Looking up to my younger brother

Everyone needs a younger brother. Well, honestly, everyone needs an older sister who is as awesome as I am, but that’s already obvious J



The early years

I say that everyone needs a younger brother because as you all know, I have one. And he’s pretty amazing. In addition to his fantastic orange hair, he has a humorous personality, a kind heart, an athletic body and the motivation to follow, and now achieve, his dream. It hasn’t always been easy, but he stuck with it, and it has paid off. 

Tom has always been the athletic child of the family. Whatever sport he tried, he excelled. I don’t think there was one sport that he didn’t try and succeed (yes, he even tried figure skating and yes, he was pretty good). However, hockey has always been his #1 passion. My dad would take Tom and I to ‘skate with the Falcons’ at the Air Force Academy and Tom would skate around collecting signatures with a huge smile on his face (while I, at the adorable age of 10 and 11- years old, tried to act mature enough to catch an eye of those handsome 18 year-old college hockey players). Growing up, we had season tickets to Colorado College hockey and Air Force hockey. Tom was friends with the Colorado College coach’s son and got to help out during some practices and games. So, hockey has been a part of our lives since our family moved to Colorado in the early 90’s. 

My best man

When Tom started his job as a hockey referee, I thought it was just a high school job. He continued with this job in college, while playing club hockey for Colorado State University. When he was told of his potential with the refereeing world, he said he would do whatever it would take to keep moving up the ranks. After college, he began that journey. I never knew the sacrifice and dedication that it takes to live the life of a hockey referee. While Tom may have lived in an apartment for his first few years employed with USA Hockey, he could never really call one place ‘home.’ He would live with 2 or 3 other guys in a small apartment and would consistently be on the road during the weekends and sometimes during the week. In order to get to the city that he was working in, he would have to drive. Some weekends, he was lucky and only had to drive 3 or 4 hours each way. Other weekends, he would have to referee a game until 9pm, drive 3 hours, spend the night somewhere and then drive another 5 or 6 hours to get to his next game. Some weekends, he got the luxury to fly, but that was only because he had a game in Alaska. And while he was working on the weekends, he would spend the night in a hotel, or another employee’s apartment. So, on the weekends that he was away, his room could potentially be occupied by another USA Hockey referee that was doing the same job as Tom and living the life of a traveler. Since the season is only a few months long, he would ‘live’ in one place for the hockey season, and then have a few days to pack up his entire room and head back to Colorado for the summer. A few months later, he would pack up everything again and head out to his new home. Exhausting doesn’t even describe what I think he went through.

Fast forward to July 2013 when Tom got the magical phone call. After a few seasons of hectic travel, long days, minimal pay and cruddy living conditions, the NHL offered him a contract. He could now live where he wanted to (with some restrictions), take a plane to the majority of his games, stay in decent hotels during his travels and finally take that step that leads to the ‘big dance.’

The past few months have been wonderful to see him be an adult. Not that he wasn’t one before, but it seems that overnight, I went from having a 21 year-old brother that lived a crazy, carefree life to a mature 26 year-old brother that is talking about business suits and travel and a responsible future. This week, my little brother got the joyous news that he will be a referee in his first NHL game. And you better believe his whole family will be there cheering him and supporting ‘Team Ref.’

Many people may think that they have the best younger brother. Sorry, you're wrong.  My brother is the one with the best 'one-liners.' My brother is the one who played 'communion' with me in the kitchen with bread pieces and Kool-Aid. He is the one who dressed up in my old Homecoming dresses for skits during AirBand. He was the one to start T.C. Tailgate at the high school and attempted to bring back the fanny pack during his senior year. Tom is the one that camped out with me in the backyard in elementary and middle school, built forts with me in the living room and had movie nights on Christmas Eve. During the long summer state swim meets in Grand Junction, he was the one to memorize the turns on the slide and tell me about it after I was done swimming. He has made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry, and just listened when I needed to talk. So while everyone should have a big sister, I can honestly say that life with a younger brother may be one of the best things in this world.  


*Everyone should tune in to the NY Islanders vs. Ottawa Senators hockey game on Tuesday, April 8*

Olivia is 1. Olivia is 1? Olivia is 1!

I love frosting!

As you can tell from my lack of updates, having a 1 year old leaves me little time for blogging, let alone leaves me with little time to barely form a cohesive sentence some days...
But, sure enough, we have a 1 year old in our house. Our little precious gift from God turned one a few weeks ago. While some days it feels like I've been at this mommy thing for awhile now, other days, it feels like just yesterday that we brought her home. She has been such a joy in our lives, in our family's lives and even stranger's lives (this morning while grocery shopping, a person standing in line told me that he needed that adorable smile from Olivia this morning).  She is cute. And adorable. And smart. And so many other things.  One thing is for sure though, we are so proud and happy to have her as our daughter.
For her 12 month check up, Olivia weighed in at 18 pounds and 9 oz and measuring 26.5 inches long. She is still rocking the 10th percentile in most areas, but her doctor continues to be happy with her progress thus far. She is sleeping about 4 hours at a time during the night and getting up 2-3 times at night. Her favorite foods are bananas, avocado, black olives, turkey, cheerios and almost any baby puree. She still has just the two teeth, but with the amount of drooling, fussiness and wanting to put everything in her mouth, I am thinking that those upper teeth may be coming in. She loves playing with her toys and for now, she really hasn't identified a favorite, but she loves her Discovery cups, connecting links and anything that plays awesome music (read: annoying tunes that are cheesy and get stuck in your head and you find yourself humming it during the day)! 

Olivia's first birthday party was a small family gathering with Phil's family and then my parents. My mom flew in for a week and my dad flew in for the weekend. We had her party at a hotel and it was exactly what Olivia dreamed it would be! There were streamers and balloons and family and pictures being taken and of course, the cake! Like mother, like daughter I guess :) Seriously, the child loves cake. It was a happy afternoon and Olivia is so lucky to have such a great and loving extended family.

The happy grandparents

While my mom was here, we talked about the events leading up to Olivia's birth. I remember a few things, such as getting the call from the hospital, checking in to Labor and Delivery and a few moments of the labor. I remember feeling an extreme sense of relief (physically and mentally) when I finally pushed her out. And just praying during those last pushes 'please let her cry, please let her cry,' since the doctors had told us that she may not cry due to the premature delivery. I remember hearing that first cry and just putting my head back, knowing that she was here, but not comprehending that she was here. Just 24 hours before she was born, we were having lunch with the swim team for a fundraiser and going through Olivia's room making a check list of what items we still needed and deciding what we should bring to the hospital.  In those 12ish hours from the time I was admitted until the time she was born, I had no idea the support, prayers, phone calls, text messages and everything else that was going on. Talking with my mom, she told me that she had called around 2 or 3am and was talking to me and I said something along the lines of 'well, aren't you just chipper this morning' (and of course I said it in the not-so-nicest way possible). She had also taken on the task of letting my best friend Kari know what was going on. My mom was the one to call my in-laws and let them know how serious the situation was. I don't remember anything the doctor's said about my condition, but I do remember a few nurses coming in and commenting about how good I looked, considering my labs. Phil has told me how many doctors and nurses came into my room once I started pushing, because they were unsure about the level of care that Olivia and I would need. It is amazing what your brain and body remember and forget. I remember being in pain, but don't remember how much. I remember crying because the only thing on my birth plan was an epidural, and crying because the pain from my enlarged liver, but don't remember crying because of the contractions (goodness knows I did though!). One thing that I will always remember is the first time seeing Olivia. Just this helpless, adorable, wonderful little person with the machines hooked up to her. I remember touching her and holding her hand. Even as I write this, I have tears in my eyes because I will always remember how proud and scared I was in that exact moment. That moment is one that makes me the person I am today. That moment is the one that encourages me to be the best mommy for her. And to protect her. And to love her. And to cherish the smallest things.

Life with Olivia is full of small and wonderful things. Even the most monotonous things have a new life to them. Eating dinner now has mini food wars and 'make up' sessions, compliments of the little one with avocado and banana on her fingers. Waking up now has a babbling song, compliments of the singer in the crib. Going to bed now has tiny fingers and tiny hands wrapped in mine. Doing chores now has a little girl laughing and crawling and following me. And now this week, we have a little girl that loves her new walker toy and has discovered the joys of walking. All too soon, we will have a little girl that takes that first big step away from her walker or her dada or her mama and ventures into her next adventure. And guess what Olivia Grace, your mama and dada will be there with you for every minute, cheering you on and celebrating the little things that mean so much to us.

A letter to Olivia's mommy

The other night during my evening Facebook browse (yes, it is a nightly ritual for me- don't judge), I ran across this article that someone had posted:
http://carolynee.net/a-letter-from-a-working-mother-to-a-stay-at-home-mother-and-vice-versa/
 I thought it was a great perspective from both sides of this mommy road that we are on. And it made me start thinking about all of the times I have put myself down, or been discouraged, or happy, or anxious or content with the decision that I have made to be a part-time stay-at-home-mommy and a part-time working mommy. I am my worst critic. I doubt myself more times than I need to and I worry about nonsense. These past few weeks have been some of the hardest weeks. Olivia and Phil were both sick with ear infections and tonsillitis 2 weeks ago. The nights were sooo long with a crying baby and not much I could do for her. After a week of barely sleeping, I had reached my limit. I had to cancel class one morning because I couldn't go more than 10-15 minutes of talking without crying. In the past 2 weeks, I have cried in front of two different doctors, in front on the receptionist at school, a board member of the swim team, and Olivia's daycare (as well as many times in front of Phil and to my mom). But, I know that things are meant to be and there is a plan for me, so I need to be content and have peace knowing that the decisions that have been made are the right ones for now.

Dear Olivia's SAHM,
I know sometimes the nights get long and sometimes the days feel longer. While Olivia is only sleeping 3-4 hours at a time at night, things will get better. I know you feel like it's your job to take care of her during those dark nights, since you want her daddy to get the sleep he needs to go and work a stressful job. Even though she fights almost every nap, there will come a day that the routine that you have tried over and over again will click and she will sleep. While some joke around that you stay in your pajamas all day and just get to sit because you only have one child, just one infant to take care of... they don't know how hard you work to keep your one year old entertained. You work hard to make sure she gets enough play time, story time, singing time, and cuddling time. You do well with trying to get her to eat nutritious food, even though you sometimes have to eat your breakfast and lunch standing up while holding her. Or eat with one hand while playing with her. They don't know that you consider it a great day when you've been able to shower with no baby distractions. I know you worry about finances almost daily and think about the 20+ jobs you have applied for in the past 6 months. But, Olivia loves spending time with you. She loves learning to do things first with you. She loves crawling all around the house just to follow you. She loves giggling as you help her crawl up the stairs. And she loves that you are one of her best playmates, and have been for the past year. She knows that you will be there for her when she cries, to laugh with her when she giggles and to clap your hands when she has accomplished something new. You are doing a great job mommy.

Dear Olivia's WM,
Your daughter has an amazing woman to look up to. She will soon learn about how her mommy not only finished graduate school, worked a teaching assistant position and worked as head coach, but she did that all while her daughter was in the NICU in another city that was an hour away. She will learn that it's okay to pursue her educational dreams and to try different jobs. Olivia loves her daycare and you and your husband did a great job with picking out a loving and caring facility for her to go to for those few hours every day. While it isn't easy going from one job to the next, you are able to do it. Having four part-time jobs isn't a piece of cake, but you do it with a smile on your face. Sometimes it takes writing a swim practice at 10pm, other times it takes reviewing a teaching lesson at 6am, but you do it. I know some days you wish you had a 'typical' 8-5 job, in which you could leave your work at your desk and be able to have dinner every night with your family. But, on those evenings that you are working late, your daughter is having an amazing opportunity to bond with her daddy. Right now, I know you are anxious about having to travel for 3 days for a swim meet and not be close to her, but your daughter knows that you love her more than anything. Some day, she will understand the love you have for her when she hears about the trials of having to find a place to pump and some of the conditions that you had to pump in. Some day, she will know that the few hours away from her meant that you were helping others. And some day, she will have her first job and you will be able to tell her some great stories that you have about your first (and second and third) job. You are doing a great job mommy.

A time of patience

Saturday morning, I drove through a blizzard. A real South Dakota highway of nothingness blowing snow zero visibility blizzard. I was coaching a swim meet in Watertown, which is about 60 miles north of Brookings. On Friday, it took me about 55 minutes to get from our house to the swim pool. On Saturday morning, it took me 1 hour 50 minutes. There were definitely points when I thought, this is ridiculous and I should turn around. There were also points that I thought that it wasn’t that bad of a drive. And there were points that all I could do was pray.

That drive was a good reminder to me that while I can’t see what is in the future, there is a destination. There is a final point that I am traveling to. And there will always be a few angels and a God to watch over me and protect me on that journey. While I may not know why things are happening, there is a purpose of the timing.

When people think of January, they think of new beginnings and a time to start fresh. I’m beginning to think that January is a time for me to quickly learn patience and learn that there is a greater plan for me. January has held some happy times and some sad times for me. January 2005 was when Phil and I went on our first real date. January 2007 was when I started my internship with the City of Colorado Springs. January 2008 was the month that I got to start planning our wedding. January 2011 was the month that Phil interviewed for and accepted the airport manager position in Brookings. January 2012 had some major ups and downs. That was the month we had a miscarriage and I had a D&C procedure. But it was also the month that we moved into our first home. January 2013 was the start of baby prepping the house, as well as the start of some of my pregnancy issues. With so much happening in the previous January’s, I should not be surprised that this January has a few moments that make me remember that God is in control. From starting a new job of teaching a course at SDSU to driving a different car to seeing Olivia grow up in the blink of an eye, there is so much to be thankful for. This January though, Phil and I are thankful for technology and medical care.

A week ago, we were sitting at the table for dinner and Olivia was eating some cut up fruit and veggies. She started to make a weird jerking/twitching move and Phil and I just looked at each other, asking ‘what’s up?’ She would have the movement, then be fine, then do it again. I immediately went to the phone to call my mom (Nurse Jean to the rescue!) and by that time, Olivia had stopped. During the whole two to three minutes, Olivia had about five or six of these one to two second twitches. She would smile and giggle and was in a good mood during the episode. We cautiously watched her and since we couldn’t truly explain what was going on, we thought she had a minor reaction to a new food she tried. Two days later, I gave her that same food and the twitches happened again. Thankfully, I had the iPad close and was able to video a few clips. I sent them to Nurse Jean, called Phil and we talked about what we should do. Thursday at lunch (she didn't eat that fruit again), Olivia had three minor episodes and away to the pediatrician she went. After a physical evaluation and blood work (which was normal), the doctor watched the video clips we had, asked a few questions and then said she would recommend we go see a pediatric neurologist. Our appointment is April 1, so we feel okay that our doctor doesn’t think it is urgent enough to get her in sooner. But now we sit and wait. And pray. And give a few more hugs and kisses. And know that during this blizzard of our life right now, while we can’t see what is to come, we know that we have the guidance of a loving and caring God.

 

10 month update

Olivia here! I'm reporting for mommy, since she's busy trying to go around the house and think of items she needs to get to baby-proof the house for me! I thought I would update you all on how life is, now that I'm a 10 month old. As you may have guessed, I am now a crawling little girl! I gave mommy and daddy that special gift on Christmas Eve and took my first crawling movement and I haven't stopped since that day. My teachers at daycare have even commented on how much I move these days. And how much I eat!  Who would have guessed 9 months ago when I was struggling to eat, that I would be eating anything and everything these days! I love baby puffs and almost any pureed food. I used to prefer certain foods, but now I eat anything. I am trying new foods almost every week, with the most recent additions being meat. I have two teeth right now on the bottom and love sticking everything in my mouth!
I know a lady should never tell her weight, but I'm right around 17 pounds (at the doctor's office on December 30, I weighed 17 pound 4 ounces, but that was with my clothes on). I am fitting very comfortably in 9 month clothes, so mommy will probably be packing up the 6 month clothes soon (since I still fit into some of them).

I'm 10 months old!

My favorite things to do during the day are to play, crawl and play some more! I love the new toys I got for Christmas, and my favorites are my activity garden, Discovery links and the foam mat with alphabet letters. Or any box will do! During the day, I go to daycare for a few hours, but spend most of the time with mommy at home. I also love singing, giggling and babbling and mommy and daddy will always smile when I make these noises. Since I am so active during the day, you would think that I would sleep a lot at night... but, I still enjoy getting up every 3-4 hours. I just like to make sure mommy and daddy don't forget what my voice sounds like! The other day, I mastered the skill of going from a laying down position to a sitting position and I had so much fun perfecting it that night. Mommy was a little scared when she came in and saw me sitting up in bed. The next morning, I gave dad a little scare too when he heard clicking coming from my room. He came in to find me sitting up and pulling on my mobile! So, I am definitely growing and learning lots of new things!

Christmas in IA

Christmas in CO

Christmas in SD

We had a wonderful Christmas (times three!) and it was fun seeing all of the lights and hearing the pretty music at church. I joined in singing sometimes, even if other people weren't singing. Christmas in Colorado was a lot of fun with Mimi and Poppi and Uncle Tom. I did really well on both flights (even after a 3 hour delay at the airport in Sioux Falls). While we were in CO, I had a lot of fun playing, seeing the mountains, visiting new friends and I even treated mommy and daddy to few nights of long sleeps (like 5-6 hours)! Then, Christmas Eve and Christmas day were with mommy and daddy at our house. And last weekend, we went to George to have Christmas with the Tiedeman family. It was a weekend full of hanging out with my cousins and playing with toys.
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve! We were pretty boring here and were in bed pretty early. Mommy and I celebrated the ball dropping on the pacific coast when I was up during the night. But, January 1 was a day of relaxation and recovering from a little cold and ear infection I had. I wish everyone happiness and health in 2014!

Merry Christmas from the Tiedeman family!

Our Christmas letter

Instead of doing the typical letter that we send out to everyone, we thought we’d be a little more eco-friendly this year (i.e. by the time we realized we needed holiday paper and more ink so we could print, the whole letter thing just wasn’t making the cut) and let everyone know what we’ve been up to in 2013 by posting our letter online! We’ll just put some highlights from each month as well as a few pictures that captured a few of our favorite moments:

January

·         Phil’s work at the airport continued into 2013. The Brookings Airport is going through some major construction and Phil has to make sure things run smoothly with the multi-million dollar project.

·         Two of the other coaches on the swim club, along with some swim club parents, helped organize a surprise baby shower for me. My mom was actually in town that weekend and was in on the secret, so it was a wonderful afternoon of games, food and fun!

February

·         Phil celebrated his 2-year anniversary working with the City of Brookings.

·         I began having some medical issues with my pregnancy about half-way through the month (high blood pressure, elevated labs, pain in my abdominal area). On Sunday, February 24 around 9pm, I got a call from the on-call doctor saying that we should make our way down to the hospital. Turns out, I was a very sick girl and had a condition called HELLP, which is severe pre-eclampsia, and the only solution was to deliver our little girl. About 12 hours after starting the Pitocin, Phil and I welcomed Olivia Grace Tiedeman into this world!

Our little family

·         In her first week in the NICU, Olivia got to meet all of the Tiedeman clan, as well as my mom and aunt, and some other Tiedeman and Hollander family members and friends.

March



Just thinking about the day I can go home...

·         Phil and I spent the majority of March driving to and from Sioux Falls to see Olivia. Thankfully, Phil was able to work part-time, and I was on a break from swimming, so we were able to spend a lot of time in Sioux Falls. We were blessed to have Phil’s sister’s family welcome us into their spare bedroom (as Phil’s nephew called it, we got to go on ‘vacation’), so we had a bed and familiar environment to sleep in on the nights we stayed in Sioux Falls.

·         Phil’s sisters threw us a baby shower in George. Olivia was still in the hospital, but through Facetime, she was able to make an appearance.

·         Finally, on March 28, we were able to take Olivia home to Aurora! We loved being able to take her to church with us on Easter.

April

·         After two years of being the head coach for the swim club, I stepped down and became an assistant coach. I still continue to be the deck supervisor for our swim lesson program. 

Olivia's godparents

 
 



·         This month we had lots of visitors to the our household. Some college friends were able to come for a weekend, and then the next weekend, we had some more college friends visit us. My mom and dad were also here (Poppi Bob finally got to meet Olivia), as well as my Nana and Papa. Olivia was baptized on April 28, and we had about 18 people come for the special occasion!

Great-Grandma Hollander, Grandma Sheryl, Grandpa Warren at Olivia's baptism

 




May



Joel and Kristi's wedding

·         The big event this month was Phil’s brother, Joel, got married. Phil hosted the bachelor party in Minneapolis a few weeks before the wedding, so Olivia and I got to have a mommy-daughter weekend while daddy was away with the boys.



 

 

 

June

Meeting Uncle Tom

·         My dad and brother drove out for a visit, and this was my brother’s first time meeting Olivia. We were able to do a few tourist things around here and Sioux Falls.

·         One weekend, the Tiedeman clan came up here and we spent a day at Lake Campbell fishing.

 

 

July

At the 4th of July celebration in George

·         We had multiple 4^th of July celebrations. Phil’s family came up to see Phil drive the airport fire truck in the parade and be here for the celebrations in Brookings. That weekend, we went to George to be there for their town celebrations.



·         Phil, Olivia and I drove to my uncle’s cabin in Minnesota to meet up with the Chmielewski family. This was Olivia’s first big road trip (it took us about 5.5 hours), but we had a lot of fun on the lake for the two days we were there.



At Uncle Geary's cabin with my family, including Great-Nana and Great-Papa

·         The biggest news of the month was that I finally finished graduate school! On July 2, I completed my two hour oral examination and passed, so I now have my Masters of Science in Sports and Recreation Studies.

 

August

·         Phil was an usher for a high school friend’s wedding in George.

Poppi Bob, Mimi Jean and Uncle Tom

·         Olivia and I went on a 12-day trip to Colorado. Unfortunately, Phil had to keep an eye on the airport, but we made sure to Facetime with him as often as possible while we were gone. We had a great time seeing friends, old neighbors and co-workers and seeing the sights around Colorado Springs.

 

September



·         Phil and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary with a trip to Minneapolis for the weekend. We went to Mall of America and rode some rides at Nickelodeon Universe and took in a Vikings game as well. It was Olivia’s first night away from both mommy and daddy, but she had a good time staying at Grandma and Grandpa Tiedeman’s house.

At the Vikings game

·         Phil traveled to Bismarck for a few days for a business trip, and was able to see a few friends from college.



Katie and Olivia

October

·         Olivia and I drove to Bismarck and spent the weekend with the friends that Phil had seen a few weeks prior.



At Aunt Mag's party

·         My mom came to visit and we spent a weekend in Rochester, MN. My mom put together a surprise birthday party for my aunt, so it was fun to meet my aunt’s friends, and see some of my uncles and aunts.



 

November

·         Phil turned 30!

·         I got a part-time job as a recreation therapist at a nursing home and work just a few hours a month (mainly holidays). I also accepted a position as an adjunct professor at South Dakota State University for the spring 2014 semester.  I will be the professor of PE 352 ‘Adapted Physical Education.’

·         We celebrated Thanksgiving in Aurora and it was so special to have just the three of us. The weekend after, we traveled to Middleburg, Iowa to have a meal with Phil’s extended family.

Phil and Olivia

December

·         I turned 30! And to kick start my birthday, I broke my index finger on my left hand the day before my birthday.

·         We traveled to Colorado for a week to celebrate ‘Thanksmas’ with my family. It was fun to see Olivia attempt to open her presents, and have fun playing with the wrapping paper or bag, instead of the actual gift.

·         For Christmas, we celebrated in Aurora, as Phil was on-call and I worked Christmas day. It was fun helping her celebrate this special day and she looked adorable in her church dress last night. This weekend, we will travel to George to celebrate with Phil’s family.

Merry Christmas!

 

 We can’t believe how quickly the year has flown by! We continue to be in awe at how much love Olivia brings into our lives and we can’t imagine life any other way. She continues to make us smile and laugh, and we are so thankful for her wonderful personality. We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 

A heart of thanks

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. 

Mommy and me

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 28^th wedding anniversary. And these are the parents that have supported me and loved me, no matter what.

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.

Mom and Dad at our wedding (9/6/08)