For My Parents.....

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell everyone how great I think my parents are.  I know we seem to be on a dad theme this week, which I think is totally cool.  I think sometimes, especially with girls, dads don't really get the credit they deserve.  I come from a super tight family.  Even at almost 30 eek!!! 29 years old, I know that my folks would stop their lives, on a dime, if the crap really hit the fan in my life and I needed them. 

Let's start with mom.  MY MOM ROCKS!!  Anyone think we look alike?  lol  She's my band buddy.  As most of you know by now, cuz I've mentioned it quite a few times.  We were banded on the same day, same doc.  We would have went under the knife at the same time if we could have.  She's been one of the biggest support systems I've had.  Not only through banding, but through my whole life.  Sure, we've had our differences, but most like minded people go through some rough patches.  :)  My mom was a stay at home mom till I was literally in high school.  I was a sophmore when she got her first job away from home, and we both cried.  She volunteered when I was in elementary school, but it was at my school.  So we got to ride to and from school together every day.  It was actually quite an adjustment coming home from school everyday and not having mom be there asking me how my day went, don't even get me started on when I moved out and 45 miles away at the same time.  OY!!  My mom is the coolest mom EVAH!  Of course I'm a little biased.  We call and talk to eachother at least three times a day.  When I was in high school my mom hosted this killer halloween party for me.  She told everyone that she found a body and made all these body parts and innards out of regular stuff.  For example, peeled grapes for eyeballs, tomato juice for blood, you know the drill.  People at school came up to me the next day and asked if I'd heard about the party where the body was found and people had to feel the body parts to identify them.  I felt like a goddess to tell them that was my house, my party, and even cooler, my mom's idea.  :D  We were flying high that day. 

This is me and my dad at the Daytona 500 a few years ago.  He, my brother, and I went to the 50th running of the race.  AWESOME VACATION!  Best time I've ever had.  However, we REALLY missed mom when we discovered what kind of tailgate cooler my brother packed.  HOLY MOLEY!!  I'm a daddy's girl, my dad always says that he's put a lot of work into his tomboy.  Which I'm a total tomboy, I've been my dad's racing buddy all of my life.  He's not the one that called me the dirttrackdiva though, that was my father in law.  Fits me pretty good though.  My dad is a mountain of a man.  He's always been there for me.  He's an over the road truck driver so I don't get to spend as much time with him or talk to him as much as I'd like.  I do call him every night though.  Before I go to bed.  He's usually on the road, but I call anyway.  As I said earlier, I don't think dad's get enough credit when it comes to their daughters.  I remeber as a child, the sound of my dad's laugh has always been one of my favorite sounds, ever.  I don't really know why, it's just a memory that stands out.  And his hands.  My dad wasn't always a truck driver, he was actually a mechanic most of my life.  And he has working man's hands.  When he was a mechanic his hands had grease embedded in the callouses and fingernails.  That was all I knew untill he started driving a truck about 3 years ago.  Then all the grease went away.  Still working man's hands, just now they're clean.  lol  On my wedding day, my something borrowed was a silver dollar coin that my great grandfather used to carry in his pocket.  He gave it to my dad and he gave it to me on my wedding day.  Due to lack of place to put it, I stuffed it in my bra.  lol  When he were dancing he asked me if I still had it and I grabbed my boob to make sure.  Yeah, that's on tape.  lol 

My folks are my rocks.  I don't know what I will do without them.  I know that day will come, but I can only hope that it's a LONG way away. 

Mom and Dad~I would be nothing without you.  You have made me into the woman I am today and continue to help me grow and shape me into a person I respect every day.  I love you both, I respect you and I hope I've made you proud.  That's actually been all I've ever wanted in life, is to make you proud of me.  I can only hope that one day I can pay it forward. 

I love you mom and dad.  Always know and never forget that.  I'd be nothing without you.