1. I used to hold just his pinky instead of his whole hand when I was little.
2. I would sit and comb his hair for hours. I would use a warm cup of water, a comb, and those little rubber bands for braces most of the time. When he got sick, I would comb his hair then too... it was his favorite thing.
3. He and Nana rarely went on vacations without us when we were kids. They said they just missed us when we weren't there. I feel the same way about my boys, I want then to experience everything with us.
4. Papa loved frosties from Wendy's. He would always order them "Extra thick with just a little bit of chocolate." I was in college when I found out that they are from a machine. I guess Daddy thought everyone made shakes like they did at A&W. I never did have the heart to tell him.
5. He loved to read, but I am pretty sure he rarely finished an entire book because he was always reading so many at a time. Although, he would skim most of it and highlight various sections. Ahhh, yellow highlighters.
6. He always had a pocket full of pens and pencils. I rarely had to bring crayons to church because I knew Daddy would have plenty of utensils for me to draw with. Whenever Christian is imitating Papa, he will clip a bunch of pens to his shirt.
7. He once had a perm, he also once didn't have a mustache. I don't remember either of those looks. (Thank goodness).
8. Things in Papa's pocket: Cinnamon Trident, Chapstick (usually strawberry), fingernail clippers, coin purse (A little black leather thing he got from his Dad), pocket knife, keys, wallet, and pens.
9. He hated to throw anything away. For example, when I was a kid, I decided to start a rubber-band collection. It was the biggest collection in the entire school because my Dad never threw away a single rubber band from the newspaper. (I also has the longest paper-clip snake).
10. Songs my Dad would sing that annoyed us when we were kids: "It's a Beautiful Morning," his little diddy would wake us up in the morning. "Don't Worry, Be Happy," I remember him singing this to me in the old brown pick-up truck on the way to school.
11. He did not particularly like dance recitals or plays, but he never missed one of mine. Even if it ran for a week.
12. He never shied away form having his picture taken- even when wearing a big fish on his head, dressed a Snow White, or in a bathing suit.
13. Speaking of bathing suits, he never put sunscreen on very thoroughly. He would get handprints on his stomach and streaks down his arms and legs. I also remember him always having sunburned tops of his feet.
14. He love to wear baseball caps. I remember when he had some made to advertise his Orthodontic practice in the 80's and he would wear them everywhere, They were the big ones that are now only associated with truck drivers. (There were also matching windbreakers).
15. Okay, I admit it. He did all of my Science Fair projects. But, I was so good at presenting them, that we never lost. (What a team!)
16. When he would get mad, he would start to organize. The sound of paper being stacked up still makes me nervous.
17. We loved to watch infomercials together. We would make fun of things that looked silly, imitate the horrible acting, and order the things we just couldn't live without. He got me something off of an infomercial every Christmas, even when he was really sick.
18. He cried when his parents died, when my Mom was sick, when Spencer died, when he was diagnosed with cancer, and when I left for college. He was not ever overly emotional, but wasn't ashamed to cry over what was important to him. I am proud to be on that list.
19. He was a hard worker. A REALLY REALLY hard worker. No matter what he decided to do, he worked hard at it and didn't give up. Yet, he didn't judge those who didn't work as hard as he did... what a wonderful trait.
20. When I was a little girl, I asked him what his favorite color was. He said "I don't know." I begged him to tell me. He said, "Well, I don't know. Brown I guess." Brown? Brown?? I was totally traumatized. I thought it would be blue for sure! Only dirt is brown!
21. He loved gadgets. Cameras, computers, anything with batteries. We never had an outdated electronic. (and yes, all of the manuals were highlighted).
22. He taught me how to drive. I am pretty sure it was the single most terrifying moment of his life. He did get a little frustrated with me parallel parking. I still can't do it to this day.
23. I used to love when he would let me climb up the ladder onto the roof with him. I always felt safe with him nearby.
24. He was scared of spiders. If Mom was around, she was the spider-killer.
25. He had a great sense of humor. He loved Mr Bean and Jay Lenno-especially the headlines. He also liked to tell jokes. My favorite was: "Mom and I were driving to Albuquerque last weekend and we were behind an ambulance. There was a big bump in the road and the back flew open and a box fell out. I tried to get their attention, but they didn't see me. I pulled over and saw that the box was styrofoam. I was curious, so I opened it up. There was ice and a bag of human toes!" Then the listener asks: "What did you do?" Dad said: "I called a Tow Truck." This is the part where we all realized he was joking and cracked up. Not all of his jokes were this funny, some weren't funny at all, but we loved to hear him tell them.
26. He loved the gospel and the church. He blessed me when I was a baby, baptized me, and was a witness at my wedding. He was also there for both Christian and Owen's blessings as well as numerous father's blessings and prayers.
27. He was very thoughtful. He would always send flowers to my Mom and me on special occasions. One of my favorite gifts from him was a hook to hang my garbage bags on because I always had one hanging on the drawer knob. Who else would notice something like that?
28. One word: Perfectionist.
29. He liked little dogs. He doesn't seem like a dog guy, but I will always remember how much he loved Muffin (our little Yorkie when I was growing up) and even Clark. Although, he hated when Clark would try to take off his socks. He would sit and say "No...no...no...no..." over and over in a monotone voice. So I would have to yell "NO!" so that Clark would leave the poor man alone.
30. He was my greatest example of charity. He love unconditionally, never speaking ill of others. He gave of his time, talents, and resources to anybody who needed it. He Loved Christian, Owen and Brea so much. I will miss him. I am sad that my kids will not get to know him in person.
