I love the month of December. I love the lights and the
decorations. I love the smells of baked goods and eating delicious food that
only comes around this time of year. I am one of those crazy people that truly
and honestly love my birthday, so December is a pretty happy month for me J While you hear stories
of the stress and hustle and bustle of the season, I love that December means
that Phil and I can both have a day off to truly just be with each other. It
seems like he is either on-call or I am going to practice or finishing school
work (no more- thank goodness). For most people, December also means a time for
family. Thankfully, that was true for my family this year. Phil and I spent
almost a week in Colorado earlier this month. I have said it and will continue
to say it… Colorado is the absolute best. I love the clean air and delicious
water. I love the mountains and the beauty of the cities. And of course, I love
it because that was my first home and that is where my family is. We spent our visit
last week in Colorado Springs with my parents and thankfully Tom was able to be
there for a few days. It was six short, fun-filled days and it continues to
warm my heart to see how happy Olivia is when she visits and gets to see my
family and friends.
With the happiness though, comes some sad emotions. Even
though it was a great trip, eventually we had to say goodbye. Thankfully, my
parents will fly here to be a part of Olivia’s first birthday celebrations in
February. So, I can have a countdown to when I see them. Not so lucky is when I
will get to see my brother again. With his job, his weekends are pretty booked
from October through April or May. So, I’m hoping that he’ll be able to make it
to our cousin’s wedding in May and we’ll be able to see each other then. I know
5 months doesn’t seem that long, but I have a pretty close family. This is the
family that can sit around the dinner table and talk about anything. My family
is the one that ends all phone conversations with ‘I love you.’ The family that
gives hugs and laughs and jokes around. I have yet to not cry when I have to
say goodbye to any one of my family members after a trip. I am so blessed to have
a family that is that close. And I am also so very blessed to have parents that
love me more than words can ever explain.
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| Mommy and me |
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| Daddy and me |
To a typical person, my parents look like any other parents.
My mom works full-time as a nurse in a clinic that treats children with cancer
and other blood disorders. My dad just started working as a high school math
teacher. For the past um-teen years, their weekends have been spent watching
hockey games (they have season tickets to Air Force and Colorado College). They
are members of their local Catholic church and are part of a few of the
ministries. They get together with their friends for dinner and game nights. In
their spare time, my mom enjoys scrapbooking and my dad referees hockey games.
But to me, they are not typical people, so I see so much more. I see a mom that
rarely missed a swim meet while I was growing up. A mom that used to leave me
notes in my lunch bag or backpack (and in fact left notes at our house the last time she
visited). The mom that drove 12+ hours in the dark of night to get to Sioux
Falls when I went into labor. And the dad that had to stay in Colorado and
anxiously wait to hear any news of my mom’s travel, as well as my labor. My dad
was the one to spend countless hours at night helping me with my math homework
(and goodness knows I did NOT make it easy on him… let’s just say that crying
was a pretty common occurrence). He was
the one to write me a letter when I was just a few days old and gave it to me
on the day that I graduated high school. Both parents took time off of work and
were there for my last collegiate swim meet (it was during that meet that they
got to experience extremely freezing temps and cars that wouldn’t start due to
the temperature). While I was crying on the day they dropped me off at college,
I know they were crying as well. These are the parents that did the polka at
our wedding, since we got married on their 28th wedding anniversary.
And these are the parents that have supported me and loved me, no matter what.
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| December 2012 |
Most people joke around that you only have to deal with the
problems associated with your kiddo until s/he turns 18. My parents have, and
continue, to support and encourage me to this day. And today, I turn 30. So,
that is 30 years of holding my hand when I needed guidance. Thirty years of
cheering me when I accomplish a goal. In those 30 years, there have been tears,
laughter, and hugs. Stories have been told around the dinner table, over the
phone and via FaceTime. In those 30 years, there have been sacrifices that they
have made in order to provide things for my brother and me. It’s funny how you
don’t notice or think about certain things until you become a parent. I wish I
could go back and tell the younger me to say ‘thank you’ more often. So, while
I know it’s not a lot, I would like to thank my parents for all of
their sacrifices. Thank you most of all for helping
Phil and I this year. It’s been a difficult year financially, but my parents
have gone above and beyond. Thank you. Thank you for raising me in a house
with love and kindness. Thank you for encouraging me and pushing me to be a
better person. Thank you for showing me that there is no limit on the amount of
love you can give someone. Thank you for the prayers, wishes and ‘finking lofty
cots.’ And thank you for loving me, each and every day.
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| Mom and Dad at our wedding (9/6/08) |
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