Happy Birthday, Dad!

Yesterday was a big day for birthdays in the Nash family. My oldest niece Abigail Carlin (my sister Jocelyn's oldest daughter) turned 11 years old. I can't believe she's almost a Primary graduate! It was an even more momentous day for my father, Ray Nash, who celebrated his big 6-0! The picture above is what my handsome father looked like many years ago, when he had three little kids to wrestle.

Here's what Dad/Grandpa Nash looks like these days:

He's always happy when he has a cute little baby in his arms! Some people think my dad is a pretty serious (maybe even cantankerous) guy. But as  mother of three girls, I can tell you that most of that is just for show...when Dad sees a baby girl, he turns into a big softie. He loves babies and one of his favorite things to do is cuddle with them!

Dad has always been a great inspiration to me in many ways. Perhaps the most significant is his work ethic. He is quite the workaholic, and I am not ashamed to say I'm trying to follow in his footsteps. Every time we visit Colorado, he's in the middle of another home improvement project (currently, he's remodeling the whole kitchen almost completely by himself). And when he comes down to visit us in Sahuarita, he's more than willing to throw himself into a project, as he did earlier this year when he helped us install a sink, paint our living room, and prune our tree. Some "vacation," huh?

In fact, take a look at this picture here and see if you can spot my dad:

Here's a hint: he's the guy behind the fence in the tan hat. This was from this summer; it amazed me that even when the whole family was over, Dad still found time to do some handyman work (like repair their backyard fence) whenever he got a spare moment. Don't worry; he still spent time playing with all the grandkids too!

But my dad has done more in my life than just fix fences. He helped me financially all through college & my mission, while still encouraging me to make my own way as much as possible. He gave me my love of yard work and my desire to own my own garden (believe it or not, he did this by forcing me to weed his garden year after year!). He taught me to appreciate the great sport of football when every fall Sunday was "Bronco Day" growing up (he did start life as a Cowboys fan, but hey--nobody's perfect). He's been an invaluable source of financial information and advice as Nathan & I searched for a home, purchased cars, sold stock, and at many other times.

Dad also taught me to treat everyone with respect, no matter what they look like or where they come from. He taught me that serving in the church is an honor and a privilege and a joy. He taught me to love your family and cherish the time you spend with them, even if it's not always as much time as you want (his job sometimes kept him pretty busy when we were young). He taught me good manners, dedication, quiet service, hard work, and gratitude for all my blessings.

So much of what I am came from my father. Maybe he's not a "spring chicken" any more, but I'm still learning from him even today. For all that and more, I hope he will always remember how grateful I am for him & how much I love him. Here's to sixty more!