Day Four

Your Parents

My mom and I after graduation...May 23, 2009.


I love my mom. She is one of the hardest working people I know, and the laziest (her words, I promise). As much as I love doing household projects with her, some of my most treasured moments are the countless mornings we've spent reading books and magazines while sipping tea. There have been plenty of rough patches in our relationship throughout the years but still we are very close. I'm not sure how but she has a way of making me say what's on my mind. It's sometimes the easiest to get angry with my mom but it's because of how honest our relationship is. She has known more about me than I have for years. My mom is the best person to have nurse you back to health (a hideous bout of chicken pox, wisdom teeth removal, a fever, and innumerable tummy aches are her specialities) and once you're feeling back to normal, she will cook you amazing feasts! My mom throws together a casual weeknight dinner of rosemary rubbed steak, creamy polenta, and roasted vegetables as though they were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My mom knows who she is and who she isn't, something I very much admire. She has a dry sense of humor that for years puzzeled all of my friends. She cracks me up. Dan has already begun telling me I sound like her when I laugh. I am so thankful for my mom for all of the pushes she's given me and all of the times she's been there to tell me to stop pushing myself, too.


My stepdad Mike on his ship, summer 2010. (stole your picture Lizzie...)

My mom and Mike met in Tahoe many moons ago when I was a little 11 year old version of myself. They are now just approaching their first wedding anniversary in a few days! Look at Mike's picture. Doesn't he look like John Wayne? For the past 38 years, Mike was a ship's captain for the San Francisco Bar Pilot Association. He is an expert in the SF Bay and would wake up at all hours of the night to climb aboard various ships and direct them safely into port. LIterally the man would jump from a tugboat over the ocean swells, catch a rope ladder hanging down the side of a ship (think cruise liners and cargo ships) and then climb aboard. He just retired at the young age of 68!!! Seriously, cool job, and I will be thankful if I am half as physically able when I'm in my sixties. He has always encouraged me to work hard and save, save, save. Mike joined our family during some tumultuous years and I will always be thankful for his relationship with my mama. He supports my sister and I and we always have fun with our (now) stepsiblings during summers spent on the beach at Lake Tahoe.


My Dad, me, and Ali at my graduation...May 23, 2009.

My dad is my biggest fan and I love him for it. Seriously the man has cried at every choir concert, Village Theater production, speech contest and graduation. My dad is one of the funniest, most friendly people I've ever met. As a kid, I thought everyone was his friend and now as an adult I am proud of my dad's ability to really hold a conversation with people. He has been a real estate agent for over 30 years and he never once been a "salesman"; he's a genuine guy and his buyers know that. He now runs every morning and his best friend is his pedometer :) Again, if I can channel his kind of will power later in life (actually now would be a great time, too), I will be lucky. My dad is a walking dictionary and could probably lead you from one end of WWII to the other. He's a passionate man with concrete beliefs and I love his enthusiasm and spirit. And did I mention he's the original singer of the family? He can put Johnny Mathis to shaaaaammmmeee. I love my dad and would not be where I am or who I am without the support and encouragement he's given me.


My stepmom Ali, Chelsea, me, and my dad at his surprise 50th birthday party/wedding 10.24.98 (greatest.night.ever.)

Have you ever seen the movie or show Auntie Mame? Ali is everybody's Auntie Mame. She throws the best parties and plans the best vacations. She also will stop everything to listen to you and help you get through the bad times. Ali won over my sister and I at a very young age by letting us eat all of her snacks at work (smart move for any stepmothers to be out there). Ali and I are two peas in a pod and I love her for always knowing exactly what I'm thinking when I can't seem to figure it out. She is back wooing the East Bay in her regional theater performances and I love seeing her on stage! Ali has a presence about her that automatically makes her every one's new best friend. I have learned so much from her about how to treat people and how to have a "phone voice" for professional situations. She and I are both going through personal quests about our careers and I appreciate knowning that she can empathize what I'm going through. I love my stepmonster and know that our family would be incomplete without her in it.