Today would have been my Dads 51 birthday! In his honor I am currently playing The Beatles "Birthday" for him.
And naming some of my favorite memories of my groovy father:
1. He could sound exactly like the "I am Iron Man" at the beginning of the The Black Sabbath 'Iron Man' song. EXACTLY.
2. On our birthdays (any one's birthday) he would play a song that would have your new age sang it. And if he couldn't find a song with your age in it.. he'd play The Beatles 'Birthday'.
3. He made the best meatloaf. Or Ku Ki Kung, as he called it.
4. He also smoked the best meats, cheeses, and veggies in his outdoor smoker! Mmm.. I miss the onions, Dad!
5. He loved watching SciFi or Discovery Channel type shows. And I loved to watch them with him.
6. More of a me memory: I can remember exactly what his heart sounded like. When I was young I would lay my head on his chest. I loved to hear it. And even when I was older when I'd hug him, I'd make sure to press my head hard enough to hear it.
7. He would do "Friendly Hand" (Hand softly touching your face) and then suddenly Friendly Hand would turn into "Mean Hand"!!!! (Hand grabbing your face!)
8. Dads Question: Who's the coolest Beatle?? And Why?? A: Ringo. (with British accent) Because he's the one who wears all the rings.
9. Dad danced awesome. :) If you miss seeing it, come to one of my parties.. You'll see me dancing just like him ;)
10. He was an excellent gardener. We use to go out into the garden together with a pocket knife and some salt. We'd pull up some veggies and cut into them right there.. add a little salt and MMmmmm.. I loved it!
11. Him making everyday English words into made up French words.
12. On Christmas, he'd always claim that the biggest and best toys were his.
13. He could fix anything.
14. Speaking of which, my mom once put spaghetti down the disposal.. and it totally clogged. My Dad went down into the basement to clean it out.. and came back upstairs covered in the spaghetti! Oh man! It wasn't funny then, but we all learned to laugh about it now. :)
15. My Dad was very good with electronics. He was so happy I was dating Brandon, because he could talk electronics with him.
16. Dad was a skilled craftsman.
17. Army of Darkness. That is all.
18. He loved Frank Zappa. And believed he ruled the heavens.
19. But I'm pretty sure he had a man crush on Elvis.
20. Dad would play a game with us when he had to drive us to school from Orem. He would have his music on and make us guess who was singing for money. It was a fun game..
21. He owned like every movie. Even the ones that sucked.
22. He loved his animals. He took very good care of all of them. I wish we could have taken Pax and Corkie when he died. I'm sure we would take better care of them.
23. Zuma! Hail to the King!
24. Camping! SO many memories there!
25. Dads idea of a good gift was Meat. Cheese. Pickles. Crackers. And I thought so too.
26. I didn't know this when Dad was alive, but after he passed we inherited all his "junk" (junk that we treasure) from his "Lovely" wife. And in all the stacks of paper I found Birthday cards. Christmas cards. Get Well Soon cards. From EVERYBODY! He saved them all. It makes me cry to think of it.
27. He could blow smoke rings and do the French inhale. I loved it.
28. Dad was always convinced I was going to elope. But then he was also convinced I would just live with partner, like Quintin.
29. I loved my Dads hair. When he grew it long, it had the best wave in it. And the BEST color. His hair would make anyone jealous.
30. I do remember my Dad always taking the time to kiss my mother. Sometimes a big dip would accompany it.
31. Dad always took time for family. He loved them all very much. Even when they effed up.
I'm going to stop with that. I have SO many more memories. I truly had the best dad in the whole world! Although I miss him more and more each day, it's comforting to know he is with my future children and future nieces and nephews. He is always with us. Watching over each of us. And although my Dad loved with his whole heart, I think I feel his love more now.
What are your favorite memories about Dad?
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