Family Reunion Part 1

It's been such a busy summer I'm just now catching up on our family reunion from the beginning of June.  I've probably forgotten all the details at this point, but I'll do my best.  First, we flew into Fresno then drove down to Porterville to spend time with Amber's parents and Grandma Anne.  It was our first trip with 3 kids, but they all did remarkably well.

We stayed at Grandma Anne's house and had fun spending time with her and went to a gathering of the Christensen clan one night.

We also got to stop by the house Amber grew up in and show it to the girls.

And in preparation for the reunion we stopped by a blueberry farm to pick a few pounds.  We also stopped by a restaurant Amber had always wanted to try to get some orange ice cream.  It was surprisingly good.

And of course, we got to spend lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandpa made us all come to the courthouse so he could show off his grandkids (one of whom is, apparently, the Joker, but is not amused by Aunt Brook).

Father's Day

Father's Day found me with a new shirt, and a cookie at church.  I also got a shout-out from the pulpit from one of the speakers who had asked some of the women of the ward about their husbands.  I spent a lot of the day on the couch playing with my new iPad2 (using the church apps, of course).  I'll blog about my birthday later, I'm a little behind right now.

I'd been focused in the morning on making sure I was ready to play for the Primary kids in Sacrament and for the new songs in Primary* (there were lots of new songs for June and I hadn't practiced due to our trip) so I hadn't really been thinking about Father's Day until the closing hymn.  It was Each Life That Touches Ours for Good.  I was singing along just fine, with wiggly kids climbing on me:

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days. 

And then the third verse started and I started thinking about my dad and I didn't get past the second line:

When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

I couldn't even finish the song.  Amber was already gone by that point preparing for Primary, so at least my moment wasn't too embarrassing, as I'm not one to get emotional, especially from lyrics.

I was reminded of all the things I've wanted to tell him and ask him and show him in the last year and a half.  I wanted to show him our new van, and have him be proud that we bought it in cash**, I wanted to ask his advice when flooring the attic and making my puzzle board and get his approving nod on the final product, I wanted him to get a laugh out of the cute pictures I took of Carmen and Olivia on the playground motorcycle***.  I wanted him to meet my son.

I'm glad I had such a good father as him for as long as I did.  I miss him, but I will forever hold a sweet and hallowed memory in my heart.

*I'm primary pianist as of last month, I don't think I've mentioned that on here yet.

**I debated mentioning this, because I really don't want to brag, but his example and influence were a major reason I was able to do this, and I know it would have made him happy.
***