A Wise Man Once Said

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

I love my Daddy and since I cannot be with my Dad today, I wanted to honor him the best way I know how. By dedicating this blog post entirely to him! I know, I know, I shouldn't have but I just wanted to show My Daddy and the rest of the world how much I love him. And I also wanted to pass along some of the wonderful life lessons that my Father has taught me. So here they are:

Things I've learned from my Dad:

1. The meaning of hard work. My dad can never sit still. He is always working on one project or another. As a kid, I used to love helping my dad with his outdoor projects (unless it involved weeding or gardening of any kind). I may have moaned a time or two when he asked me to come and help, but even at a young age, I truly did enjoy the time I got to spend with my Dad and have always looked up to him for all of the lessons he taught to me about hard work.




2. The value of a dollar $. So maybe this is a lesson I am still learning but my dad has done everything in his power to teach me how to earn and save money. Once I turned 16 I had to get a job and earn my own money to pay for my own things. Now, I may be a bit of a shop-a-holic at times but I always have my Dad to go to for financial advice and coaching. He has taken care of me financially my entire life and I have never had to go without. thanks dad!

3. How to shop. Okay, so maybe #2 and #3 perhaps seem a little contradictory. However, there is no one I would rather go shopping with than my Dad. There is no one else in the family who enjoys strolling through the mall as much as I do. I always look forward to shopping sprees with my Daddy. Not just because he buys me stuff, but because it is something that we both love to do and that we can do together.

4. How to magnify my calling. When I was younger, my dad was called to be the Bishop of our ward. I grew up knowing that on Wednesday nights, my Dad wouldn't be home until late late late because of meetings and interview. I saw him conducting meetings and winning over the hearts of Ward members with his whit. When he was in charge of taking care of the building and facilities, he never missed a snow storm or issue. He was there magnifying his calling. I have never seen him turn down a calling and nor will I ever.

5. Discipline. My parents were certainly a force to be reckoned with. If they said jump, you didn't ask how high, you just jumped! I am sure that I was not the easiest child to motivate to do chores and homework, but my parents have always had high expectations for me and I tried my hardest to live up to those expectations and it is those expectations that have gotten me to become the woman that I am today.

6. How to Laugh. My dad is HILARIOUS. Corny at times perhaps, but he can always make me laugh. Even when I'm mad at him or the world. I feel that I owe my good sense of humor to his goofiness. Maybe that's why I'm not married yet......hmm......



7. How to Love. My Dad isn't one to just simply SAY 'I love you.' My dad shows his love through his actions. Calling just to chat (even though he disguises it with an inquiry about a recent purchase or date that I've gone on). I have always known that my Dad loves me because he takes care of me and always makes sure that I am doing okay. Even being thousands of miles away, I know he is thinking of me and praying for me.







And I love you too Dad!

Counting My Steps

It's amazing to see how many steps you take in a day. It's even more shocking to see how many steps you DON'T take in a day. My office has been doing this wellness challenge. Everyone in the office has been issued a pedometer and the office has been split up into teams. Each team member reports to the team captain the totals on their pedometer each day and the first team to collectively walk a certain number of miles wins a prize. I honestly am not the most motivated team member. I really couldn't care less if I won free Jimmy Johns or a $25 Walmart gift card. However, it is amazing how motivating that little pedometer can be.

When you reach the end of the day and look and see that you have only taken 2,000 steps, it can be pretty degrading and a great motivator to get out there and go for a walk/run/whatever. So I have been making an effort to walk more. An injury I had in High School doesn't allow me to run without suffering from some serious back pain, so I just briskly walk. I have noticed a big difference between the days when I go for my walks and the days I don't. My mood is better, I feel more accomplished, energized and I go to bed with a smile on my face.

Walking is also a really great way to take time to ponder. If you read my last post, you already know that I do not own an iPod, so when I walk I take the opportunity to clear my head, then just think and ponder and make decisions and observations. One observation I made today is that walking and making the effort to at least do a little exercise fills the void that I've had ever since I graduated and stopped dancing. Dance has been such a big part of my life and now that it's gone (at least for now) I can feel it physically and emotionally. But walking helps at least a little bit to fill that void and get me out and moving again. So I urge everyone to get out there and be more active! Or at least get a pedometer....

On a lighter note, as of a couple weeks ago, I am now a Utah-licensed driver....Though I Refuse to drive like one. Period. But I am pretty sure that those who work at DMVs have some kind of code that states "Make sure that the photo on the license is as unflattering as humanly possible. No exceptions, no limits." Or something to that effect, because I definitely look DRUNK in my photo. And I was so excited to finally have a "good" license photo. Oh well. Guess I have to wait another 5 years.