25 November 2011

GO UTES! (Even though you stank up the entire place today!)


My Dad at physical therapy doesn't have much to do with what I have to say!  I do love this picture of him there.  By the way, my kids and I had a great time that day at physical therapy with him, and I was "not at all" jealous when he was getting a nice shoulder rub from the aides there!

I just wanted to make it known that my Daddy-o is a trooper.  He and little brother went to the last Ute football game today and although they weren't at their best (to say the least), and it was FREEZING and windy, he stuck out the whole game AND had a great time, to boot!

Who am I sir? A Utah man am I! A Utah man, sir, and will be til I die!

Really, who would have thought 18 months ago that he would be here to have that fun day with my Dad? I always say people in Utah either love BYU or they love to hate BYU.  It might be an understatement, but John definitely loves to hate and I think he has persuaded my Dad to join him.  (Even though Dad is a BYU grad!)

Today I took my son to the store and saw this hat.  It is way so cute and reminds me of my wonderful Dad and the hats he wears.  I don't know what to call it other than a "duffer hat" but I guess its called a newsboy cap!  Both of my grandpa's wore this hat and my dad and uncle and brothers---its sort of a family thing by now!

20 November 2011

Dear Dad!

Dear Dad,

Just having had a new baby and with Thanksgiving coming up, I want to say that one thing I am VERY thankful for is my family.  I am SO thankful I get to be darling Matt's wife and a mother of such excellent children, I am so thankful for my parents, my brothers, my sister(s) in-law, and I am really thankful my Dad is here to know Lucy.


I love you Dad!  Thank you for being such a great Dad year after year!  Thank you for being such a great grandpa to my children.  Thanks for being a great example of a Christian and a Latter-day Saint!  Thanks Dad for loving me and always being nice to me.  For being the kind of Dad that has helped me understand better what it is that God feels for me.  Thanks for seeing the potential in me and helping me to find a great husband!  I am thankful for the opportunities you've given me.  Thank you Dad for making life fun!  I thought a lot of things were goofy, but those goofy things are the BEST memories I have.  I am so glad we have always been friends.


I LOVE MY DAD!  I love you as you are, even when you say embarrassing things to random people in the store, even when you are frustrated or can't express your thoughts. I love the way you describe ice as a "big messy pot of freedom fighters" or how you call catch "boomsheeba."  I love you just like you are!  I love the part about you that thinks everyone wearing perfume or chewing gum is personally trying to annoy you.  I love watching you get excited about the Utes (GO UTES) playing football.  Dad, YOU ARE GREAT!  I love how you think about things deeply.  I love my memories of all those years, waking up and seeing you studying the scriptures at your desk early in the morning.  I love my memories of things you would get excited to take us to do.  I love your inventions, like ice turbans.  I love when you look at "House" and read "Help wanted."

I don't know what I would do without you.  I am planning on not finding out for about 50+ more years.  I love you so much and whenever something is really, really bothering me I always know who I can talk to in order to feel better.  You really have helped me so much in overcoming big heart aches.  You have helped me with your words and love and example. You are really one of my very best friends and one of my favorite, favorite people to talk to and spend time with.


Now it is my turn to help you a little more than before.  I hope I will always be as good to you as you have been to me.  I continue to look to you for a lot of things and you will always be my only Dad!  Thank you for all the help and support you continue to give to me.


I wish I could show you how much you have meant to me, and continue to mean to me!  I love you so much Dad!  TBI or no TBI, you are SO important in my life!  Your contributions to my life are so wonderful and important to me!



Thanks for being such a great Dad, a great dad in-law, a great grandpa to me and to my family.  I am thankful for you!  Thanks for being you!


Love, Liz, HDC-VP, GBH extrodinaire and collector of 10 gallons of balls.  :)

Long time no post!

Hello out there!

I never understand why people complain about lack of sleep with a newborn because I get a lot more sleep with a newborn than I ever do while I'm expecting!  Our family has had a wonderful, wonderful time with our new baby!  She is such a jewel and we are so blessed by her presence and membership in our family!



I keep a journal for each of my children.  My goal is to write in it twice a month and so far I have been able to keep up with that.  I just got a journal for my newest baby, Lucy, and I really enjoyed sitting down to write yesterday.  I already have so many sweet memories with my new daughter, and one of them is my Dad!  I have treasured and loved the experience I have had of introducing my children to their Poppy.  My Dad really seems to come down to earth, and get really sober and sincere when he has held my children.  Watching him hold Lucy for the first time was a neat experience for me, and afterward he commented on what a spiritual experience it was for him to hold her.

We go over to visit (except when we have a new baby we're keeping out of the cold!) at least once a week and it is so much fun!  Lately it has cracked me up to watch my Dad my children.  The other day my brother Ammon found this little alligator bank at DI and bought it because it was just like one we had as kids.  It is this ceramic bank, the alligator is sitting and his mouth is open and happens to be where you drop your coins in, if you dare to put your hand into and open alligators mouth!  :)  My son James was toting that bank around and making my Dad nervous, he was so worried James would drop it.  In one final act of desperation, and after several lengthy explanations, my Dad decided to give James a very visual lesson. He grabbed the bank and said "James, look how easy this could break!" and with that he grabbed the head of the alligator and ripped it off.  James looked very confused as Poppy was giving this demo and I was laughing my head off!!!  Oh Dad!

Tonight my Mom (love you Mom!) and I were talking about him and she was saying how hard it is to notice his progress because she is there to watch that pot as it slowly comes to a boil.  Really though, he is doing a lot better since last Thanksgiving.  Last year he sort of felt to me like Brian Regan looks when he talks about Pluto---okay you'd have to see that---but he felt to me like someone floating around in the air with not a clue about what was going on.  This year he is still not, not, not, not, not, not at all himself, but he really has improved.  He seems to be able to follow along a little better and seems to have way more of "a clue" than he ever has before.  So even though I expect he never will be "Dad" again that he was, I hope and I pray for continued progress in his on-going and life-long recovery.

The hard thing is being reminded of the way he was.  But who am I to complain?  I am not living with a TBI so I feel silly for even saying that.  I miss my Dad a lot.  I will have him back one day, I know it.  I am really excited for that.  I love reading the scriptures and feeling how much compassion the Savior had for the sick.  I love to read how He healed them.  Each account is so miraculous and I can't help but wonder what it will be like to see my Dad's healing take place, and to wonder what it is I will write down about that.