To my wise Father

I know this is a little late, but I won't miss a chance to praise my dad, and all that he means to me. My dad was made to be a father. He has that wisdom that when after a phone call or a conversation at the dinning table after dinner, you just feel like everything is going to be all right, even if the conversation had nothing to do with anything.  He taught me some of the most important things I could ever learned before and since I've been away from home. 

Here are just a few...

1. Make a decision, build your character ( I can't tell you how many times I've heard this before, and for an indecisive person like me, I definitely didn't always like to hear it, but I know that I've had plenty of times that I've built my character.)

2. Life's not fair (Yes it doesn't sound very nice, but I know it's helped me to understand a lot of things in life.)

3. Work hard first, then get out and play. (Both are significantly important which I learned many times with raking leaves, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, and then many adventures of bowling, swimming holes and sledding that followed directly after.)

4. Vacation doesn't mean you have to cross the country, or spend a fortune (We have a big family, so our family vacations consisted of car trips, but they were some of my most favorite memories of all of us getting in the big white van off to the Oregon Coast, Grandma's House, or the Utah dessert eating sandwiches and grocery store fried chicken in the van.)

5. Head to the hills (Doesn't matter which mountains or hills, but just go! Have a day, a weekend or a week, my dad would get out the fishing poles, get everything we'd need and all of us kids in the truck, load up the horses and we were out of there. And because of it I've seen some of the most beautiful places on this earth, and have had some of the most incredible experiences in my life.)

My dad is the best teacher by example, I've learned these bits of wisdom and so many others from him. But one of the most important things that I've learned from his example, is how important it is to live like you believe. My dad has such a strong testimony of the church and our Savior Jesus Christ, and I've watched our family grow and change from his faith and and willingness to take and learn from council from the scriptures and the prophet.

Thank you Dad for making my childhood something to brag about. You were the first man in my life, and you helped me to know what to look for the man of my life now. I love you Dad.