ISSUES

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What my baby sister Aria, does for fun:






And posted by Dad on Facebook yesterday:

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"‎4-year old Aria spent some time in her bedroom and I found that her Teddy Bears were all tied up to chairs. I'm sure psychologically this is not a good thing..."

True that. True. That. =)

MEMORY MONDAY--honeymooners

{*post edit}

This may be the only picture I have of our honeymoon: just the two of us...officially married...riding off into the sunset...living the adult-life alone! I love that it perfectly captures the golden, happy mood of the whole trip.
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{And if I remember right, this picture was actually taken by a polygamist family who happened to be on the bridge at teh same time.}

Being married to Andrew really is the best.



But after my dad saw this picture, he e-mailed me a picture of his own:

He and my step-mom...on their honeymoon...on the same bridge...at the same time of day...in the same pose.

*awkward silence*




I know, right?
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The myriad of complicated emotions that surfaced for me then, all seemed to be synonymous with the word: uncomfortable at varying degrees.

Don't get me wrong. I like these guys...but...weird. Do I really need to explain myself any further here?


I'm doing my best not to let it taint our own golden glow.
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DEAR DAD,

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. Hi, Daddy. This is you, at Grandpa's funeral, in your favorite stance. You always stand like this.

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See? I have others, but I think you get the point.

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I stood next to you once, while you were in deep conversation with someone, and mimicked all of your stances right along with you. You never noticed, but I sure got a kick out if!

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Don't think I'm being disrespectful. That's not the point of this post. I'm just teasing. Don't all daughters tease their dad's idiosyncrasies? Think of it as a term of endearment....another way to express my affection. It is Father's Day, after all. Here are a few of my Father's Day ponderings:

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1.) I appreciated the treat drawer at your computer desk...that you sometimes knew I took from...and sometimes did not. There was always something yummy in there.

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2.) What fun it was to draw with Daddy's nice pens and paper at Daddy's nice drafting table! It made me feel like a real artist. I liked that.

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3.) From the times I tried to wake you up earlier then you had planned, I noticed that you always slept with the crook of your arm up over your eyes. I remember that.
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4.) Do you remember that time when you picked Becca and me up for a visit one summer? You asked what we had been up to, and I'm sure our teenage responses afforded you with as little information as possible. Then, in what I can only guess was another attempt for the lowdown, you asked if we were keeping out of trouble. Becca said yes, and I said no. You paused for a minute before declaring: I don't believe either of you! I laughed a lot at that.

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Even now, I laugh whenever I think about it.
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5.) I can't hear a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir without thinking of being at your place. You put them into the CD player every Sunday morning. It created a nice feeling in the house.

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I recently bought my own CD, in order to carry on the tradition.

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6.) You once made us sunshine eggs for breakfast, and you were so proud of yourself. I was proud of you too! I had never seen you cook a thing in your life that wasn't frozen first.

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7.) Remember long car trips? We only went on a couple thousand. I usually got bored and resorted to teasing my younger siblings with me in the back. Then the little punks would start whining and fighting and you'd angrily reach behind with the gial of stopping the contention. Remember how we kids would flatten against the card doors to escape your blindly grasping hand in search of someone...anyone to discipline?

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Remember how it just made us laugh? Those were good times.

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9.) Daddy, you always treated us well on Valentine's Day. I still have that heart -shaped box you painted for me when I was little, sitting on my dresser.

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10.) When I was three or four, I remember leaving my bed in the early mornings to find you eating breakfast before work. You always ate toast for breakfast. I'd climb up next to you on the counter, and you'd make me a piece of toast too. The magical part was when you squeezed the honey on to the bread in an "R" design...for "Rachel", of course.

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Anytime I ever put honey on my toast today, I always queeze it out in an "R" shape before spreading it around. I bet you had no idea what an impact you would have on all of my future toast-making-experiences!

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Well, I guess that's all. There are my random thoughts of you. Have a happy Father's Day, Dad. .

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Love,

Funny Face

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FAMILY FOOTBALL

I forgot to bring my camera to the annual Jolley Family Thanksgiving football game, so I stole these from my cousins. A few noteworthy events from the game:
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1. Andrew scraped himself somehow. He shrugged it off and insisted he was fine, so we continued to play. But by the time there was blood dripping down to his ankles, his teammates could hardly stand it anymore...even if he could. My cousin was kind enough to retrieve a first aid kit from her vehicle and put the rest of us at ease.

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2. I wanted to document Dad's football playing outfit for posterity (I specifically instructed a cousin to take this picture on the sly). No one else I know could pull of the combination of that hat, a Civil War weapons sweat shirt, and the long johns peeking out from under those ripped sweatpants quite like my dad. =)

My sister opted out of this year's game. She said something about standing around and waiting for, "athletically superior males to throw pity passes."
;) Oh well. I think she missed out. Blood and gore, high fashion, Perfect weather, and great company.

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DAD, I WAS THINKING ABOUT YOU THE OTHER DAY

We drove over a lot of these on our trip to Washington.

Look at what was going on in Ferndale, Washington at Hovander Park. We went to check it out before we saw it cost a significant fee to get in. No offense, but I have seen more than enough of these for free...I wasn't going to pay a cent. From what I could see from the entrance, it was sure a pretty one though.

Andrew's brother made this himself after playing with mine a few years ago. It is pretty sweet. I may have lost a game or two, and it made me long to be playing against you. I prefer to win. =)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

A favorite memory with my Dad:

I was so excited to go to this Daddy-Daughter Country Western Dance. As we were leaving at the end of the night, I begged Dad to keep dancing the new steps I had learned even after we were in the dark parking lot.

Favorite Game to Play with Dad:

(probably because he has yet to beat me...much to his chagrin)

Favorite Bedtime Song Sang by Dad:

" Home on the Range"

Favorite Treat Made by Dad:

Air-popped popcorn. He is the King. To this day, it is probably my favorite treat.

Favorite Words of Wisdom from Dad:

"If you're gonna be a turd go lay in the yard."

A Favorite Hobby of Dad's:

No Further Comment.

We went on A LOT of road trips with Dad growing up. I can just picture it now:

Ritz Crackers, Smarties, Books on Tape, The Moody Blues, Taco Bell, Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing battle songs, and Frequent Stops to take Pictures of old houses. Also, Dad has an unnatural love for wildlife. He would risk sweeping across lanes of oncoming traffic and killing us all rather than miss getting the herd of deer at the side of the road in his headlights to watch them bound away. I have to admit that he passed this on to me. I get irrationally excited when I see something like a deer, wolf, or hawk in the wild.

Becca, Aurora, Dad, and Me

Favorite Presents from Dad:

He totally made these himself ...along with a wooden car mat pieced together to make either a painted city or a green countryside depending on which side we chose. This came with painted wooden block buildings too. SO COOL. As kids, Becca and I had all of these wooden people carefully named, divided into families, and imagined personalities developed for each.

I'd have to agree with Aria on this one: Thumbs up for Dad. He's alright.

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ANDREW'S DAD

Hey DAD! I just wanted to wish you a Happy Father's day, I tell you how much you mean to me...In my Eagle Court Interview, they asked me who my heros were and my reply was, "my dad." I attribute all that I am and love to you (and mom of course).

My love for the outdoors came from DAD! Hunting, fishing, camping, water sports...I just loved being with him!

and because of Dad, I never want to grow a mustache...

Besides Bishopric and High Council, I can't think a single calling dad had outside of scouting! It was always fun to have him around.

Dad NEVER missed a single wrestling match...He would spent the whole day at the tournament; updating his bracket every hour. Even with all the noise of cheering fans and yelling coaches, He was the only voice I heard.