My Father

It seems like I’ve had a hard time writing about my father, my personal history that section is lacking. My father holds a special place in my heart. While growing up I was always trying to please him and have his attention, a lot like M does with G.

Anything he was interested in: books, plants, stars, science, Underdog, Popeye, Muppets, Dune, songs he sang anything doing with my dad I loved too. I took every opportunity to spend time with him, even if it meant waking up at 5:30 am and doing irrigation, or 2:00 am to watch shooting stars. I memorized A Poor Way Faring Man of Grief as a teenager, knowing that was my dad’s favorite hymn.

I have wonderful memories of eating licorice together, especially the black kind (that is my dad’s favorite) on camping trips, and feeling disappointed with myself when I couldn’t get myself to eat the raw sardines. Getting baptized was a special event I remember my father talking to me, practicing with me and helping me understand the importance of being a member of the Church and having my sins cleaned. He is a wonderful example of service, he would always take care of his widowed mother-in-law with whatever she needed.

Work is important to both of my parents, my father is always in the yard and garden working, right now the latest project is the cabin. When we were younger the yard and orchard were the big projects, I think the original idea was for us kids to work hard, but my dad did most of the pruning, tilling, planting, we might help with the picking and irrigation at times, but he did most of the work outside.

For a long time I actually didn’t know what my dad did for his profession. He is interested in so many things, I thought he worked with plants, then I asked my mom what he did and she said he was a doctor, but that confused me he didn’t seem like the doctors I had met, he was my dad. If you meet him you’d think he was a scientist, inventor, botanist, plant geneticist, astronomer, politician, or missionary. I still feel like my dad is so smart and knows about everything, and if I had a question about anything he’d probably have an answer.

My dad is a fountain of knowledge. I remember randomly he’d come in my room and share some insight of wisdom like, “the only security in life is God.” Or “sometimes our greatest strengths can be our greatest weaknesses” (I think he was referring to my over active imagination). He is very protective of his wife, children and grandchildren. Very generous, very thoughtful, he and my mom will often hire people who need help always having many projects going on at once. The way they spent money was never indulgent, money was spent on family vacations, helping others, ideas to help their children, very self-sacrificing parents.

My favorite memories are Narnia memories while growing up he probably read the whole Narnia series 5-6 times through, starting when I was in Kindergarten in Oklahoma, also he would quote us poems he had memorized like “the Raven” , stories from The Hobbit and songs from the 3Ds and cowboy songs. I remember the singing, my dad’s strong voice lulling me to sleep or entertaining us in the car with tales of the everglades, of frogs, most songs with a kind of lesson.

There has always been service in the church, every calling taken seriously and fulfilled completely. Father’s blessings, healing blessings, Family Home Evening, Sunday sharing of spiritual thoughts and lessons. Personal Priesthood Interviews (PPI’s) at least once a month especially when I was a teenager. When I was sixteen my dad took me on a date, we went out to eat at Olive Garden and saw a movie at the foreign films, I was in heaven having that one on one special memory time with my dad.

When I was eighteen I got to go on a business trip with him to San Diego where we got to go to Catalina, see the San Diego temple, walk by the beach hang out with some of his friends and go out to eat, it was such a wonderful memory I’ll never forget and so nice to have before I left home.

Family vacations, example, insightful, wise, gardening, studying, continually learning and sharing, generous and wonderful, my father.

Good way to save money

So I've been recording our expenses and have been appalled at some of our spending esspecially when I talk to some of my siblings and they live off 1/3 or less of what I've been spending on groceries and such. Soooo, I haven't spent hardly anything this month, and my seceret? Don't shop and when I do it has been for exactly what we need like 2 gallons of milk and a carton of eggs and just using what I have around the house. Of course this will backfire when I've depleted every thing we have at home, but it is a good idea for this month since we'll be going on a trip soon and I can leave our fridge empty.

M's new room

So I'd like to know what you think. I would like to fix up M's new room for her birthday this summer. Right now she has fading wall paper that is half-way torn off on one wall and holes in another wall and permanent maker on another wall, blinds that are bent and don't work well, no closet doors, stained carpet etc... She's old enough not to destroy a new room so I'm thinking...

New white blinds in the window

Take off the wall paper and re-drywall the wall with holes.

Mint green color on the walls with a new white ceiling,

New white door, smooth the trim around the door with sandpaper and repaint as well.

Paint white trim around the closet, doorway and floor boards.

Wood-lamented flooring, with a matching ceiling/light fan

Blue and greened patterned material as curtains for her closet.

Paint her desk white to match

Organize and maybe build some shelves in her closet.

Have blue framed pictures and a blue framed magnet board on the wall.

All this matches with the two bedspreads she has one which is blue/white/green and another which is plain white. I have two natural wood pieces a dresser and book shelf I'll probably leave. I figure I can do all this for not very much money, the most expensive will the the flooring. Anyways, I'd love to get ideas or what you think.

My growing up family memories

Rubbing backs, telling stories, talking about boys, life, school together
A taking apart the vacuum, baffling me with ninento
J looking in the mirror and wandering the house

Watching Anne of Green Gables tying quilts
Boys making fun of the movie but still watching the whole thing
Rs falling from the stairs stopping my heart

Dad laying on his back playing monster while we run past
Mom reading Cheaper by the Dozen, matching socks during movies
Mom always there in the morning, early making breakfast seeing us off

After school snacks, carrots in our lunches, apples in our lockers
Dad in the yard, the garden, the orchard, reading Narnia to us
Scripture study, sitting on the vents tenting the blanket over to keep warm

Ru and M often sharing a room, bunk bed falling, conspiring together
Yelling for J when I was scared, wrestling, play-fighting a lot
M doing her art, flashcards, sewing, playing with dolls

Ra in her hippo bathing suit, running the home seeing right and wrong
Ru serving, cleaning, making up songs, drawing pictures, cooking
A studying my science with me, taking our family to the Bean museum

Mom peeling oranges, books read to us, everyone singing a different tune on trips
Yellowstone, Canada, Washington D.C., California, back East
Setting up the tent trailer, Dad pointing out plants, hiking, seeing history

Family home evenings laying under the piano, behind the couch cushions
Gun shooting, exotic food, Bean museum, picnics up the canyon
Words of wisdom, prayers, musical performances, poems and lessons

Visiting grandparents every week, serving in the yard, washing windows
Writing, poetry, hair brushing, waterbed, view of the temple at Grandma V’s
Cousins, Little Bunny Foo Foo, stories and laughs at Grandma and Grandpa D’s

Dinner and lounging on the deck, telescoping the stars, working in the yard
Irrigation turn, waking up early helping the water flow to the plants, picking apples
Stirring, setting the table, vacuuming making things look nice, sharing with others

Christmas time looking forward to our Palestinian dinner, lights at Temple square
Singing German at the tabernacle, gathering and sharing with family and friends
Piles set out for us in the living room, Tree lights and ornaments and grandparents

Memories of happiness, safety, warning, gospel lived and taught
Importance of family togetherness, marriage, children, work and education
Gratitude for siblings, parents, family