Birthday Wishes

Happy birthday to my Pa! 

He is one of my very favorite people :)

Pa and Grandma at BYU graduation last April.

Here are my top 10 things I love about my Pa:

1. He helped raise my mom! He taught her to work hard, to love a lot, and much about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. He is a hard worker! My Pa is always working and puts in 100% to whatever he is doing. During dental school breaks, it was not uncommon for him to be working 2+ jobs to earn extra money and to make things more comfortable for his family.

3. My Pa served our country! Pa served in the Korean War on the B-29 bombers (bomb-bers!). He enlisted after high school and quickly worked his way up, ultimately joining a LDS crew and headed out to Korea. Thanks for protecting our country :)

4. He makes me feel special. Whenever I come and visit, he takes special interest to ask me how I'm doing and what is going on in my life. He cares about me and let's me know he looks forward to my next visit!

5. He spoils his grandkids. It's no secret Pa likes to take us to 7-11 for a big gulp! We could just about put anything on that counter and he'd buy it for us. He always took us to play minute golf, arcades, out to eat, and grew us special pumpkins to carve at Halloween!

6. My Pa is selfless. He is always more worried about other people than himself. He takes such good care of Grandma and Uncle Bryan. He goes out of his way to make sure they are taken care of and happy.

7. My Pa is a great dentist!!! I never understood why people would say they hate going to the dentist! I never did :) Going to the dentist meant going to Pa's office, getting to play with rubber gloves and face masks, and getting a toy out of the treasure box. I loved having my grandpa as my dentist. He always is patient with me as I ask about the tools or procedures or when I get nervous. A big congrats to him for just retiring after over 50 years!!!

8. He is sarcastic! I love how he plays around with us and other people. He is able to keep such a straight face; it's amazing! We have very fun and interesting adventures at Dan's :)

9. My Pa takes the time to make sure he has a special relationship with each of his kids and his grandkids. He knows each one of us well, what makes us happy, how he can help us, and how to each make us special. I know he makes me feel important :)

10. He teaches me things! I like to sit and talk with him about life, about money, about school, etc. I value his wisdom and years of experience.

I love you, Pa!

Taken today at his birthday lunch! He loves Strawberry Shortcake!

Another picture with his two daughters (Andrea and Julie) who also have April birthdays!