This is the best picture I could find for this memory. My dad is a big one for road trips, I remember Dad itching to take road trips from the time I was a kid. Even after we could fly relatively easily we'd still take a road trip every once and a while. Sadly, I have no pictures from our road trips.
I remember being a kid driving with Dad to California in a red pickup truck. We were going to pick up my great-grandmother's belongings as she was moving in with our family. One night we stopped and got stuffed-crust pizza from Pizza Hut. I'd been seeing commercials for it for weeks and had wanted to try it. Turns out it was really not that great. We had it cold the next morning and neither of us were terribly interested in finishing our slices... That night, though, we rolled out our sleeping bags in the bed of the truck in the middle of Arizona (?). I looked up and saw a shooting star! I got really excited thinking I wouldn't be seeing another one for a while. But then, again, another shooting star. I fell asleep counting shooting stars.
We went on a day trip to Midland, TX to pick up a piano for my family. That was an interesting trip. I was in big trouble, but Dad didn't bring up my bad behavior for most of the trip. He didn't seem angry. That was almost worst. But it helped me realize just how much he and my mom loved me, despite my terribly disrespectful behavior. I wasn't the easiest teenager, by any stretch of the imagination, but I never doubted my parents' love for me.
I'm thankful for these memories I have, of the time I had to spend with my dad on these trips, as they gave me the foundation of trust I needed to get through the crazy ups-and-downs that is being a teenager. I am thankful for these memories, for it gave me an opportunity to observe my dad and learn what a righteous priesthood holder, father, and man was. He was a good blueprint for me when I thought of the characteristics I wanted to find in myself and in my future spouse.
My dad's a pretty cool dude. I hope I can be a cool dude(ette) for my kids, too. :)
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