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-law1. 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!
We slept in today until 10 am! It was glorious!!! Until I realized that one, the free breakfast we had acquired last night for simply finding out one of the phones didn't work, was only until 11:30 and two, that Kimmy might not have enough time to go para sailing. She was so excited to go and tried to talk me into coming but luckily I didn't have enough time to go before my afternoon meetings started. So we hurried downstairs for breakfast where we met the nicest waitress who thought Kimmy was 16. She nearly fell down when she found out Kimmy was married and that I had a two year old. Guess we have ageless genes. After feasting yet again, I headed off to my meetings (very interesting...using stories for evaluation and research) and my mom and sister headed to the pool for one last attempt at a tan. It was FREAKING hot this day! I tried to get a picture of Tampa Bay from our hotel room but my camera lens kept fogging up from the heat and humidity. Even the Floridians were saying it was miserable and record heat. 
My mom and sister dropped me off at the airport (with plenty of time to sit on my butt too I might add) and they headed into Tampa for another day of fun at the Lowery Zoo. Now that I've seen the pictures Kimmy took I am so mad I couldn't stay another day! They had baby hippos, elephants, monkeys, white tigers, manatees, zebras, everything! Bummer. I got to Atlanta (my favorite city, NOT) waited for my layover to get done and headed into Salt Lake. Normally I sleep on flights, even in the day but tonight I decided to read the book I had brought with me, "Band of Brothers." Jeff had read it and then we borrowed the mini-series from my brother (which we still haven't taken back) and kept telling me to read it. But with school I never wanted to read anything. I couldn't put it down and I'm sure annoyed everyone around me because I was the only person on the plane with their reading light on. Oh well. I finished the book yesterday and now want to watch the mini-series again. If you get the chance, you should pick it up at the library!
Walking out of the terminal was a temperature shock to say the least! While I was enjoying sunny Florida, Utah was in another week of cold and rain. I nearly froze trying to find my car as I wandered up and down the parking lot at midnight! It's always good to be home and I always get butterflies in my tummy as I pull into the driveway. Knowing I get to see my totally awesome Super Hero husband and adorable little girl just makes me tingle inside! Now the pile of laundry, dirt on the floors, toys strewn about, and dishes in the sink aren't so exciting but that's the price you pay for fun.
Sigh, only one more night in Florida. Today's agenda was the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. I'm not really sure what my mom and sister did all day - remember I did have meetings to go - but we made it to the aquarium on the Jolley Trolley for a couple hours of fun. The aquarium wasn't very big, in fact it was tiny but this was awesome because we could get so close to the animals. The aquarium is more like a rehabilitation center and all the animals there were injured too badly to be released back into the wild. Each had an amazing story of survival! 
Winter was a tailess dolphin who had been fitted with a prosthetic tail and was learning how to swim with it. The other dolphins had been injured by boats or sharks. There were a whole bunch of sea turtles. A couple were blind and would just swim in circles around their tanks until they hit a wall then would turn the other way. Another turtle had lost it's front flippers in a boating injury and couldn't swim very well. Then there was this turtle who would float up to the top of the tank butt first because some retard fisherman had dropped it on it's shell and paralyzed the poor thing. It was kind of funny to see it bob up to the top butt first but really sad at the same time because it had to work really hard to swim under the water.
Stubby
Bailey
Cocoa
Of course there were a couple of lazy otters, sharks, and some sting rays too. I tried linking to each of their individual stories after their pictures, so hopefully you can read more about each one of these amazing creatures. The aquarium is a must-see for a relaxed and close encounter with some really special animals. Oh and they actually had a nice gift shop. I even found a book called Pearlie the Oyster for Pearl! I'm sure she won't think it's nearly as cool as I do, finding a book with her name in it but maybe someday.
First of all, what's with giant animal statues? And second of all, what draws people to getting their picture with them?
Kimmy pulling her best scared face at the sharks.
After the aquarium we went back to Sand Key Beach to play and watch the sunset. As we were heading up to our room I spied the perfect souvenir for Kimmy. She had been searching up and down Clearwater for a pelican something and hadn't found anything and had practically given up. I spotted the cutest pelican hidden in our hotel gift shop. Kimmy owes me BIG time now!
On the beach another quirky side of my family became apparent. My mom is the worst example when it comes to skin cancer prevention! She bought "tanning lotion" or SPF 4 sunblock! And the day before, my sister begged her to put some sunblock on her before heading to the beach during prime-fry time and my mom said that a few minutes in the sun wouldn't hurt and that she wouldn't put any sunscreen on her unless she stripped down to her bikini (which meant no board shorts). Ha! My mom never encourages us to use sunscreen, even as kids... it's always my dad reminding us! What a goon! Out of fear that I wouldn't be able to move the next day after seeing several blistering red bodies the first day in Florida, and that the Cancer Control Program at work would find out I didn't use sunscreen and chew me out, I regretfully came home just as pasty white as when I went. At least I won't get skin cancer, right?
The sunset was gorgeous! No clouds to block it and boy was it fun to watch. Seriously, it's been so relaxing to just sit on the beach. Now I remember why I would go to Bear Lake every week back in my single days (only then I actually was tan, skinny, and bikini body worthy). 
After the beach, we decided to splurge on room service... getting $80 worth of pasta, crab cakes, and key lime pie. Yummy! And the best part of it was that we also got complimentary breakfast buffet tickets ($14 each) for the next morning because when we tried to call our phone wouldn't work. How cool! The Sheraton Sand Key really was great...free wireless Internet as part of my conference and now a free breakfast.
This was the day I was really naughty and snuck out of my afternoon meetings for a full agenda as a tourist. Plus I went to lunch on the beach and watched my sister and mom play in the ocean (needless to say my attempt to get my white legs some color failed, ). Of course this was a strategic move on my part... the last session didn't look that great and I had to get in my "must sees" at some point.
First up on the agenda was taking the Jolley Trolley to the Dolphin Encounter Tour boat ride. Guaranteed dolphin sightings or another free tour. Apparently seeing two dolphins counts as the guarantee. Oh well, it was a nice ride around Clearwater Beach and Kimmy was super excited to see all the pelicans. I'm not sure why she finds them so cute, something about living in Alaska a couple years ago. 
We also saw this enormous yacht and wondered what the owners did for a living to buy a million+ dollar house on water! Must be drug dealers :) 
Kimmy melting in the heat while waiting for the tour to begin.
It's the off season for tourists (consequently it's also hurricane season) and we only had a few other people on the tour with us so I practically lounged on the benches and enjoyed the cool ocean breeze. Note to self, despite its cooling factor in 100+ degree and high humidity weather, skirts are not a good idea for the beach... unless you actually enjoy some creeping tour guide making comments about your skirt blowing around in the wind and practically over your head! Bet it was a shock to see garments underneath instead of what most women wore on the beach!
Clearwater is on an island, about an hour or so from Tampa. We had to cross one bridge to get to Clearwater then another one to get to our hotel. Being a Utah girl whose only been surrounded by mountains her whole life, I found the bridges beautiful and a bit freaky. I was amazed that some engineer could actually come up with a plan to build a bridge over the ocean. I just had to snap a picture, plus Kimmy kept asking me to take pictures of the cool bridges!
After our tour we decided to find Frenchy's Original Cafe and try a world famous grouper sandwich. Kimmy was a chicken (literally, she ate chicken nuggets most days we were in Florida) and wouldn't try the delicious beer battered and fried fish sandwich. I'm not a big fish fan myself but hey, everyone said it was a must do and it was well worth the walk. 
Bonus too, there was a gift shop right next door and my sister and mom were hankering to spend some $$. We spent more money walking to Frenchy's and back to the Pier than the entire trip combined!
What's a trip to the beach without a piggy-toes-in-the-sand picture?
After spending all of our cash, we plopped down to watch the sunset.
I can't even begin to describe how much I loved sitting in the sand, slight breeze, watching the ocean. It was heaven-sent, a perfect way to relax, and something I desperately needed. It was amazing how good it felt to just enjoy being in the moment... apparently I need to take up meditation or yoga to de-stress more often or better yet, buy a condo in Florida!
I actually worked a full day today, sitting in lots of meetings (with the sneak out to during lunch to lounge in the sunshine) and soaking up lots of new knowledge. Afterward I plopped down in front of the TV - we don't have cable so I am always fascinated by Discovery, HGTV, the Food Network, and TLC shows given the chance to see them (which reminds me, what happens to Jon and Kate?) - and tried to wait patiently for my mom and sister to get in. What I didn't expect was for them to bring the rainy weather from Utah to my glorious paradise! As soon as they got to Clearwater, the clouds rolled in, it started to rain, and the lightening began to dance off the ocean. It was actually kind of cool to watch which is saying a lot for me considering that I am scared of thunderstorms. Long story...
My sister was fascinated by the palm trees and insisted on getting a picture with one. I'm not sure why, but (brace yourself) I wasn't really in the picture taking mood this trip. I guess I was more excited to just relax and enjoy myself. It became fairly obvious by the end of our trip too because I was slacking on the picture taking and couldn't seem to get a single shot of myself that I liked. Maybe it was the makeup dripping off my face from the heat, or my lack of stretching out my mouth before a picture was taken (yes, I'm weird and stretch out my mouth so I can smile big), or the fact that I seem to like less and less my smile (and body for that matter...especially with all the hottie-tottie tan bikini bods running around everywhere, and I do mean everywhere), or my out of control curly hair with the humidity, or who knows what but whatever the reason the pictures just don't do justice how much fun we had.We skipped the sunset at Pier 60 and instead strolled along Sand Key Beach next to the resort. Kimmy turned into a five-year-old when she found a bucket and shovel and started to make a sandcastle.
Once my mom started falling asleep on the beach we figured it was time to hit the sack. Well, my mom and sister went to bed. I however, stayed up way too late as usual when I travel, watching these amazing cake decorators and crazy fishermen on TV. Flipping back and forth between the Food Network and Discovery until almost 1 am! And that was after staying up the night before until almost 2 am! My body just gets so messed up with a two hour time difference and since I stay up late anyway, I was really out of whack. Oh well, if you're going to "party like a rock star" as Jeff and Pearl were at home, you might as well go all out and totally wear yourself out, right?
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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!
