Mom and Dad
Today I'm grateful for my parents. My earliest memories are of my dad coming home from work for lunch when I was just three or four. As soon as I heard him I would hide and call out for him to come and find me. I loved sitting on his lap and having him read me books like Make Way for Ducklings and Happy Jack. I loved helping my mom cook or bake and it was always fun to go shopping with her. They are loving, selfless and created a home environment that allowed us each to become our best selves.
For four years, it was just the three of us at home while all my sisters were off married or at college. It was kind of a lot to have their undivided attention but they allowed me a great deal of freedom. My dad always says that by the time they got to me they had learned how to teach me to make my own decisions and they trusted me to make good ones. I couldn't get my ears pierced until I was 15 but other than that, they didn't make any strict rules. The only thing we consistently disagreed on is bedtime. Even today they still tell me when I should go to bed but it was worse when I was 17 and wanting to stay out late. They still didn't give me a curfew until one particular night when I pushed the limit a little too far and ended up with one, but it was still very generous. I've always appreciated how my parents have trusted me and for the most part, I think I've lived up to that trust.
When I was 17 my dad decided to retire early from Kodak and take a job with Hewlett-Packard in Boise, Idaho. That meant moving across the country right before my senior year of high school. I was going to be the editor-in-chief of the school paper, a captain on the volleyball team, third chair in the clarinet section of band, I had taken from the same piano teacher since I was six, was signed up for a private pointe ballet class, and was not excited to leave my friends and my whole life. I pretty much told my parents I wasn't moving and luckily they were kind enough to consider options for me. In the end, they left me at my house with my sister who had just graduated from college and moved back home. They came home for holidays and other important events but I didn't see very much of them and while I did enjoy the freedom, I missed them and their support. It was a challenging year for all of us but I was able to have an incredible senior year and meet my future husband. I'm incredibly grateful that they trusted me to stay behind and be responsible enough to take care of myself and make good choices.
As a graduation present they had me come meet them in Hawaii. It was such a fun trip and one of my favorite experiences with my parents. I remember how thrilled they were to see me when I got off the airplane. We went to Diamond Head and Waikiki and ate pineapple whips at the Dole Plantation. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and explored Pearl Harbor. Then we went over to the island of Kauai and I remember thinking how quiet it was because even the ice cream shop was closed by 7pm. My dad took me snorkeling at Poipu and was amazed that I could scream underwater with a snorkel in my mouth when the fish were getting too close to me. They sent me a helicopter tour of the Na Pali coast and it was incredible. Every night we played Phase 10 or rummy because that was all there was to do in the evening, but it was fun and I think I even beat my dad a few times, which is always an accomplishment in a game. It was a wonderful adventure and I loved that time with them and will forever treasure it.
My parents are faithful people and excellent examples of loving and serving others. They are fully committed to living the gospel of Jesus Christ and always encouraged us to to do the same. They're both wonderful teachers, leaders and friends. My mom is an excellent hostess and she is incredibly generous and loving, My dad always did what he could to make our dreams come true and he is a good listener. They are thoughtful grandparents who make great efforts to be involved with their grandchildren and have sacrificed much to live close to them. I'm so grateful that after losing a baby just two years before me that they were brave and were willing to have one more daughter. I have great respect and love for them and will always be grateful for how they raised me and have loved me all my life.
For four years, it was just the three of us at home while all my sisters were off married or at college. It was kind of a lot to have their undivided attention but they allowed me a great deal of freedom. My dad always says that by the time they got to me they had learned how to teach me to make my own decisions and they trusted me to make good ones. I couldn't get my ears pierced until I was 15 but other than that, they didn't make any strict rules. The only thing we consistently disagreed on is bedtime. Even today they still tell me when I should go to bed but it was worse when I was 17 and wanting to stay out late. They still didn't give me a curfew until one particular night when I pushed the limit a little too far and ended up with one, but it was still very generous. I've always appreciated how my parents have trusted me and for the most part, I think I've lived up to that trust.
When I was 17 my dad decided to retire early from Kodak and take a job with Hewlett-Packard in Boise, Idaho. That meant moving across the country right before my senior year of high school. I was going to be the editor-in-chief of the school paper, a captain on the volleyball team, third chair in the clarinet section of band, I had taken from the same piano teacher since I was six, was signed up for a private pointe ballet class, and was not excited to leave my friends and my whole life. I pretty much told my parents I wasn't moving and luckily they were kind enough to consider options for me. In the end, they left me at my house with my sister who had just graduated from college and moved back home. They came home for holidays and other important events but I didn't see very much of them and while I did enjoy the freedom, I missed them and their support. It was a challenging year for all of us but I was able to have an incredible senior year and meet my future husband. I'm incredibly grateful that they trusted me to stay behind and be responsible enough to take care of myself and make good choices.
As a graduation present they had me come meet them in Hawaii. It was such a fun trip and one of my favorite experiences with my parents. I remember how thrilled they were to see me when I got off the airplane. We went to Diamond Head and Waikiki and ate pineapple whips at the Dole Plantation. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and explored Pearl Harbor. Then we went over to the island of Kauai and I remember thinking how quiet it was because even the ice cream shop was closed by 7pm. My dad took me snorkeling at Poipu and was amazed that I could scream underwater with a snorkel in my mouth when the fish were getting too close to me. They sent me a helicopter tour of the Na Pali coast and it was incredible. Every night we played Phase 10 or rummy because that was all there was to do in the evening, but it was fun and I think I even beat my dad a few times, which is always an accomplishment in a game. It was a wonderful adventure and I loved that time with them and will forever treasure it.
My parents are faithful people and excellent examples of loving and serving others. They are fully committed to living the gospel of Jesus Christ and always encouraged us to to do the same. They're both wonderful teachers, leaders and friends. My mom is an excellent hostess and she is incredibly generous and loving, My dad always did what he could to make our dreams come true and he is a good listener. They are thoughtful grandparents who make great efforts to be involved with their grandchildren and have sacrificed much to live close to them. I'm so grateful that after losing a baby just two years before me that they were brave and were willing to have one more daughter. I have great respect and love for them and will always be grateful for how they raised me and have loved me all my life.
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