Father's Day with Jamie's Dad

I usually mail a nice card or a stylish t-shirt to my dad for father’s day. This year I was able to travel to his home to make him food and spend time with him. It was a great fathers day. To be specific it was wonderful because the stories of the day truly highlight the kind of man my father is. He asked for gluten-free scones for breakfast, which I made and topped with boysenberries mixed with Greek yogurt. My mom put together a fresh fruit salad with lemon and mint flavors to add a kick to the fruit. During breakfast we talked about the previous night in which my dad got to play with his trucks and toys with the children of Kaity and Danny (Sienna’s sister’s kids). My dad loves to have kids around; I’d say boys especially because he can play with his rokenbok and hot wheels. He spent breakfast talking about trying to get them to come back and play. When we went to church I was happy that my dad was a speaker on the sacrament program. He talked about D&C 93:40 “But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.” with examples of the blessings and struggles and love that comes from raising children in the gospel. His talk was really good! Listening to him speak made me proud and humbled to have a father who strives to remain a constant force for priesthood service. Of course I had my years of strife with him, and by years I mean almost 25 years, but now we see each other in a respectful relationship. The members of my home ward were also impressed with the logical flow of his talk and came to talk to him afterwards and to welcome me home for the weekend. For the balance of the afternoon my dad and I watched the end of movies (Last of the Mohicans and Dances with Wolves) before going on a walk along the Santa Ynez River to find a swimming hole. We weren’t going swimming but we were looking so that he could take boy scouts there later. He even mentioned before we left the house, “this is tax deductible if I end up taking the scouts to the river.” Now that is my dad, always looking for the money saving opportunity! At night I taught him to burn mp3 cds for all his music and we made Cuban black bean jambalaya with the random foods he had in his fridge. The whole day was classic Rick Nichols. He has a desire to discuss his random interests in: social politics, taxes, music, food, recycling, other peoples children and his own kids. I love my dad!