Dads

I love my dad. Pretty much everyone who knows me knows this. Friends in my ward here, who haven't even met him, know how cool my dad is because apparently I talk about him a lot. He is the perfect mix of funny, smart, nerdy, and silly. Because that is the kind of person I like being around, I knew that was the kind of man I wanted to marry. I probably should have given more thought to how Dave would be as a father; I just assumed that since he shared so many qualities with my dad, he would be a similar father. Thankfully, I was right.

On Friday, Dave returned from a just over a week in Amsterdam. He wanted to get something for Mabes but, due to a busy work schedule, knew he probably wouldn't be able to get out much and go shopping. I assured him that he could bring back whatever trade show trinkets he could find and Mabes would be thrilled. I distinctly remember my dad being gone for days on business trips, and when he came home, he'd have something for us. The toys were fun, but those days he was gone felt like ages, and knowing that he had thought of us and maybe even missed us made a huge impact.

So when Dave got home, Mabes immediately asked what her present was. Dave, showing his sneaky side, grabbed a dress he bought for Mabes in Singapore years ago and gave it to her. (It hasn't fit until now, and when I asked her if she wanted to wear it a few weeks ago, she said no since it wasn't pink and didn't have flowers on it.) Since Daddy brought it home, she loved it and wore it to church today. But he had actually picked up things in Amsterdam. He gave her a toy UPS truck, which she thought was fantastic. And a ball globe, which she was thrilled with since she loves to look at "where we live." He pulled out some candy for both of us (he knew I wouldn't share my Dutch chocolate!), and then gave Mabes a tiny jar of apricot jam he had picked up at breakfast that morning. You'd think he gave her a diamond crusted tiara. Her eyes got huge and she looked at him with a huge smile and just said, "Oh! I love it! I love apricots and I love jam! I love apricot jam!" And then she threw her arms up and ran circles around Dave and his suitcase yelling "Yay! I'm so excited about apricot jam!" Dave just laughed, shook his head, and said "If I'd known she'd have such a reaction, I would have grabbed a dozen of those jars!"

Perhaps the greatest thing about my dad is that he spent time with us. And it was always a blast. Even though he was extremely busy with work, he'd try to have time with each of us to do whatever we wanted. And though I'm not sure how thrilled he was at the idea of seeing Adventures in Babysitting or going ice skating, he acted like he was. In later years, we realized that if we just let dad do the planning, vacations/Christmas lights/dinners/car trips will be much more fun that we could imagine. Car trips with my dad are generally a good time, but when he gets that glint in his eye and says he has an idea, you just go with it. He ended up pulling out a movie from Netflix and stopping at the first movie theater along Highway 101, running in and getting 2 buckets of popcorn and a few giant sodas and we were on the road. I felt like a giddy kid--I was 26.

As I mentioned in his birthday post, Dave loves to spend time with us. Even when we think he should take some time for himself. So while I wasn't able to talk Dave into going golfing the Saturday after his birthday, I convinced him to do something he wanted--take Mabes back to the go-carts.

Mabes is waving, Dave is focused on lapping the little girl ahead of them.

And while we were there, we decided to stop in the Bass Pro Shops so Mabes could see the giant catfish they have in the tanks there. For the non-Southerners, Bass Pro Shops are basically huge fishing and hunting supply stores. And they have a giant fish tank. And on the day we went, kids could color their own fishing line bob (she colored it to look like her) and have their pictures taken. She was a little hesitant about this, though, and this was the best picture they got:


On the way out, we discovered a laser rifle range, and it was free that day so Mabes and Dave took advantage:


So Happy Father's Day to my dad, to Dave, and to all the fathers out there. Thank you for being our examples, for spending time with us, and for just being fun.