Happy Father's Day!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

They say you always marry someone just like your dad and I don’t know if that is true for everyone, but I can certainly see the similarities between my father and my husband, and I can say with great certainty that my daughter found someone who we all say reminds us of my husband.  My dad was a history teacher and high school basketball coach turned sporting goods salesman.  He had a great sense of humor and loved reading, museums, dry martinis, peanut M & M’s, crossword puzzles, and his daughters.  He wore his hair in a crew cut for as long as I can remember and the top of his hair was incredibly soft.  When we traveled as a family, he spent weeks planning our trip and found all kinds of things to do along the way.  Unfortunately for me, many of the stops we made were to museums and to this day, I hate museums with every fiber of my being.  Sorry dad!  If Joe Schmo invented it or built it, we had to stop and see where he lived.  I will never forget when we had to stop along the way to California to see Brigham Young’s house and when they told me the good news, I said, “Who is Brigham Young and why do I have to see where he lived?” 

 

On most trips, my dad would eventually pay me to be quiet in the car, because for an active child it was not easy being cooped up in a car, and I probably could not stop talking about the adventures that awaited us….”why do we have to go see where Abraham Lincoln went to school?….will there be a pool at the hotel?…..why do we have to go see some stupid guy named Mark Twain’s house?.....will there be a pool at the hotel?.....Hearst Castle sounds dumb……will there be a pool at the hotel?”  As far as I was concerned, it was a win win situation, because sometimes if I kept the questions up, my mom and sister donated to the “quiet game” and I would have enough money to spend at the cheesy gift shops along the way that I loved.  Personally, I would have been just as happy going to California and stopping at every Stuckey’s along the way and skipping all the other stuff, but my dad seemed to think that wasn’t good enough for a family vacation.   If it weren’t for my dad, I never would have seen the Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Hearst Castle (which turned out to be great), Lombard Street in San Francisco, or Yellowstone National Park, because if they had done only what I wanted to do, we would have been in the pool all day, or horseback riding, or shopping, or holed up somewhere eating one Pecan Log roll after another.

 

So, what was I thinking when I married a guy who loves museums, history, and reading, and has a similar sense of humor?  Apparently, our daughters take after me, because the first time we took them to the Smithsonian was our last time going as a family. John walked around excitedly pointing out this and that, and my oldest followed behind saying, “who cares and how soon until lunch?” and the youngest wanted to know where the gift shop was located.  I think it was right after we got to the section about Prehistoric Man and one of them said, “he looks like daddy when he gets mad,” and we all started laughing, that my husband turned around and said we were leaving and never coming back again.  I don’t know if he expected us to be sad and contrite, but I think we all high fived each other and the oldest said, “promise," and I added, "Thank the Lord!” 

 

My mom is convinced that all daughters love their dad best and there have been times I would have to agree.  Oh sure, I know my daughters love me to the moon and back, but it is their dad who they go to for reassurance and the calmness that I don’t always provide.  Just the other day, my oldest called me about something and I gave her my advice and a day later she called and said she had talked to her father about the same thing.  When I asked her what he had said, she said he had said exactly the same thing and when I asked her who said it better, she replied, “daddy.” It is a running joke in our house and one of my buttons she likes to push and she never misses an opportunity to tell her competitive mom that her dad is perfect and I never miss an opportunity to prove I am more perfect.  I never win and frankly, I get it about daughters and dads, because I had a great one, too.

 

You really are lucky if you end up with a wonderful dad.  Not everyone does and we see examples of this every day on the news.  My daughters and I hit the jackpot with our dads and Sunday is a day to celebrate them.  I wish my dad was still here, but he has been gone since 1988.  I used to love the smell of my dad smoking his pipe and loved to go with him to the tobacco store.  I think he thought a pipe was better for him than the cigarettes and cigars he smoked when he was younger, but in the end it didn’t matter.  He was 59 when he was diagnosed with Colon cancer and 60 when it moved into his lungs and only 63 when he died.  Far too young to go, but still enough time to make a difference to three daughters and leave a void that can never be filled, because for most of us, you only get one dad.  Happy Father’s Day to all the dads who make a difference and when I get to Heaven and see my dad again, I am just praying there are no museums in the afterlife.

Christmas 1987

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I, like you had a dad who loved museums. he also loved old cities and nature walks. I like you wasnt interested as a child (apart from the natural history museum), but I grew up to love all the things he did. My Dad also died of cancer (colon), he was just 49. It has been almost 13 years and I still miss him. But thankfully we both have great memories to remember then by. Happy Fathers Day

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Caitlin!! I hope so, too :)

Camilla, I will try and find out. We went when I was in elementary school, which was just a few years ago, so we may have crossed paths....LOL!! I was the kid with a big frown on my face :) I would love to see a picture of you in your pioneer dress.

Carol, Clink...I was the bestest daughter, too :) LOL You sound like my youngest daughter. Whenever her sister got in trouble, she moved in for the kill and would say something to us like, "I love you mommy and daddy!" It used to make my oldest daughter so mad...LOL! Clink, clink!

Sharon, Have a great day today!! Thank you!

Nancy, Thanks!!

Cyndi, You must have had some wild vacations....LOL!! My dad always drove a Mercury station wagon. Funny what you remember. Thank you for your comment!

Janie, How special and lucky for you that you get to take your canal walks with your dad and Jack. I am sure your parents appreciate having you so close by. I would love that with both my daughters :) Thank you!!

F, Thank you, except for the part about putting up with me :) I never thought my dad and DH looked alike....interesting. My dad was so sick in that picture, but he still had the softest hair in the world!!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Laurie, there is a taffy pull feature at the Lion House, and it's possible it used to sell candy. I was just wondering because until a few months ago, I worked at the Lion House (his primary home, the Beehive house was spillover for even more wives LOL) for 4 years. I even had to wear a pioneer dress... ha ha.

[Carol and Banjo]

Well Laurie.....I laughed and I cried.....    My Dad was the best....and thank you for this reminder...one of my favorite scents in the world is Old Spice cologne.....he put that on after every shave.       I clearly recall one Sunday when he excitedly announced we were going on an adventure.   Us kids all had visions of amusement parks, cotton candy, balloons,  or a beach with huge waves.....we ended up in Boston at the site of Old Ironsides....my sister was the one who opened her BIG mouth exclaiming "A BOAT!!!????? Why are we HERE????  This is stupid!!!!"   Being the oldest and bestest child, I kept my disappointment to myself and grabbed Dad's hand and went along for the tour.    I hate museums too.      Clink to our Dad's!

[Sharon & Monty]

Thanks for the reminder Laurie.  Tomorrow is our family reunion with my dad.  Low input day with farmer families which is fine by me.  As I've grown old I notice I like musicians like country/western music more, the old ones like Johnny Cash. Gawd knows how I irritated my dad when I liked that hippie music! LOL  Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What a lovely tribute to dads and yours especially,  I was lucky enough to have a great dad too and still miss him every day.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Camilla, We did stop in SLC. We saw the Mormon Tabernacle. I have no idea which house and I'm glad my dad did not know he had two homes :) I will have to ask my sister. I think I blocked it all from my mind, but I vaguely remember a candy store....does that make sense?

Jane, How interesting about your dad and DH. You scared me for a minute when you wrote, "my father was so interesting," and how different he was from your DH. LOL  No wonder you have a such a love of music, since your dad was a jazz musician. I remember your DH posting on DK when you went on a trip and I loved his sense of humor, so I think you got lucky with both your dad and DH, too.

Lucy and Sophie's Mom, I am so glad someone else hates museums. My middle sister LOVES them and cannot understand me at all. I agree with you about vacations....it has to include shopping. You make a great point, because my dad really liked my husband, too. I always said if he and I ever divorce, all my family would be sitting on his side of the courtroom :)

Jane, You are so lucky to have your dad and he sounds wonderful. Give him a hug from me tomorrow :)

Lori, Thank you! When I was in my twenties, sixty seemed so old, but now that I am 55, I can't believe how very young it is, after all. I am sorry you lost your dad when he was still so young.

Thanks, Camilla & Nina & Becka

Karen, I am sorry you lost your father too, when he was still so young. It just goes to show you that you should make each day count. How sad that he died on your DD's birthday. Never say never....who knows who might be coming your way :)

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

What great memories.  I had vacations very close to yours as a child.  I tell friends if they wanted to get a clear picture of my childhood vacations to watch National Lampoon's Vacation with Chevy Chase.  That was us, right down to the woody.  My first husband was about as different from my Dad as any two people can be.  But, I got it right the second time.  My Dad and my husband have the same easy going personality.  As the saying goes, they don't "sweat the small stuff".  

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

What a great tribute to your Dad and to your DH! I already liked your DH from what you have written about him and I like your Dad too! My Dad just turned 80, lives just down the street and often goes on the canal walk with Jack and me. He (and my Mom) more and more rely on me to go places with them. Just yesterday he said "How about we go to the beach one day this week?!" and so we will go! I'm grateful to have them and will keep making it my mission to keep taking them where ever they wish to go.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I remember those family trips as a kid but I guess we were lucky because mostly we got to see what my Dad would pronounce, after the first cow, "This is the real country". We often went looking for farms to buy but we ended up with a tiny weekend house in the not so real country: ) Sounds like you had a great dad and we now your dh is great--he puts up with you. I do think your dad and husband look alike : )