Father's Day 2016

I think Father's Day may be one of the most underrated "Holiday's" of the year.  Compared to MOTHER'S DAY, it is almost like an afterthought.  Hallmark dedicated shelf after shelf to Mother's Day cards while Father's Day gets a couple of spots for the meager selection, most of which poke fun at fathers...  Well, today that all changes!  I'm dedicating this blog to Father's Day and in particular PETE!

Historical Photo of Pete in his early father years.  Cookie is looking hot!

Pete today!

When we decided to retire, we had a choice of options (anywhere outside of California).  Sedona, AZ was one option.  Majestic red rocks, hiking, mountain biking, the "vortex".  Prescott, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, plenty of options.  We finally decided on Saint George because it had everything we wanted...and Julie's parents lived there.  I fully realize that most of us have to go where our jobs take us.  That is important and I totally get it.  When a job no longer dictates where you live, other things become a priority.  In this case, we wanted to live nearby Julie's parents in their, and our retirements.  Cookie had always longed for family dinners on Sunday's and we were going to make that a reality.  We were doing this for "our" parents.  It turned out that we are the ones benefiting from our close proximity.

The "Twins" at Angel's Landing, Zion National Park

How many times do you get to spend several days a week with your dad?  Most people never have that pleasure.  I did not, as my father died when I was in my early 20's.  I never got to know him man to man and I wish that had not been the case.  Now Julie and I are getting to spend adult time hiking, riding, eating out and seeing movies with her father.  We laugh and we talk and most of all we appreciate this time together.

Julie's dad worked really hard raising his family, he took her to her softball practices, attended games, picked through the trash at the ball parks to recycle aluminum for her spending money.  He woke up all the kids early when they would have rather been sleeping, gave them chores and taught them responsibility.  He taught her to drive picking routes neither of them had ever been on before, more often than not getting lost.  (Sounds a bit like our hikes today) He drove her off to college with all of her belongings, attended her college games when he could and has always been there to support her no matter what.  We can never repay everything he has done for Julie and there is no expectation, he is her father.  What we can do is let him know how much we appreciate him, enjoy his company and value his opinion.  We try to do that each time we are together, and if we fail some days, hopefully this blog will let Pete know how we really feel about him and how much we enjoy our time with him.

Pete is not only a great father and father-in-law, but he is our friend.  That is exactly what we were hoping for when we moved to STG.  Oh, and Cookie has gotten her Sunday family dinners, although we always get take out so none of us has to cook.

Happy Father's Day, Pete!  We love you!

Dad and kids Part I

Dad and Kids Part II