Super Heroes

After reading everyone else's "Happy Father's Day" posts, I felt a bit guilty that instead of babbling on and on about how wonderful my husband, dad, father-in-law, and grandpas were I posted about my trip to Florida. Seems kind of selfish really, I mean I did leave Jeff alone with Pearl for five days while I sat on the beach. So, to make up for my lack of gratitude for him I have decided to post the top five reasons why the men in my life are truly super heroes!

Jeff
1. I have actual proof that he is a super hero... at least at work he is!2. Jeff makes me laugh, even when I am ticked off. I hate it! We can be arguing and I could even be crying and he will say something that cracks the tiniest of smiles and then won't stop teasing about it until I burst out laughing. I think it's a defense mechanism that men learn, and which Jeff has now perfected, to get out of trouble.
3. Jeff tells me no. You might think I'm crazy for saying this but as much as I hate it and want him to be a "yes man" (you know, those husbands who do exactly what their wives say, when they say it, without arguing about it) it's better for me to have someone to tell me no. Jeff has an opinion on just about everything (you might recall previous posts about our arguments over where to hang pictures, moving the furniture, and what pillows to put on the couch) and despite the frustration that it brings sometimes, it really is a blessing to have someone in my life who knows better than me what is best at times and has the balls to stand up for it.
4. Jeff is a great dad, and when he spends five days alone with Pearl, she remembers that he really is her favorite (plus he buys her shoes). When I was pregnant he told the doctor with the most serious face I've seen that he wanted a paternity test. When the doctor looked at me like is he serious, he busted out laughing! But when that sweet baby was born, he scooped her right up (well after she was clean, let's be honest here) and kissed her tiny cheeks with the proudest, happiest smile I've ever seen on him. The only time I've ever seen Jeff tear up was when he gave Pearl her blessing. I know he'd do anything for that little girl - well except resort to letting her (or me for that matter) paint his finger nails. I'm sure he will eventually come around though!5. Jeff is full of surprises! Not only is he absolutely hilarious with his wise cracks, but he always has a surprise for me when I get home from business trips. I love the anticipation of trying to figure out what he's up to next, well most days anyway. He really surprised me when he decided to ride in the Tour de Cure and raise $840 for the American Diabetes Association two years in a row. Honestly I never thought he'd do something like that and I am so proud of him for all the hard work he put into training. I know my butt couldn't take a 70 mile ride.
6. I couldn't help myself... Jeff gets a bonus reason why he is a super hero. He is the greatest Aggie fan alive, period. Season basketball tickets for going on six years now, trip to NCAA tourneys, chatting online with other Aggie fans, never missing a SINGLE game EVER, numerous Aggie paraphernalia, and now season football tickets (he only got one though) says it all.

My Dad
1. He helped me with my math homework. I think I could stop the list right now for anyone who knew how much I hated and struggled with math growing up. Even this valedictorian knows when the credit for all those A's in algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus really came from! Too bad he couldn't help me with my biostatistics (and not because he wouldn't have, it's just a bit too far of a drive for help now)!2. My dad went to every single soccer game I played in growing up, even the ones my senior year when I sat on the sidelines in crutches with a knee brace on. That's when I knew I had the best dad in the entire world. Who else would drive to all your team's games knowing full well you'd never get to play in them and still cheer your team on?
3. He helped me build my first pinewood derby car... when I was 20! It was the best looking car out there but sadly I dropped it right before the race started and bent the wheels. I gave my dad a picture of me holding my beauty of a car and he still has it in his office at work. I love it!
4. My dad taught me how to be an honest and hardworking employee. Sadly this isn't a quality that a lot of people seem to have nowadays. My dad always said that being honest, fair, and a good worker would get you further in life than taking the easy and lazy way out. He is the first to show up and the last to leave anything and would seriously have to be close to death to not come to work one day (that or he simply has to take off all of December because he hasn't used a single sick or vacation day the entire year). What a great example!
5. He can build ANYTHING! We never had to worry about paying someone to fix things around the house because my dad just seemed to know what to do to get the washer, dryer, lights, and cars to work. He is a great carpenter, detail oriented, and a perfectionist. His talents have really come in handy when we needed a new closet, the brakes fixed, and numerous other projects. Now if he could just teach Jeff some of the finer points of fixing stuff!

My father-in-law
1. Wally is the sweetest man I have ever met! Seriously, he is such a gentleman, never says a mean thing about anyone else, and can make anyone feel welcome. One just has to watch how kids gravitate to him to know how loving he is. Within five minutes every kid in the room will undoubtedly be on Wally's lap tickling his mustache and laughing their heads off.
2. Wally is a fantastic cook! Luckily he passed on this fine talent to Jeff and I caught on quickly that I was marrying into a family of great men cooks. When Jeff and I were first married Wally cooked us dinner every Sunday and would still do that for us if we would drive to Logan every week. He literally saved our lives some weeks with all the leftovers he would send home.
3. He reminds me of Santa Claus. Don't laugh but the first time I met Jeff's parents I totally thought they would be the perfect Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. And who doesn't love Santa Claus right?
4. Wally adores Pearl! 5. He calls to check on us at least once a week. I know this might sound kind of dumb, but I find it quite comforting to know that he cares about us and likes to hear how we are doing. Usually it's the women that do the calling but Wally is the first one we talk to on the phone and always lets us know that if we need anything he will be there for us.

My Grandpa Jewkes
1. He is a master carpenter....the best around. Everyone gives him wood for Christmas or his birthday so we can get something special made. Otherwise he just gives away all his cool projects (the going price nowadays is "$60 or nothing" and the "nothing" typically wins out). He's made us a jewelry box, flower baskets that turn into pot holders, a drum, train, shelf, and table and chair set.
2. He has the best stories from when he was a kid. My grandpa was truly the town rebel and boy can his stories make you laugh!3. Grandpa has a great singing voice among other talents. He actually comes from a family of singers and actors. I remember one song as a kid "The Lumberjack" that he would sing when we went camping or at any family gathering for that matter. No one could get their voice as deep as grandpa during the chorus!
4. He served a mission after nearly 50 years of being inactive, smoking, cursing, and not having anything to do with the church. He always supported my dad's decision to go to church, serve a mission, and get married in the temple but he never showed any interest in it for himself. But the call came (a truly miraculous story for another day) and after telling the Stake President that he didn't want to pray about it for fear the answer was yes (along with a few other choice words), decided to do the hardest thing of his whole life and serve a mission in Nauvoo. When I saw him as a missionary in Nauvoo for the first time I'd never seen such a light about him. I still get tingles thinking about it!
5. My grandpa has been really brave and strong since my grandma passed away. I really wasn't sure what would happen to him after Grandma died but despite having had everything "householdly" done for him his entire life, he has picked up laundry, cleaning, and cooking (ok now so much cooking) just fine.

My Grandpa Allen
1. My grandpa sealed Jeff and I in the Logan Temple. It was the most special part of the whole day! I was the first grandchild he was able to seal, and as I like to joke his practice round because he keeps getting better and better each time one of my cousins gets married. The only things I really remember him saying were that there is a good saver (me) and a good spender (Jeff) and as long as we have one of each we should be ok; to always say three magic words - "you're probably right" (try it, it does wonders!); and specifically to Jeff that he was the luckiest guy on earth to have me!
2. My Grandpa told me to never take more than 12 credits a semester in college! It was the best advice anyone gave me. I guess seeing all the students in the counseling center who had totally burned themselves out with school and no life taught him a few things. In all seriousness though, my Grandpa has been a wonderful example of getting an education. He always encouraged me to do well in school, find something that I was passionate about and that would help others, and to continue on with my graduate work.3. He let me help him grade papers when I was a kid. I always looked forward to helping him grade papers and remember getting a big stack of old-school scantrons and marking the answers that didn't match up with his answer key. I could sit and watch him write comments to his students on their papers for hours!
4. He taught me how to work hard, even if that meant moving pipe in the scorching sun, picking potatoes on your hands and knees with a gunny sack tied around your waist, squashing the mice with your shoes as you bucked hay (that didn't last too long before I was totally grossed out) or pulling weeds among an acre of beans and corn. Geez were his gardens HUGE! Luckily my Grandpa still has some old fashioned values in him because he never let me throw hay bails into the truck... "girls were meant to have babies" as he put it.
5. He adores my Grandma. It wasn't more apparent than the past two years as my Grandma struggled with severe depression and anxiety. Ironically, my Grandpa was a psychologist and counselor, but never truly was put to the test until my Grandma got sick. He took her hands and walked her around, sat by her side, talked to her, helped her with everyday functions, and was so incredibly patient as she recovered. You could see in his eyes how much he loves her.

Bet you all wish you had super heroes in your life too!