Happy Father's Day

I know that I should have posted this yesterday, but it just didn't happen.  So here is it today...

Happy Father's Day

Dad and Mom

We all have an amazing father!  He is so giving.  He is the kind of person that would give you the shirt off his back if he knew that you needed one. 

He is such a hard worker.  Dad is a Blacksmith.  You don't see very many Blacksmiths now a days.  But he is one of them.  He uses the anvil and forge and makes beautiful items out of iron.  If you can dream it up, he will create it.  It's absolutely amazing!  He can even make roses and irises out of metal!  

One of the roses that he has made.

I remember as a little girl watching Dad draw things.  I don't know how often he does it now, but I would be so amazed by how he could just draw things.  I would get a paper and pencil and try to sketch things the way he did, hoping that someday I could do it like he did.

He is a Jack of all Trades.  He has done so many things!  As a child, I just knew my Dad could do it all, and as an adult, I think the same thing! He used to build cabinets, own a Carpet Cleaning business (that I just knew that I would take over one day!), was a Police Officer, a Rancher, sold Real Estate, had a Pop Machine business, and of course, the Blacksmith!

I remember that I used to love going to the Horse Auction with him.  I would sit in the stand and admire all of the horses that they would bring through.  Hoping that I could take one, or two, or more home with me.  In fact, there was one time that I started bidding on a horse and Dad didn't know until the auctioneer started pointed his way repeatedly.  Luckily for Dad, someone else was the highest bidder.

One of our fondest memories is the Gummi Worms.  My sisters will know exactly what I am talking about.  We had a little section of field that just got tilled up and had big dirt clods.  He bought a package of gummi worms and hid worms under all these dirt clods.  Then he ran inside and told us that he found something outside!  We were so excited to hunt for all the Gummi Worms!

A long time ago...

One year for Christmas, Dad searched high and low and bought everyone violins for Christmas.  This was in the days before internet, so it was a lot more challenging to locate the instruments.  Two of us older girls already played, but the rest of the five kids didn't.  That Christmas vacation, we taught the rest of the kids one song and went and performed it at a Old Time Fiddle Jam in Arizona.  People couldn't believe their eyes when they saw seven children ages 14 to 2 walk in holding fiddles.  We may not have played the best, but it sure was fun and it was the start of the Reed Family Fiddlers! We later included drums, more guitars, a bass, mandolin and singing.  We have played all over the state of Arizona and into various other states!

This was years ago...

His faith is so important to him.  We were raised members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons.  I have loved how I could always rely on his testimony.  And I knew that everyday he prayed for me and still does.  He faithfully went to Church every Sunday, even if it was in his Police uniform!

We also spent time working at the Ranch.  It was fun to round up the cattle and to brand the calves.  It was hard exhausting work, but we all have so many great memories of it!  And we can't forget milking the cow every morning and night...

Brooke milking the cow

One thing Dad wanted us to learn before we got our Drivers License was to learn how to drive a standard transmission, change a tire and change the oil.  Not very many young girls, or even boys, know how to do that kind of stuff!  I'm so glad that he taught us how to do that!  The truck that we drove was a 1950 one ton Chevy flatbed dually.  We sure got a lot of looks, but it was fun to drive!  It even had the starter on the floor!  And with no A/C, it sure got hot in the Arizona summers!  Now people get their pictures taken in front of that old truck!  It's funny walking inside someone's house and seeing the truck I drove to high school with their family surrounding it!

We all love our Dad very much!  And we are glad for the way we were raised!