Aunt Cat and Uncle Al

Cat is my mom's sister. She is a lot of fun and can really tell a story. She married Al several years ago. He is a lot of fun too, and is quite the business man. He owns/runs a smokehouse (which makes great beef jerky), and is involved with several renovation projects. They live in Ohio, so I don't get to see them often at all, but it is nice when I can visit them.

Grandma Alyce and Grandpa Claude

This is my mom’s mom and dad. When I was a kid, I pretty much only saw my grandparents twice a year—they lived in the Cleveland, Ohio area and they would come visit sometimes for my birthday, and my parents and I would visit them in the summer. (We lived in a suburb of Chicago). I have some fun memories of us going different places in OH—amusement parks or the zoo. And I remember playing games like Password. My grandpa would cheat sometimes doing different actions and stuff when he gave his clue. Looking back now, I wish I had known them more. My dad’s parents died before I was born so I never knew them, and with not seeing my mom’s parents very often, well, it makes it hard. My grandpa died when I was in high school. My grandma lived with my aunt in OH for awhile after that, and my parents and I would visit when we could. My grandma had various health problems including a stroke. She ended up coming to live at a nursing home near us for the last year or so of her life. I try very hard to live life without regret, but I think I do regret not going to see her more when she was in the nursing home. I was in college at Concordia then and lived on campus so wasn’t around a lot, and when I was around I found it difficult sometimes because my grandma couldn’t talk very clearly because of the stroke (though she remained sharp mentally) so it was hard to have a conversation with her. My mom was very faithful about visiting her every day when she was in the nursing home, yet something else I respect my mom for. My grandma had an awesome sense of humor and it was fun to watch her get into one of her laughing fits.

Even though I wish I had known my grandparents better, I recognize the influence they have had on my life. For instance, they (well, especially my grandma) brought her to church, had her baptized, showed how important faith in Christ was. My mom (and dad) then brought me up in the Lutheran faith. I also sense that in some ways, mom learned things from her parents that she wanted to do differently in bringing me up.

I am also very thankful to my grandparents. When I was little, they set up a trust fund for me for my college education. That money paid for my undergraduate and part of my Master’s. I am so incredibly grateful for that. When I was a kid I probably didn’t appreciate the trust fund they had set up, but I sure do now. They made my life easier. I didn’t have to struggle like a lot of people do. I know how blessed I am, and just wish I could thank my grandparents. I now have my Master’s; I know my grandparents would be proud of me.

Dad

My dad is a gentle and kind man who has always supported me. He gave me such an example by serving faithfully in the church (and is well respected by many for his work on evangelism committee). And he has a silly side such as when he used to make up stories when I was little about the creatures who lived in the big bush in our backyard including Boo Boo Kitty and Kookaburra. We now share a love of movies and going out to eat! Though we may not always have a lot to talk about, I know how proud he is of me and how much he loves me.

Mom

My mom is so important to me. I am so blessed I have a mom who has given and continues to give so much love and support. And I always have seen how strong her faith is and how she lives out her faith in service. When she does something, she goes out and gives 100 %. She is a perfectionist, and I definitely have that high standard for things too.

We have so much fun together. We laugh so hard over the smallest things (sometimes I say we have the same warped sense of humor), and enjoy doing whatever together--watching movies or our TV shows, shopping, going to concerts, playing games, traveling etc. I love how young at heart my mom is. If everyone had a mom like mine, the world would be a better place! I honestly don't know what I'd do without my mom.