Happy Father's Day, Dad and Gary!

 

Happy Father's Day--

Dad!

 My dad celebrates his birthday and Father's Day often in the same week like this year--sometimes even on the same day.  I thought I would add some "Throwback pictures" into the blog today to honor my dad and share a bit about him.  Of course I intend to go back and write my history from the start and along the way, readers would learn a lot about my dad but not sure when that will happen and most of you will not be reading THAT (aren't you glad.)  Back to my dad--

 

You can't tell in the black and white pictures but my dad has red hair.  I loved that my whole life.  The joke was that my parents had 8 kids--trying to have a red head with no luck.  (Fortunately there are grandchildren with red hair.)  And he has big brown eyes (like me!) I loved that, too. 

 

My dad was a chemist having graduated from BYU and then with a Master's from the University of Idaho.  I can remember attending that graduation and maybe it was then that I first set my goal to graduate from college and get a masters degree.  Something about the robes and hoods must have inspired me.....I liked science, too, and I was glad when I took high school chemistry in Texas that I could come home and have my dad explain things to be in a more clear way that my poor teacher who was really more of a biologist.



My dad (Richard Giberson) with me and my brother, Todd.

My dad loves games and he passed that love down to us although we all enjoy games in our own different ways.  Game playing is an important family tradition in the Giberson Family.  I learned much about World War I and II by playing war games late until the night with my dad when I was 12-14.  My parents enjoyed playing games with their friends as well and often had friends over for games and parties.  I love that too. 

My dad loved sports.  When we were little we would watch him play softball with the ward.  He taught us ping pong and badminton and other games like that.  He loved the SF Giants and he took Todd, Mike and I to a game at least once at Candlestick Park.  That was so amazing.  I learned all about football by watching games on TV with him (although I admit that I sometimes pretended to know less than I did on dates to BYU football games in college). I learned to love sports, too, and often my dad would come to watch me play for Church or at school.

My Mom and Dad in our Giberson Reunion shirts in 1994
 

My parents loved the theatre and some of my earliest memories centered around Roadshows and practices.  I was in Stake Plays (back in the old days when the Stakes did them often) and roadshows with my Dad.  I can remember the first non-Church live theatre performance that my parents took me to .  It was "Man of La Manche" and my math teacher played Sancho Panza.  It was performed by a local community theatre group.  I was captivated by the whole experience and to this day prefer life theatre over movies or most other types of entertainment.  (And I have to admit that I never quite looked at my teacher in the same way after that! My friends couldn't believe it when I told them he could sing and act and be silly--so different than his "math teacher" image.)

Karla, Dad, Jena, me, and Gary
at our St. George trip together in 2013

I guess I returned the favor by taking Dad and his wife, Karla, to Tuachan in St. George to watch a couple of plays with us.  I love the theatre.

Another thing about my dad is that he is a convert to the Church.  He joined while as a student at BYU.  He loved the Church and he served in all of his callings with his whole heart and soul.  He was a good leader and faithful in his assignments.  I love the Church too and I am so grateful for his and my mom's examples of faithful service, their testimonies, and their love for everyone.

I also like peas--just like my dad.

So you can see that my dad has had a profound affect on me and who I am and what I like.  I share many of his hobbies and joys in life.  I am so glad he is my dad and so grateful for everything he has done for me.  Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day.  I love you, Dad.

Happy Father's Day,

Gary!

This picture really didn't turn out like I wanted it, but
these are the cute people who made us parents--
and have had (and continue to have) some of the most profound effects on me
as a person and as a daughter of God.

 

Gary and I have an understanding that just because when we bear our testimony we don't share how much we love each other or how much we appreciate each other, it doesn't mean we don't.  We just choose to share that with each other at home.  It is the same way in the blog to a certain extent. but this is for history and I do want to record how grateful I am that I am sharing parenting with Gary.

 

Someone once said that the most important thing a father can do for his children is love their mother.  Gary loves me and always has my "back" no matter what type of hole I have dug for myself.  He has carried more chairs, set up more tables, run more errands, and eat macaroni and cheese more than most husbands I know.  He is my biggest cheerleader and believes that I can do anything I want to do.  If I have some crazy idea, he is there 100%.  He has taken me to the ends of the earth to places I had only dreamed about.  During the years we waited for children, he was always confident and sure--children would come at the right time in the right place.  His hope nurtured me when I was feeling hopeless.  And days when mothering was hard and discouraging, he was there, telling me I could do it.  Words can never express how glad I am to have him in my life as my companion. Hopefully my actions will do that from now to forever.....

 

He works hard to provide a life for our family and I am glad for all of the memories we have together with our kids--vacations, water fights, trips to the zoo, Scouting, and games.  Jessica was a natural at games and she and Gary would play games for hours.  Scott and Ben were lucky to have Gary to teach them a bit about fixing things (loved that Home Repair merit badge!). He was the one that could help with those English poem portfolios.  I can remember Tosha and Gary staying up late a couple of nights writing poems and laughing as they tried silly rhythms and topics. He has worked at home most of the time since Jena was a baby.  I didn't realize that impact of that until I was reading her "Cat in the Hat" one day when she was 4 or so.  When I read the line "That the mother was out for the day..", Jena asked, "Where is the daddy?".  She didn't know that dads usually went to work away from home.  In her life, I was the one running around and Gary was the one at home.  What a blessing that has been for her and for me to have him around. 

 

We love you, Gary.  Happy Father's Day.

 

And to the new fathers in our family--

Happy Father's Day to Scott and Austen

 

I have loved watching you love your own children.  As you know, we are pretty attached to these little people you are raising and we love how you adore them too.  They deserve your very best efforts and I see you are doing that.  I love it when I get texts from either of you telling me something Scarlett or Niki have done or how much you love them and your wives.  That is what they need.  Thanks to you and Happy Father's Day to you both--

 

Scott and Scarlett

Austen and Niki