Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day this year I asked my children to share with me some of their memories of their Dad. I took their ideas and made a little Father's Day booklet for George.

I wanted to share an abbreviated & edited version of what they sent me.

Mary said: Once I started thinking I couldn't stop thinking of all the wonderful things dad has done with us over the years!!

We had the tradition that one parent would take a kid to do something special. When my turn came around, I decided I wanted to go see the movie “Father of the Bride” with dad. Dad and I went to see the movie and afterward I announced that I wanted a wedding like that! I believe that dad fell over backward when I made that announcement and his expression said it best. Luckily I had the wedding of my dreams, thanks dad!

Anytime dad sits at the piano and even today, I usually try and sit with him as he plays his song, I can't ever remember the name but I know the tune. In the old days dad would reach around me to hit certain notes and tickle me but the best part of sitting on that bench with dad at the piano is knowing how much he cares about us and that at anytime we can go to him for help. Love you dad!!

Matt said:The pinewood derby will always give me great memories of what an amazing dad you are. I remember wanting you to do the majority of the work so that it was that much more likely that I would win. The only work that you did was the saw, that I was too young to use, and helped me mount the wheels and weights. I think one of the things that sticks out the most in my mind is me wanting to be done sanding the car and you going over it and showing me the spots where I hadn't done as thorough a job. And even though I didn't take first place, the fact that you had given as much of the workload that was safe to me, made me feel better about coming in second.

It's funny now, but was not a laughing matter, when you learned the hard way that it wasn't a good idea to try and keep up with me on a mountain bike. I remember getting through that tougher section of trail and thinking that I had been lucky to make it unscathed going as fast as I had. The next thing I heard was bike tires sliding in the dirt and then a pretty loud groan like you had just gotten punched. By the time I made it back to you, you were as white as a ghost and in obvious pain. You kept your cool and I would have never guessed that you had actually broken something. Now, after I have suffered the same injury, it reinforces how level headed and patient of a father you really were. In that kind of pain I could see myself really laying into the person that was somewhat to blame the fact that I had fallen.

Johnny said: One story I like is when we played the car game when we were driving around Europe. We would each take turns saying, I get the 11th car that passes. And we would count and we always got nice BMW’s and Porsches, then after a while dad said he wanted to play so he said he gets the 5^th car that passes. And we counted # 1 BMW # 2 Ferrari # 3 Porsche # 4 BMW. And then #5 came around the corner and it was a farm truck with barrels of hay.

Things I love about Dad:

1. He always seems to know the answer to everything.

2. He almost never yells or gets really angry.

3. He has a positive outlook and never shows his disappointment.

4. He is calm and relaxed

5. He loves soccer

6. He’s always there to help with any problem

7. During trips he always tried his best to give us what we wanted, etc. ice cream, boating

8. He’s a hard worker

9. If his computer chair came to life it would thank him for all the use.

Scott said: One of my best memories of Dad was when he baptized me. I was very nervous beforehand, especially when they opened up the wall to the baptismal font so that everyone could see. Dad's words were so peaceful and I remember feeling very calm during the baptism. I will never forget that experience. Another of my best memories of dad and me was when we went to Bordeaux for the World Cup game. I remember how small the plane was from Barcelona. I had never been on a plane so small. The bus ride from the hotel to the game was crazy. There were Croatians chanting and the bus was entirely full. I remember the first thing that I noticed once we were inside was that all the Romanian players had bleached their hair, so they all looked like me. Even though the game was only 1-0, it was very entertaining. I think my best memory of that trip was the train ride home. It was great seeing the French countryside while talking with dad, even though I had my Nintendo and played it all the time. But all in all, it was a great trip.

Marilyn said: This picture of George really says it all for me. Notice that he is carrying my backpack and holding my big drink and posing for a picture when he didn't want to. He is always willing to help me with anything from a computer problem to reaching something on a high shelf to helping me with YW stuff. He is a great husband and Dad to our children. I love you!