There's another man in my life!

First let me just say this.... My CHRISTMAS 2012 plan is JUST ABOUT done!!!!  (my goal... to have it done by the 15th....I best be hustlin' I know..... )  But in the mean time... I thought I would just share a little "insight" on my life.... other than Christmas.....

Now, let's see....where / how do I start this.....

To some it may feel a litle "odd" admitting that there is another "man in their life....But honestly~I'm really quite FINE with it!

This man is AMAZING!!!! And I have loved him for a very long time! In fact.... I have loved him since the minute I set eyes on him, I have LOVED this man!  He is very talented, kind and gentle, yet gruff at times, he is handsome, strong determined and stern too, he is compassionate, loving, very giving yet he expects a lot and sometimes he can make me really mad too!  But in the end, I still love him with all my heart!  He has taught me a lot - like how to work hard, to be honest, to never give up, to admit when I am wrong and I've learned that he is seldom wrong :) ! As I get older, I find that each day I realize just how much he gives to me and all he does for me through the years!  He is my HERO!  ... and my DAD!!!!!

And today is his BIRTHDAY! 

 

He is very talented! From the time I was just little, I LOVED to hear him sing and play his guitar!  In fact, I remember he played in a band and they would practice at our house, and I would curl up right next to the drums and be so content for their entire practice!  I could sleep like no other when those drums were beating and his voice singing!  As i got older, my friends use to ask me if he was "ELVIS" .... he looked like him and he SANG like him...I'll admit, there were times that I would tell them that he was! I loved the fact that he wasn't embarrassed to sing in front of people, especially me!  Sometimes I wish I could just go back and be little again just for that!  He is also very talented in the "ART" category!   He can oil paint like nobody's business! And draw too! Man I wish I would have gotten some talents like his! Instead.... I think I just got the "GENES"... the bubble butt, thunder thighs and Christensen nose!  I would much ratherhave preferred the "talents" any day!  Oh I did get a little bit of the "perfectionist.... Nice... WAIT!!! it that a NICE thing??? 

One of my most favorite memories of my dad, is of Christmas time when he would bring out his race car track and we would race and race and race all day long!  I remember laughing so much when we would crash and how my sisters and I thought it was so funny... until dad got mad... We would try so hard the next time to not let that happen, but it never failed, it happened.... and he would immediately box it back up!   He told us we couldn't play anymore until we learned to just race and not knock anyone off, 

Then I remember when Shane (my first little brother) was old enough to race and he soon thought it was funny to knock cars off the track too, that was when it became funny to dad... I remember he would laugh and even smirk sometimes, "trying" to be mad, but he just couldn't do it!  Amazing what that little boy could do for my dad.  

Then another favorite Christmas memory was "cracking nuts"... I could sit next to him all day long and eat nuts!  He always had a story to tell me too!  And I loved his stories!  I loved being little enough to climb up next to him, hear his stories and crack nuts together.  I wonder if he remembers the NUT BOWL I made from him out of Popsicle sticks... I was so proud of that bowl... I tried to show my kids how to make one and they thought it was stupid.... but I know my dad loved my bowl... or at least he made me think so! 

We also had the "toe-gote" thing ... it was like a big beefy motorcycle, but it wasn't very fast at all! We had so much fun with that little red thing! Rides in the mountains and around the nieghborhood, until the police put a end to that.... That was so wrong! :)   Oh! And fishing! Dad LOVED to fish... and I'm sure he was THRILLED when the boys started coming...because our little fishing trip was NOT what dad was hoping for. I remember being TERRIFIED of the water.  I don't like water - especially when I can't see what is in it and how deep it is ~ I remember being so worried about my little sisters falling in and when Sheila's shoe fell in the "ocean"  (it was really a "creek" - Deer Creek to be exact - but it was much bigger than what I would say qualifies as a "creek" - it was BIG - a "ocean" to me!) I just KNEW we were never going to return home safely.  I don't think our little "fishing trip" lasted too long either... we were supposed to "SIT" still, "WATCH" a pole for movement and BE QUIET!  Those are hard things for 3 little girls to do!  I remember losing a pole in the "ocean", because I got scared when it started to yank out of my hands - so I let it go.... needless to say... that ended our fishing trip with dad.  I was so grateful to just be in our car and heading home with all of us alive.... missing one shoe but alive! Oh I still remember those feelings of fear! :) 

Another of my favorite family times was the "pinecone hunting"... or pine nut hunting... LOVE PINENUTS!!! Learned that from dad too!  I loved doing that! I wish we still did that!   We would get so sticky.... our clothes, our hands and even our hair - it took WEEKS to get rid of that sticky gunk! BUT it was so much fun!  I remember being terrified of climbing the trees for fear I would fall and how my dad would make me feel safe by holding me up.  Then one time, something happened, I don't remember exactly what happened or how it happened - but we both came tumbling down! Out of that tree!  I landed on my dad and we laughed and laughed... once I realized I was still alive that is! 

I also use to WISH I had a older brother so that "he" could do all the outside chores.  But I soon learned that I loved the outside chores and would much rather be outside then inside.  (My mom always thought it was weird that I LOVED to set the table... honestly, that was because I HATED to be on the "CLEAN UP CREW!"  I would set the table ANYDAY! as long as I didn't have to clear the table, do the dishdes or sweep the floor!  Give me a lawn mower, rake, shovel and a garbage bag.... I'll take that anytime!  But don't tell my mom that! I want her to think it was because I was being helpful and liked a pretty table setting - that's why I would set the table.... well, I do like a pretty table!)  

I also learned to love sports and probably got some of my competitiveness from dad!  I could sit at a aseball park ALL DAY and cheer my heart out and not have a care in the world!  I always wished that I could afford to take my dad to a professional baseball game - or even a World Series game! Wouldn't that be great!  He would LOVE it!  I would LOVE it! 

I love that he taught me how to work hard and how to "fix" things.  His philosophy was "If it's broke and I can't fix it - we don't need it"... That has been something I have leaned on a lot since I've left home.  I'm so grateful for his wisdom, his stories~true or stretched truth~ I love his stories. I love listening to him tell them, (and yep! they have gotten bigger over the years - but they are still fun!) I love that he always worked so hard for our family - ALL THE TIME! I love that he is strong yet compassionate, which a lot of people don't get to see (the softer side), but I'm grateful that I have!  I'm grateful for all that he has taught me, shared with me and continues to teach me! I'm grateful that my children have been able to meet my dad too! He is a wonderful grandpa and a great-grandpa! 

Happy Birthday to the OTHER man in my life! 

I love you DAD!!!!

You are MY hero!

(I'm trying to find a picture of his YOUNGER years so you can see how much he looked like Elvis... I'll keep digging... )