Find The Awesome

In an effort to make this blog a little less depressing, it's been on my topic list for a while to write about things my parents did right.  I've bashed them quite a bit here, and eventually I may even remove some of those old posts.  I'm definitely torn between sharing the full version of my story, even the parts where my parents suck, versus taking things down in an effort to be more honoring towards my parents. 
Anyway........I'm going to try to think of some positives about my parents. 

My dad is a very cool guy.  He's an engineer and very, very bright.  He can solve any problem.  He has the perfect mix of both book smarts and common sense smarts.  The really interesting thing about him is that even though he's an engineer and very smart, he's also very creative.  He's definitely where I get my hidden creativity from.  I remember in elementary school I had a book report to do, and the project involved making a diorama to go with the book.  I didn't read the book, but I knew it was about a boy and his baseball card collection.  I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the diorama to look like, and the night before it was due, I told my dad about it.  He created the coolest project!  We didn't have a shoe box, so he made this wooden display for me, complete with these miniature little tables, with these tiny little pretend baseball cards on the tables.  It was awesome.  For a girl who always felt misunderstood, I remember knowing just how awesome it was that he created something that perfectly matched the idea in my head. 

I wanted to include his name in Colin's middle name because my dad is funny, smart, and creative, and I want all those things for my boys as well.

My mom  -- wow, this one is harder.  My mom is a very brilliant oncology nurse.  She's worked at the same office for nearly 30 years, and she knows her stuff.  I often times forget how knowledgeable she is, because when I ask her health related questions about myself and the kids, she is often no better than webMD.  A couple years ago my cousin lost her husband to cancer.  My mom was on the phone with her everyday, telling her what to expect next, answering questions, and walking with her through the entire process.  I could see just how much that meant to my cousin, and the rest of the family, and I also know that my mom doesn't do that only for family.  She treats all of her patients like family, and her knowledge and expertise means the world to so many people every single day.  I definitely don't give her enough credit in this area.

If there is one thing I want my kids to get from my mom it's her love of family.  She never misses a family gathering, she takes care of her mom and dad, and she is loyal to her siblings.  She quickly forgives and expects the best from them, regardless of the past. 

So there ya go, Ive managed to find the awesome in both of my parents.