tributes!!!

Ok...first off I need to mention that I'm not any good at these at all. I'm not good with putting my feelings & thoughts into words so I almost hate to do one at all. This tribute has two purposes. It's fathers day today and tomorrow is my wedding anniversary therefore I have a lot to reflect on and be grateful for.

Before I begin I need to mention that my scanner isn't working because I need toner; makes a lot of sense huh. Since they didn't do digital back when I got married I had to take a pic of a pic. This has made them very yellow & icky but thought these pictures were fitting since one contains my dad & it was the day I got married. I did enjoy today with him & forget to take pictures too.

As I reflect on my dad I think of him as my dad growing up and as a grandpa now. Growing up & even when I was in career mode I'd often think of how he'd handle situations since he's loved & respected by everyone who knows him. I have many fun memories growing up of family trips & vacations that my dad worked hard to make sure our family could go on. I was always proud to announce he was my dad. In high school a story that sticks in my mind was one of trust. A friend and I decided it'd be fun to try out for a play & play trees in the background. We were goofy & were shocked when he & I went to see what parts we got I got the lead & he too got a large role. I was very disappointed since it wasn't really my thing & that was never my intention...long story short my drama instructor asked me to get out of a ski class for fear of injury. I told him I'd already paid & that I wasn't going to quit. He said he'd get back my money...I agreed if he got my money back. I was happy when he failed to do so & I went skiing. Anyways, my dad was on the school board & some how the Principal received word that I had agreed to quit skiing but hadn't done so & told my dad. My dad sat me down & kindly asked me the situation...he knew I'd much rather be skiing then acting. I told him the story & told him that I told my drama teacher I'd quit if he got my money back. My dad trusted me & wasn't angry but respected me. I really appreciated that since the whole experience was frustrating.

As a grandpa my dad spoils his grandchildren & children too. My dad is always thinking about fun things to take the kids to do. I'm so glad that my children have gotten to know him (Washington made it a little hard) & are making memories with him all the time.

So now to Chris. This is a focus on being a dad/our anniversary. I feel so old as I reflect on being married & all the different adventures & trials that we've been through. We often reflect back when we were first married & that we'd head to Seattle every weekend. We played lots!!!! Some say their first year of marriage was their hardest but we both thought it was all fun & play. I think that the word "FUN" really sums up a lot about us. We will sometimes just giggle over absolutely nothing, strange little things make up happy, we both encourage one another to set goals & achieve them (Chris is running a 5k in two weeks), we LOVE our boys & totally get a kick out of them, and if I were to sum up this last year...life isn't perfect but we really are BLESSED.

I know Chris was ready for kids sooner then I was. For whatever reason I was terrified to be a mom & really enjoyed working & could totally picture myself progressing career-wise (that may have been part of my hestitation.) So when I accidently became pregnant with Jaden I think Chris tried to hold in his excitement for fear of how I was feeling. Sometimes accidents are meant to happen for it moved my career in a different direction:):):) Oh how much fun we had with baby Jaden; Chris would pack him around everywhere he'd go. He was a proud dad (totally just thought of a picture to post but don't want to take another pic of a pic) & showed his little boy off every chance he had. I remember that I then felt a different kind of love for Chris as I saw him as a dad. Now that Chris is on the road it breaks his heart to miss out on what the boys are doing. He likes many details on what the boys are doing at home & he's excited to get to take Jaden to t-ball this week.

This week is a great week & this is why....this is Chris's last week to travel until two weeks in November. He took Thursday & Friday off so that him & I can go to Island Park to bike, catch a show, & spend the night. So that means he'll only be gone two nights. And on Saturday & Sunday we get to celebrate Jaden's B-day.

So happy fathers day to my dad & Chris...I love you!!!!!!!!!!