Welch Whirl

Hey Pops, Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to remind you that I think you are fabulous. You are such a great reminder of what a "Real" man is.

I don't know anyone who is more patient. You've always been so patient with me. Allowing me to make my own decisions. Never forcing me to "do the right thing". I'm guessing it was the only way you could make me, the head strong teenager that I was to learn and listen to you. I'm also amazed by your patience with the grandkids, getting down at their level, reading books, playing legos, and giving piggy back rides. I also remember that same patience with me on the ski slopes. It seems like I could never get a ski boot on or off without your help, and I remember you always zipping my coat, tucking my gloves into the arms of my coat, and tightening my laces on my shoes and ice skates as well. And all the many times you tucked me into bed.



I also remember the countless hours that you drilled me in spanish (to no avail, I might be able to pronounce things with a nice trill but languages are not a talent of mine), the many hours spent helping me with math homework, teaching me how to use the fancy calculator, going over AP goverment papers -sometimes even finishing them for me at 2:00 in the morning, you could always spot my poorly placed commas and sentences that ended with a preposition.

One of my favorite memories that still makes me laugh is that way that you'd help all of us kids clean up after a meal. You'd grab a clean wash cloth and get it as hot as you could with steaming water and then slowly make the rounds to peoples faces and hands. I absolutely still love that feeling of a hot towel cleaning my face. Only because you did it for us thousands of times. I also remember the sprinkled hot choco mix on ice cream, if we were out of Magic Shell, plus graham crackers. I also remember you sprinkling brown sugar and raisins on that terrible tasting rice/oatmeal breakfast guck that mom used to make. You took pitty on me when I would gag, like you believed I was really gagging from the taste. Mom on the other hand just frowned at me. (I was really gagging mom!) In contrast, I also loved that you and mom would take pancake requests trying to make shapes while pouring the batter onto the grill. You have always been a great breakfast maker.



One of the longest standing memories is that of you dancing with me. Dancing at the stake dances, dancing at the cousin's weddings, dancing in the living room, dancing on the back porch, dancing at my wedding. There are hundreds more examples! I also have fond memories of TV time with you. We have seen quite a few Star Trek shows together, not to mention some MASH but that was only if mom wasn't around. I loved that you snuck the TV just like the rest of us kids.

I also appreciate your desire to stand up for the values you wanted our family to have. Not allowing bad movies in the house, and even marching in front of me and my friends and turning off 90210 and telling all the kids in the house that we don't allow that show in the house. I hope I didn't act too mad at you then, forgive me if I did. I appreciate you requiring me to wear clothes that covered me while gardening, modest swim suits while swimming, and modest prom dresses. (Mom, thanks for being slightly more relaxed in that area, and making little black jackets to cover the sleeveless dresses). I hope that when it is my turn to be bold and maybe not the most popular with my kids I will remember these moments and see how they have paid off.



Thanks for making our home fun to be in with all the toys; homemade dune buggy, 4-wheelers, canoing, providing lazer tag gear so that all of us could play in the lot next door in the deep brush, ping pong, providing toilet paper for all those toilet papering years, not to mention all the great trips we have taken together, and so much more.

Thanks for the daddy daughter dates. Particularly the one on my 16th birthday, I do remember where we ate but more importantly I remember what you taught me about dating and what I should expect from boys coming to the door.



Thanks for all that you have done for me and still continue to do. Only a real man could do what you have done over the years. I love you.

Happy Birthday.