Day 3: Parents

When I saw what the theme of tonight's blog was supposed to be, I kind of chuckled, because I was thinking about postponing tonight's topic to talk about my parents in honor of Father's Day. This could not have worked out any better! :)

Of course, for this entry, I will not just be talking about my dads because of the holiday. I will also be talking about my mom, because she deserves just as much recognition and admiration as my dads.

My mom, Kelly, is one of the hardest working and strongest people I know. She works ten hours a day at an insanely difficult job that is made for someone who is probably my age in a General Motors truck plant building the BIG trucks (like semis). Despite the obvious hardships of the job, my mom does not quit, because she knows that there are others depending on her. This shows a strength in her mind, body, and heart. Her strength was also apparent when Anne* and I were younger and she tried to be as involved as she could while working crazy hours. Being, as Anne's wide-eyed friend from preschool put it so very well, "the biggest mommy I have ever seen**," she was always recognizable. Her "big-ness" wasn't the only recognizable trait, though. She also enjoyed sharing her karaoke machine with the school and would bring it in when requested, showing her support for music, children, and, of course, performances those children would hide from behind a curtain if they were forced to watch them now due to the level of embarrassment. By doing this, I learned the importance of sharing what you can with anyone. I also learned that a karaoke machine can make any young child appear to be cool for at least that day, even if she's the awkward, shy one.

Married to my mom is Rick, my 5'11", motorcylce riding, tattooed step dad of nine years. Despite the fact that he has many of the characteristics of a stereotypical "scary guy" (mostly if the motorcyle is at foot), he is one of the kindest, most fun people I know. In fact, one of the major things he brings to our family is fun, which helps us with "bonding" and staying together. Because of him, we have had the opportunity to travel to different states and even Canada. Along with the fun, Rick brings some awesome stories that not only entertain, but teach lessons. Lessons such as don't leave snakes in your garage with an open top, because they will get out all over, entangle themselves into lawn chairs, and freak out your mother. Or be careful when in a mosh pit, because a strong 5'11" man trying to protect the women he is with can push you, and you can fly across the audience. Important lessons like those. Basically, Rick has made my life more interesting, I guess. I really don't want to think about what life would have been like if he and my mom hadn't gotten married, because I like having him here. ***

Finally, there is Tom, my dad since, well, birth. I can thank (or possibly blame :P) my dad for almost all of who I am. We have very similar personalities (kind of quiet at times, but we can be out going if the time calls for it, or we can at least take some kind of charge). We both do the corny joke thing (I believe him to be the king of such jokes). We both lack the strength in Math and Science (he also took Astronomy and Psychology in college to get out of the other more hardcore science classes for Gen. Ed. requirements), but we do well in English and History (though he is far better at both than I am). My dad is also one of the most intelligent and driven people I know. He graduated from U of M- Ann Arbor (big deal 'round these parts). He ended up going into sales for years, until he decided to go back to school to get his teaching degree. He managed to do this while still caring for Anne and me (with some help from my mom and aunts). I don't think I thought too much about this when it was going on, but looking back, I can say that I know it must have taken a lot of guts to be one of the older people there, learning new teaching styles and technology, while having to keep two (sometimes bickering) daughters quiet. Along with this, my dad is one of the few people who can really make me think during a discussion, and I love that. His mind just amazes sometimes, especially with his understanding and love of literature.

Although my parents all have different strengths and all gave me something different in my life, there are a couple of things they have all done for me. One thing they have all done is influenced my taste in music. When I was little, my mom would always have musicians like Carole King, Al Green, and Elton John playing. Similarly, my dad would often play The Beatles, James Taylor, and Van Morrison. Having these two adults play this kind of music around me almost constantly made me fall in love with not only their music, but music in general. To this day, these are some of my favorite artists to listen to. Heck, Carole King is my favorite songwriter and The Beatles are my favorite band. Although Rick was not present for the first few years of my life, he has been introducing me to new music with a different twist. An example is Liz Phair (her old stuff, not the newer, poppier crap). I had not known of her older albums, and I like how interesting it is.

One of the major things they all share, though, is their non-stop support. From the beginning, they have all supported me, no matter how crazy or pointless it seemed. The most notable support was for my interest in music. It mostly started in sixth grade. First, it was choir, which required money for the extra curricular outfits. Then, it was the guitar I decided I wanted to pick up, also in sixth grade. It was always obvious that music wasn't my absolute calling, because I was never amazing at any of it. But I enjoyed it so much that they continued to dish out the money. Even after the first set of guitar lessons had to end because the instructor left, we found another, who cost even more, but they still paid for it. Then it was the voice lessons (two different teachers for that, too). Of course, the choir involvement went on until I graduated from high school (seven years) and included many extra activities such as Solo & Ensemble, Honors Choir, and even a fine arts camp. Having their support for this area of my life probably impacted me the most for more reasons than I could count or begin to explain.

I was incredibly lucky to be born to the parents I have. Without the strength, love, guts, fun, humor, and intelligence they all show, I do not know how my life would have been, but I love this life and this family.

Mom, Dad, and Rick, if you happen to read this, I love you and want to thank you for everything you have given me. I could not have asked for more from you.

And to any other readers, it's okay that you're jealous. I would be, too. :)

Chelsea

*Anne is my younger sister. She is four years younger than I am.
** My mom is actually not "big." She stands at 5'10" and is in good shape. I just thought I should clear that up. :)
***He also brought me Taco Bell at work today. I don't know what that really has to do with him as a whole or how he has impacted my life, but I just thought it was really cool. And delicious. And I felt like it was worthy of sharing, because, well, it's Taco Bell. :D