Happy Birthday Dad!

Growing up my dad used to tell us stories about getting a train track for his birthday and the train for Christmas, because his birthday and Christmas were so close together.
I love this photo of my Dad, how cool is it that school photos back then were in sepia and had color tinting.

My dad grew up in a house on Main street in Helper Utah. Seriously there could be a T.V. series about his childhood. There would be all of his relatives on either side of his house, scenes of him walking along this swinging bridge, which as a child I walked on as well, they had an all pink bathroom, a mud ball out front of his house that he had made one day with his sister, he would walk down to Al Vetri's and sit on a round stool and have a milk shake, there wasn't anyone that he didn't walk by that he didn't know. He could see and hear the train as it drove by everyday, lived across the street from the library with a large mining statue looking at him. And would often be found shooting fireworks at his friends and selling his Halloween Candy outside his house on November 1st.Some of his many soil books

My dad surprised some by graduating from high school and made many proud when we got his PhD. He is a soil man by trade a good old dirt doctor, when the dirt is sick he helps it to get better.My Dad is one of the hardest working men I know. He is not afraid of hard work. These are his boots he wears when he goes out to the Strip Coal Mines. They sit in his office.This is his hard hat. A white hat means very important. I only know that from the summer I worked on the coal mine with him... my hat was red, which meant do what ever anyone in a white hat tells you to do.My dad is one of the most graceful skiiers you will ever see on the mountain. He does not ski fast but beautiful. His sons ended up skiing fast. My dad started a ski collection years ago, I don't even know how many skiis he had. He recently sold 90% of them to a guy in park city. He took the money and divided it 6 ways and gave it all to us kids.
My dad is very creative. Growing up he used to make us monogrammed pancakes, he started the writing in the peanut butter tradition and he always used to write our names on the outside of our birthday cards in bubble letters with swirly things.
He has always been one of the best dressed men I know. He used to say that about his Grandpa Skinny and he loved that his Grandpa always dressed up. And I feel the same way about my dad.

Some soil samples I found drying out in his office this summer

I always thought it was cool that my dad came to my school every year and taught all my class mates about rocks, volcano's, Smokey Bear and the Forrest. I was proud to have a dad that came and did that. I can remember in 2nd grade when he said "now when I start talking too long run your hand across your neck" so I became his timer everytime he came.Photo of antlers from a deer he shot in 1965

My dad taught me how to fish. I used to sit on his shoulders when the water was too high for me to stand in. I used to go deer hunting with my dad. The day we got a deer and he showed us how to clean it was one of the best memories I have growing up as a kid.Photo of my Dad holding his newest grandaughter Ryan Paige

My Dad loves to serve in his church. I think he is the only person I know who loves meetings. He loves talking to people, helping people, I think what it really is, he doesn't ever want people to not feel loved. Recently when flying on a business trip he noticed there were 2 service men returning home from a tour of duty in Iraq in the front of the plane in first class (someone had given up their first class seats when they saw them walk on) He got up, with his baseball cap upside down and walked the isles to collect money for them to take their family out for a nice dinner when they got home. He collected $300.

My Dad is still a small town boy at heart. His office is on Main street in a different town and state, but he still loves walking down the street and knowing everyone he walks past. He is a wonderful grandpy and gets down and always plays with my girls, he eats their toes just like he did mine, put his hand under their chin and has them say ta da, ta da, ta da over and over just like he did mine, teaches them to fish just like he did me, and he loves them just like he does me.

Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!

ok...now where is my Kleenex!These are some of my dad's birthday cards from when he was a kid. I photographed them the last time I was home. My Nona kept a great record for his baby book and kept many of his items.

I just think it is so fun to see the different graphics and beauty of these cards. It give new reason to save your kids birthday cards.

This one is from his father who died when my dad was in his early 20's. I started crying when I found it. I thought the sentiment was sweet, "All your life! Daddy"
You can click here to see all these cool old cards.