Grandpa Dawson

My Grandpa Dawson is turning 90 this April. We are in the process of planning a surprise party for him (shh don't tell). I have been putting together a memory book with a page from each of his grandkids families and his children (my dad and his brother). It is coming together really well and going to be a neat gift from all of us.

I really love my Grandpa and appreciate the calm steady influence he's been in my life. He was always so quiet when we were younger...quiet with a twinkle in his eye. The first house that Matt and I bought was in Pocatello just down the street from grandpa's. The day we moved in, he fell and hit his head and had a pretty serious head injury that affected his balance. He wasn't able to drive and had to be in rehab for a while. Grandpa has always loved a good drive and so to not be able to drive was very difficult for him. Once he was out of rehab and back home, the kids and I (just Isaac & Adam at the time) would go on day trips with him once a week. We drove to Island Park, Sun Valley, Ogden Canyon, Logan Canyon, The Arco desert, and many other trips that I'm still not sure where we were. We would always take his car and I would drive. We'd stop at a little local restaurant for lunch wherever we were. There were days that we'd be gone for over 10hours and by the end of the day my babies had had it! He never complained of their noises and would ask when we were going again. He was so determined to get his license back (I think my driving scared him) that within a year of his serious fall he was back at it and fully recovered! In the past few years he would often drive to Yellowstone and back alone 7 or 8 times a summer!

We loved living so close to him and really miss those days! Matt and Grandpa hit it off from the start since they both love to work in the shop. Matt has considered Grandpa his "Grandpa" because he didn't have the opportunity to know his grandparents well.

We love you Grandpa!