In my life,  there are two people that have been through everything with me.  They have known me the longest.  They are those with whom I have the most history.  They have put up with me in both my good and bad days.  And believe me, there were some pretty bad days!  Yet they stood by me then and continue to stand by me to this day.  They are my mom and dad.

Yesterday, was my dad's birthday.  He turned sixty-freaking-nine!  Do people still get to be that old?  We celebrated by going to Isaac's favorite restaurant (Grandpa Joe is a pushover with the grandkids), The Chinese Gourmet.  Above is a picture of that event.

In honor of my dad, I thought I would post a couple of my favorite memories:  

First, I played baseball all throughout my youth.  As a father, I know how difficult it can be to put aside quality time to spend with my kids.  My dad took hours, every day, to play catch, pitch balls to me, be my catcher when I pitched (sorry), and be my coach and biggest fan all at the same time.  Those were some of the best times of my life.  After every strikeout or home run, it brought me so much joy to hear my dad screaming over all the other fans.  Thanks, dad.

My dad taught at BYU all through the years.  With that, came an unwavering support for BYU sports.  I treasure all the football and basketball games we attended together.  Cheering, cussing, laughing, crying, side-by-side, bonded us in such a way that I will treasure forever.  I look forward to continue this tradition with my kids.   

For those of you who know me, I am the antithesis of handy.  But fortunately, I have access to the worlds best handyman.  My dad can fix anything!  If he can't fix it, he will rig it so that it will miraculously work!  He cuts lawns, fixes or assembles anything one asks him to fix or assemble, and does everything else happily and without grudge.  When I have a project to complete, I can always ask my dad for help and he will clear his schedule and devote all his time to me.

Lastly, he is not only the world's greatest dad, but he is even a better grandpa.  My boys love their grandpa Joe.  When I see grandpa spending quality time and playing with my boys, I love my dad even more.  And there is no question, how much my boys love their grandpa.  My dad is my boys' hero.

And he's mine too.

Happy Birthday, Dad!