My Dad

Today is Father’s day and I had to teach sharing time at church today.  After a lesson on the Holy Ghost we made cards for our Dads and handed out a “How well do you know your dad” list of questions.

When the boys and I got home from church we made cupcakes that looked like owls then the boys filled out their answers to the questions.  We sat down with Roger and we all said our answers then Roger gave us the correct answer.  It was fun, I even learned a few things about Roger that I didn’t know.  When he was a kid he spent  a week in the hospital in a oxygen tent and when he was in Saudi Arabia he had a very high temperature and stumbled to the medic and was immediately put on an iv.  Band of Brothers is his all time favorite movie.    So each of the boys got a cupcake if  they could answer one question correctly about their dad because they were deemed a Wise Guy if they got the answer right.  We gave Roger a card that said “Happy Father’s Day to a Wise Guy!”

Well this got me thinking about my own dad and all the things I don’t know about him. So I called him and with my list of questions in hand, some of his answers I expected and some I was surprised about.  For all my siblings here is what he said:

Who is he named after? Dennis for a trumpet player grandma had a crush on in the 20’s or 30’s and O'Neil for his Dad’s brother Uncle O'Neil.

What is his favorite cereal? cheerios

Where was he born?  Santa Monica, CA

Are his parents members of the church? their work is done

How old was he when he got married? 21

What is his favorite flavor of ice cream? Neapolitan

Would he rather visit a mountain hideaway or a beach house?  both you know he loves to explore

What is his favorite movie? Avatar

What is the sickest time he has ever experienced?  Ulcers in 3rd grade till he was a junior in high school, he said it was so painful and the doctors would have him take aspirin for it.  Then when he was 17 they cut out 3/4 of his stomach.

What does he do in his spare time? invent /create

What is his favorite song? If I can dream by Elvis Presley and Don’t take my love away unsure of who sings it he said it is kind of reggae.

What has been his happiest moment?  Spending time with the kids “They are my best friends!”

Who are 2 of his  best friends? grandkids

What is his favorite sport?  racing planes “right now they are in NY they fly all over the world in a race”

How many brothers/sisters does he have? 3 brothers

What hardships has he overcome? Being brought up poor so he wanted things, a lot.  He has have overcome his want mostly.

What does he enjoy most in life?  His kids/grandkids and church

Regrets?  He didn’t realize his best friends as much as he wanted to.  Would like to have treated my kids the way I treat my grandkids.

My dad is a kind-hearted, loving person.  He was hard on us at times but I never doubted his love for me.  He taught all of how to work hard and to have pride in our work. Love you Dad, Happy Father’s Day!