#1 dad

On the 13th of this month, my dad turns 50! :) And since I won't be able to make my list on his birthday, I figured I would post it a little early.... So here we go...

50 things about my dad that I love!

1. 1. I love the way my dad laughs at his own jokes. I do the same thing! But it’s different because my dad has a contagious laugh that will make you laugh no matter what.
2. The fact that he loves my nephew more than anything. His eyes light up even if he hears his name.
3. The fact that he never let his arthritis get the best of him when it came to me and my sister… I still remember playing kick ball for a daddy’s daughter date when I was little.. And my dad fell. I instantly started crying because I knew he was in pain. But he just got right back up and assured me that he was ok even though I knew he wasn’t.
4. His work ethic. My dad is one of the hardest workers I know. It doesn’t matter if it is at his job or around the house, he takes pride in what he does and makes sure he does the best that can be done.
5. His willingness to help anyone without anything in return.
6. His personality. My dad is one of the goofiest/funniest people you will ever meet. He can make anyone smile.
7. When rocks out with Sheila to KISS.
8. How he says he is the “baby whisperer” and shows me how he used to put my sister and me to sleep.
9. He is magic.. Or at least I thought he was as a kid because he could drive the truck without the key in the ignition.
10. When we were moving from out West Jordan house and he assured me that it would be ok. I would make new friends, and I could take my bike with me.
11. He is the perfect candidate of a wonderful husband. He does it all.. dishes, laundry, cooks, cleans, yard work, house work…. He always tells my sister and me that we can’t compare other guys to him because most guys are not like him … And it is so true! My mom just lucked out I guess!
12. The smell of his white truck. It smelled like life savers and sheet rock. I love that smell still to this day.
13. How he always has Neccos in his jacket pocket in church so we can eat them in sacrament meeting
14. How mellow he is. It takes him allot to get upset.
15. That he makes every vacation more memorable than most. He takes everything in. And I love that because I feel like I get that from him
16. That we look nothing alike. But I did get his feet
17. He was always willing to help me with all of my big projects throughout school. Even if it meant proofing my papers 11 o’clock at night.
18. When he lost his job and was out of work for a year, he still did side jobs every day of the week so he could provide for our family as much as possible! He made sure we had what we wanted, not just what we needed.
19. And I will always remember cooking dinner with him that year. LOL We ate beef every night.. More casseroles than one can imagine.. But he never complained…. That was one of my most memorable years of my life. That was the first year that I truly felt close to my family.
20. Going to work with him when I was little. I always thought it was so fun to go see his co workers and color with them.
21. Him doing my hair when my mom was in the hospital. And yes he did a good job.
22. When I used to “fake” sick in elementary and he would come and get me.
23. Watching home movies as a family. He lives in the memories and likes to go into depth about what he was filming.
24. Sunday morning breakfast. I have always loved waking up to the smell of his cooking.
25. When he use to make me perro. I don’t know what, but it always tasted better when he would make it for me.
26. That he is a jack of all trades. I honestly don’t think there is anything that he can’t do.
27. When he drove me to my ex boyfriends house at 1 in the morning just to make sure he was safe…No ordinary dad would have done that for a boy they despised!
28. Teaching me to drive a stick shift ! I was horrible and I will be the first to admit it!
29. He has always been proud of my sister and me in everything we have done.
30. How he makes fun of me for watching lifetime!
31. His mush! He really does make the best mush in the world!
32. Even when he doesn’t agree with something that I choose to do, he keeps quiet and still shows support.
33. His love for the church. He has always accepted every calling with open arms.
34. The fact that he lets me learn from my own mistakes but never says I told you so.
35. How much he loves my mom. It’s nice to have parents that are still together and in love after 27 years.
36. Driving back from Arizona with him and Chelsea. J He never complained once. And he even let us play the “honk your horn” game with truckers! LOL He has fun and he knows it!
37. The fact that he likes to hunt but doesn’t anymore because he is married to a “tree hugger” … I think that is cute
38. He lets Chloe ride on the lawn mower with him. But she is going to have a rude awakening when she is replaced by Jaxon!
39. The fact that even when he has a stressful day at work, he never takes it out on the family.
40. How he treats Cacey and his girls. I was so afraid to tell my parents about Cacey because of our age difference. And honestly at first they were not that happy. . But they took things better than I thought they would. And now they actually like him more than anyone else that I have ever dated! And my dad is always joking with Cacey and the girls and giving them a hard time which is nice because he couldn't really do that with my ex's. My family loves having them over to the house. And I love being able to have everyone I love together so often.
41. Dancing with him at my sisters wedding. Even though it wasn’t “my day” he still took the time to make me feel important too.
42. Letting me find myself on my own terms.
43. The fact that he truly doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. It makes me smile because I think more people need to be like him in that sense.
44. People watching with him. I love to hear the comments he makes. They always make me laugh.
45. He is always honest.
46. Seeing tears in his eyes as we walked through the Draper Temple. That was life changing for me. I gained a stronger testimony that day.
47. How he never rushes to get off the phone with my family. It doesn’t matter what he is doing when we call, he always makes time to talk to us.
48. Being forced to listen to Neil Diamond in the car was always a funny but brutal experience.
49. When he shows Jaxon things around the house and yard. I can’t wait to have kids that he can do that with.
50. He is always trying to point out the good in everything. Even when it's hard to see.


My dad is the most amazing father I could have asked for. He is someone that I admire most in my life. I was always a mommy’s girl when I was little. But as the years pass, I grow to understand and love my dad on a completely different level. He is more than just a parental figure. He is my friend, role model, and one of my heroes. I have always been difficult to deal with in ways. I have always respected my parents in the sense that I never snuck out or anything like that. But I have always had a mind of my own way and did my own thing… But he has always loved me and accepted me as I am. He has always been there when I needed someone to fall back on. Never saying I told you so, but always making sure that I was ok. He has always put our family first and that is something that I love most about him. Even during the hard times, when we didn’t have allot of money and he made sure we had more than necessity's. His strength, knowledge, love, and, understanding are the things that make him such a great father. I truly feel blessed to have a father like him to look up to. Life hasn't always been easy, but I know that I have made it through what I have because of the support system that I have at home.

Thank you for always setting such a great example of what a family is all about. Thank you for always loving me unconditionally and never turning your back on me. I couldn't have asked to be brought in to a family that is filled with so much love. I hope one day to set the same examples to kids of my own.

Love you always,
Nicki (kiddo, punky brewster, and the newest one "dumb" :))