Thursday, April 15, 2010

Three birthdays and three tributes..








We recently had three birthdays in our family and, even though I am a bit belated, I wanted to do a little "birthday tribute" edition.
My dad's birthday was on April 4th and we really enjoyed being in the Valley for his birthday dinner/Easter dinner.
I would now like to let you in on a few secrets my dad has taught me over the years.....
*He and I would would do the yard work every Saturday as a kid. And that is where I learned the value of hard work. He would tell me..."Don't do a shoty job! Just do it right the first time! Do it! Do it right! Do it right now!" I learned many things on Saturdays... how to put a sprinkler system in, how to rotate tires, how to redo the roof. How to mow the lawn diagonally and then straight so that it looked just like a golf course. You name it, my dad and I fixed it!
My dad also taught me the phrase, "Let's make a deal!". You knew when dad said those four words, you could make some easy cash. My dad would say..."Let's make a deal! I am going to throw this tennis ball up in the air as high as I can and if you catch it, I will give you a dollar. Now if you miss it though, you owe me a dollar." I had a lot of bruises on my hands from tennis balls, but I sure wasn't going to miss that tennis ball and a free dollar. I still love it when I hear my dad tell my kids, "Let's make a deal!" because I know the adventure that is going to follow.
On April 7th, my Father-in-law had his birthday. I have learned a lot of things from Papa Lund over the past 12 years of marriage. First of all, he has very clever phrases that make you sit and think... for instance.... he coined the phrase, "wherever you go, there you are!" (Very poignant) and also, "If you like that sort of thing, that would be the sort of thing that you would like." (very deep!)
He has a great sense of humor and a very positive attitude about life that has been very influential on me. We also share a passion for sweets, so we have that in common as well.
Then, to finish off the tributes, on April 12th, my mom had her birthday. She even came to visit me on her birthday in the chemo room... now that is dedication!!! I have learned a lot from my mom over the years and I just wanted to touch on a few aspects. Like for instance, she taught me how to love reading at a very young age. We still share that love together and I hope to pass that on to my children as well. She is also a very amazing researcher, whether it is researching her ancestors or figuring out the intricate details of a grant to benefit her students, she is AMAZINGLY smart!!! She is also very compassionate and loves children, as her students could tell you. I can still remember when I gave birth to Sarah and I was in the hospital and Sarah was in the NICU due to some breathing problems. I was really nervous and I called up mom and asked her to come up to Flagstaff to be with me. She said she would be there as soon as she could and it wasn't until after she got there that we found out some other details. My mom had cracked her head open the night before and had spent the night in the ER getting fixed up, but when I called, she still came!!!!! I love you mom!! Happy birthday!!

3 comments:

Team Caldwell said...

What would we girls do without our daddies?!

Tom & Lindsey said...

You are truly surrounded by some amazing people. No wonder you are so amazing!

Grandma LeSueur said...

That was SO special to read, especially since I know your parents & in-laws AND I remember very well you growing up around the corner! (which doesn't seem THAT long ago....) You always were and STILL are a cool girl!!
Love, Sister LeSueur (well, that's how YOU always knew me, right?!)