parent chaperon for my field trip to Mount Lemon near Tucson. My class was doing a science walk through the mountain and collecting things like owl "hair balls". We then went back to school and dissected the "hairball" to find mouse bones and other things that the owls eat then puke up. Gross but it was a trip I will never forget.
Or I think on the time that Dad helped me build a shelf for my bedroom. It was when I was living at home and taking classes at a community college. Mom was working in a city 6 hours away so I was taking care of Dad at home. We would visit mom often but during the week it was just us. Dad and I spent a couple of days measuring, cutting, gluing, and screwing together a tall skinny shelf. I then shellacked it in a room with no ventilation (to keep the cats away from the shellac)...I now blame my lack of intelligence on fumes from the shellac.
During the time mentioned above, I learned how to do some cooking but really I just winged it most of the time. Dad would eat anything and liked everything I made. If the Lord ever blesses me with a husband, I pray his taste buds are just like my dad’s!
Another great memory of my Dad was always the road trips we took. Whether it was the whole family or just the two of us, Dad was the driver. Dad was a driving machine! He could drive from Flagstaff, Arizona to Champaign, Illinois in 26 hours WITH OUT sleep! He would stop for gas, coffee, and the bathroom...that was it. My dad was such a great driver, too. He knew how to handle most any scary situation and that's why I never had any problem sleeping in the car with Dad at the wheel.
Dad wasn't just the best dad; he was also the best teacher. He was my 6th grade teacher! He had a great rapport with kids of all ages and could help them work out any school related problem. I remember him telling stories of two girls from his 5th or 6th grade class when he taught in Tuba City, Arizona. Rhonda Anderson and Karla Kikendahl. They would always react when Dad pretended to trip and I know I felt special when Karla invited me and my sister, Amanda, to her birthday party! Dad and Mom thought Karla was joking about having us at her party or that she and Rhonda would pick on us but that was not the intention at all! Karla had a massive doll collection and show Amanda and me all of her dolls. We just loved it! Rhonda and Karla were older than us so to have more mature girls like them ask us (I think I was 6 and Amanda was 7, or so) to attend a birthday party! WOW!!!
These are the memories that keep me going. These are the memories that bring a smile to my face.
The History Lesson I want you to get out of this blog is to always cherish your loved ones while you have them because we are not promised tomorrow. When they have passed away, all you have is your memories to cling to. Strike that! If you have Christ in your life, you have Christ to cling to...and the memories.
I hope this blog is uplifting because it made me smile remembering my precious Daddy.
P.S. I am not able to upload a picture right now because I am at work. When I am at home, I will try to upload a picture of my dad.
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