Ma n' Pop

Tis' the season of my parents' birthdays. Mom on October 24 and Dad on November 3. This year is not a hugely significant year, as far as age goes. But, because I have no funds to deliver a present, this is my dedication to my MA N' PA! I have had so many memories with both of my parents:

MOM
everytime we laugh so hard...soooo hard. she gets the giggles too ya know!
shopping vacations
trying on her wedding dress
Estes Beauty School trips to get our nails done
everynight she read the Sandman Book to Marge and I in our room, her soft voice would always win against the will to stay awake
EVERYday when she'd pick us up from school, she was home EVERYday, I could always count on it. Sometimes she would have Jack in The Box curly fries and shakes in the car for us when we hopped in, the best days ever.
cooking together
sharing cookie dough or brownie mix
watching Sabrina or Sleepless in Seattle all hours of the night
Food 4 Less shopping trips
volleyball mom days
I LOVED it growing up when Mom would clean our ears...sick, I know, but so necessary
Mom always looks so pretty when she gets dressed up for one of Dad's work things or a super fancy church event.
miracles
YW was always better when Mom was there...safer, ya know?
Last but not least- DEWARS

DAD
daddy daughter dates
long talks on the drive home
watching him speak in front of congregations and being so proud
working in the yard side by side. a sense of camaraderie
his love for Surplus City
when I need mail forwarded there's always a note from dad
Priesthood Power
ski trips
how excited he gets when he has a surprise for you
his endurance to exercise, even on the HOTTEST days
as a little girl hanging out in the room watching him shave, iron his shirt, tie his tie, spic and span
standing on shoulders in the pool
dad and I got stung because he had to rescue me from a swarm of wasps, I was playing w/ a hose on the patio, hit a nest and he grabbed me and tossed me in the pool
jumping on the trampoline
the best sense of humor ever
black and white westerns
when he'd tell us that the oil pumps in Oildale were grasshoppers
he's always got a pack of Trident gum in the top drawer of his desk at work. 1/2 piece only or you look like a cow. then we'd play w/ the stamps and papers in the copy room
save the best for last- Sunday Drives on his lap through the fields and when he taught me how to drive stick

Everytime I leave home after a visit it's like I'll never see them again, I get homesick immediately. There's nothing like a warm hug from your parents, and the confidence that you make them proud. We've come a long way since the beginning, all grown up! They're empty nesters now, but between them visiting us and us visiting them, we're never apart for too long.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!