Just Another Day in Paradise: To My Dad: Happy Father's Day

Not a day goes by that I don't miss my dad. An amazing person and a wonderful father, I still can't believe he's gone. Airplanes in the sky, a classic rock song on the radio, the smell of freshly cut grass, my boys playing and laughing together--something, someone reminds me of him every day. While it hurts at times, I am so grateful for these experiences. It keeps him alive for me, reminds me why I love him so much and why I strive every day to be the kind of person he always knew I could be.

So, to celebrate Father's Day, here are 26 things I remember about my Dad--from A to Z.

Air Force. My father was in the Air Force for many years working with their missiles department.

Artistic. Dad loved to doodle and draw and had a very unique style of drawing. He was always drawing plans for the next project, the next nifty thing he was going to make or build. He would even draw on our paper lunch bags before we left for school.

Dad with me (Heather) and Chad (1985)

Bike. My dad LOVED to ride his bicycle and rode a number of centuries. I remember when I was younger and dad coming home from a long bike ride smelling of sweat and wearing his biking gear.

Dad, Heather, and Chad at Disney World (I think)

Creative. Whether it was making dinner, doing school projects, or just playing around, Dad was very creative. Example? He designed and sewed a tree with a snake wrapped around it that would fit over a grown man, and the person inside could control the snake. Way cool.

Cook. He loved to cook.

Camera. Dad loved to take pictures of anything, but especially his kids. He took religious care of his cameras and especially his lenses which we were, obviously, never allowed to touch. I'm still paranoid about accidently touching the lens on my camera.

Dad, Heather and Chad (1985)

Dad. My father loved being a dad. Even when he was tired, he would play with us. He was the one who got in the pool to swim with the kids. He was the one who would push us on the tire swing. He took his calling as father very seriously and every week we would have "interviews" on Sunday where he would meet with each child individually just to check in. We talked about our day, what made us happy, school, the Gospel, everything.

Dad with Chad, Heather, Amy, and Laura at Knotts Berry Farm, CA

Engineer. Dad went to school and became a Mechanical Engineer. You could tell, too, because he loved to build things or take them apart and he always seemed to have some idea as to how everything worked.

Dad, Chad, Heather, Amy, and Laura at the park

Family. He loved his family. He would always talk about his parents, siblings, and his immediate family with love and respect. It was the most important thing to him and it showed.

Dad, Chad, Heather, Amy, and Laura roasting marshmallows on the beach

Gospel. Dad lived and breathed the Gospel. He read his scriptures and prayed often. He led us in family prayer and Family Home Evening where he taught us about the Gospel. I never doubted he knew that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was true and he encouraged us to live it in such a way that we wanted to.

Dad and Heather (1983)

Halloween with the Family (1988)

Happy. He was always happy. Even when he did have a particularly good day or something was on his mind, he never took it out on us or Mom. He was genuinely happy and it showed.

Dad shaving with Jason

Intelligent. There really wasn't a question I asked that he didn't either know the answer to or know how to find the answer. In my young mind, my father was infallible.

The family with the Allred Grandparents in front of the D.C. Temple

Japan. Dad served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. He learned the language while he was there.

Engagement picture 1980

Dad 1980

Kites. Dad loved kites. We built a few together and one of our favorite things to do on a windy weekend was to fly them together.

Knives. Dad had an obsession with pocket knives and collected them. He even designed and made some!

The family in Wright Patterson Air Force Base when Mom graduated from the College of Nursing at Wright State University

Love. He was a very loving man. He made sure to tell us that he loved us at every opportunity. He gave us hugs before he left for work each morning, He was affectionate to my mom in front of us.

Mom and Dad in the Bahamas on our family cruise (2000)

Models. He loved to build model airplanes. He would often design his own. I remember going out into the garage at night and he would be working on his airplanes, carefully cutting out the balsa wood and materials he needed.

The family sending Chad off on his mission to Russia (2000)

Nice. He was genuinely nice and kind to everyone he met. Didn't matter if he knew you or not, he was nice to you.

Preparing Thanksgiving meal (2000)

Obsessive. Dad was obsessive with things like hanging up your wet towels after you had a shower or not "exercising the car windows" for no reason, or not wearing your shoes in the house. We kids hated it!

Dad and Chad (1984)

Priesthood holder. He was a righteous Priesthood holder and took those responsibilities seriously. He gave us blessings when we were sick or at the beginning of a school year, he diligently when Home Teaching, and he fulfilled his Church callings. He was a great example.

Dad and Amy sleeping (1985)

Quiet. I don't remember my dad yelling very often at all. Usually he was very soft-spoken.

Mom and Dad. Chad and Heather on Mother's Day (1984)

Resourceful. Dad was an Eagle Scout and loved to do things like camping and hiking. He was great with tents, knots, fires, and cooking outside. If you were camping, you would want him to be there.

Dad and Amy at the Hospital right after Amy was born (1985)

Silly. He had the strangest sense of humor and told the most off-the-wall jokes.

Dad and Heather rafting down the river in Florida (1987)

Dad and Heather at the Hospital right after I was born (1983)

Tall. Dad was tall. 6 feet 2 inches. That's pretty tall.

Dad and Chad before a camp-out

On my Birthday! (1983)

Understanding. I think I could have told my dad just about anything and he would have been very understanding. I remember when I rolled into another car in the parking lot one day and I called Dad crying. I told him I was in an accident and his first question was, "Are you okay?", not "How bad is the car?"

Dad and Amy

Dad and Chad about to go for a ride

Valiant. He stood up for what he believe was right, even when it wasn't easy. I knew I could always trust him to act according to his values, no matter who was watching (or who wasn't).

Dad in the pool with Chad, Heather, Amy, and Laura

Dad blessing one of the kids with Uncle Brad and Grandpa Allred

Well-liked. Everyone liked my dad.

Cutting down our Christmas tree (1989)

Disney World (1989)

Extra mile. He never did anything halfway. If he was going to do it, it was going to be done right and would be quality work. It showed in his work away from home and his work inside the home.