Tuesday, December 19, 2017

It is hard to explain how I am feeling.  There are a lot of emotions that surround me.  My father passed away Wed. 12/13/2017.  I was not expecting this for a few more months.  I am glad that he is not suffering but I am sad that both of my parents are gone from this Earth.  There was comfort in knowing that I could call dad any time and he would answer.  Now I am left feeling empty and orphaned.  I rely a lot on Tim and my work.  Tim is there to hold me when I breakdown in tears.  My job keeps me focused on other things and allows me to get out and be productive.  I have to admit that I am surprised by all the support and prayers.  People have been so good to me and my family.  I love my ward and my friends.  They are priceless.

The grave side will be Friday.  Dad will be buried next to mom in the Farmington, Utah cemetery.  I hope they had a good reuniting in heaven.  It will be exciting to see if they are a little different in heaven than on earth. 

The kids are taking the death well.  Of course they were not really close to my dad, but my dad sure loved them.  I will miss the flashlights wrapped in a $10 bill he gave each year for Christmas.  That was always a fun tradition.  Every time I see one of those dollar store flashlights around the house, I think of my dad.  A few things I remember about my dad are: loving milk chocolate cherry cordials, necco wafers, pink pepp-o-mints, always saying, “heavy on the love.”  I swear his favorite scripture was proverbs 8:11, “For wisdom is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with it.”  He always quoted that around the house.  Every time we would leave for a family trip he would say, "fire one," and then the rest of the kids would reply, "fire two," "fire three," and so forth.  He also loved burnt almond fudge ice cream and cranberry juice.  He would buy a large container of juice and to make sure the kids did not drink it, dad would spit a loogie in it.  Dad was also a constant reader.  He loved to read a variety of books.  Sometimes he would go to the dollar store and stock up on books.  He got his library card cut up because he would borrow so many books and never return them.  Most likely because he left his books everywhere.  Dad also loved classical music.  I don’t think he had a favorite composer but he would spend hours listening to Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc…  A more contemporary song he liked was “Send in the Clowns.”

Dad was also one of the cheapest men I knew.  Once when we were going to Disneyland he gave a speech about how we can buy all the candy and goodies we wanted.  It didn’t matter if it was junk food.  Then he proceeds to hand each of us a dollar.  He was creative in his own right.  Once he made a floatation device out of bubble wrap and duct tape…..and used a variety of methods to insulate the house (Styrofoam, plastic, reflective wrap).  I also a remember a time he was blending laundry detergent in the blender.  His reasoning is to make smaller granules which causes the product to be more concentrated so he can use less.

Once when I was a child, he woke me up and took me to Bowmans.  He looked in the dumpster behind the store and found the perfect cardboard box.  He brought it home and built a little stand for me.  He then gave me a bunch of Century 21 yellow balloons to sell on the side of the street in front of our house.  It was pretty cool.  It was like the stand Lucy from Peanuts had when she was ready to offer her advice.  Dad will greatly be missed.

We are gearing down for Christmas.  It is a fun time of year when everything slams at you all at once.  We are making goodies for the neighbors.  This year Tim suggested peanut brittle to go on the plate with fudge, caramel, and coconut balls.  The kids love taste testing all the treats.  I am totally sugared out. 

Let’s go over the kid’s want list for Christmas.  Jacinda wants a Launch Pad or a drawing tablet.  She is getting the latter.  McCabe wants a plane ticket to Texas to visit Kade.  He is getting money, not a plane ticket.  Xadia wants a stuffed animal.  She is getting a flip-a-zoo that changes from a Husky to a Polar Bear.  Teagan wants M&M’s with a $10 bill.  He is totally getting that.  I love the simple wants of young kids.  Tim is getting an elf costume because he is the best and we love Buddy the elf!