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Nolan Rehder named Father of the Year Nolan Rehder was named Father of the Year at the recent Daddy Date Night at Prairie High School. Following is his daughter Julia’s winning essay: “I love my dad more than words can describe, that makes writing this essay difficult but not impossible. My dad has sacrificed it all for me, he has worked tirelessly to provide such a beautiful life for me. He hasn’t stopped loving me even when I have gone against all he has said and was still too stubborn to even admit it. My dad has been one of the most significant role models in my life, and I can only hope I turn out as good as him. He has shown me the importance of a strong work ethic, persistence, and time-efficiency. I have observed these qualities in his actions and words, and I try to apply to my lifestyle. He has shown me there is a balance between everything in life, and to find the right amount of something is to find peace. In order to find this balance, he has taught me to always think two-steps ahead of the present moment. I still struggle to get this through my “thick” head, and Dad is never afraid to correct me. Especially when it comes to the balance of my phone usage. If it were up to my Dad, my iPhone would be shattered into oblivion and buried six feet under the dirt I stand on. He is a firm believer of flip phones, he is captivated by their simplicity and lack of internet. Despite his deep love for flip phones, he recently converted to an iPhone (due to intense persuasion from my mom). Although he will tell you he hates the “thing”, deep down I know he enjoys a newfound capability to check the weather, the grain market, craigslist, property lines, using his bitmoji man in every text, etc.. He has told me everything has a purpose or reason behind it. Even when life or a task is hard and you want to quit trying, you can’t because you have to think how it would affect the bigger picture. He has been there during the harder points of my life, and what he said has always stuck with me. I try to remember that these hard times are temporary pain, and that there is a greater reason behind them. My dad has always been there to remind me of this, his calmness and genuineness has comforted me. He has always believed in me, that I can get through anything. Sometimes my dad pushes me into situations where I feel like I'm going to fail badly. Such as driving a grain truck as a freshman, to me this was a very daunting experience. Hauling thousands of pounds in a truck with questionable brakes, I had just gotten my driver’s license, and was still learning how to engage a PTO. Despite my fears and all the challenges, I made it through without any serious accidents. All because my dad was brave enough to believe that I wouldn’t crash the truck, perhaps a risky decision though. Growing up on a farm and ranch has shown me the beauty in a feeling of getting a tedious task done. I have tagged along with Dad to “help” him get things done around the farm. Whether it be splitting and stacking fifteen chords of wood, building half-a-mile of new fence, swathing for hours on end, or squeezing a truck and trailer hauling ten ton of hay through the sketchiest of gates. The feeling once you are done is a huge relief and the memories made are invaluable. Dad and I share a love of animals; feeding the cows, pulling a calf, rounding them up, getting trampled by calves, and being charged by cows. This is where I feel at home, and my dad has provided this experience for me. Dad has shown me one of things I love most in this world, although he does not agree with all the animals I drag home. Such as the hundreds of cats, jersey heifer, geese, hedgehog, ducks, bottle goat, and pretty much anything you can think of. Growing up on a farm also means you are sometimes put into situations where a bad outcome can happen. Like the one time I was moving a loader down a steep hill when we were hauling hay and it popped out of gear into neutral. Let me tell you, there is nothing like going eighty miles an hour down a hill in a tractor, truly a delightful experience. At this moment, I thought I was going to die, but I had enough sense to drop the front bucket and I came to a screeching halt. Dad was very concerned at first, but after a little we managed to have a good laugh. I stuck to driving the trucks for the rest of the day, although. That day I saw how much my dad really cared about me. I mean I thought he was going to ask if the tractor was okay first but he asked me. I love my dad so much. This essay only shows a tiny bit of what my dad means to me, but I hope you have a basic understanding now. My dad is where home is, he keeps me on the right path, and pushes me to my potential. My dad is one of my greatest role models, I look up to him in the good times and the bad. Dad, if you read this at some point, thank you for everything.” Julia Rehder  Nolan Rehder with his daughter Julia after receiving the Father of the Year award.
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