Lesson #30

Lesson #30 - When you're sick, rest.

It's been a long week of not feeling well (summer colds are the worst), but I tried to follow the lesson I learned about being sick while I was growing up. If you're not feeling well, just rest.

So, I did and will continue to do so until I'm feeling not so yucky.

Good lesson, Mom & Dad!

I love you both!

Lesson #29

Lesson #29 - If you're going to buy a parrot, make sure it doesn't curse (or think it's a vampire).

We grew up with a variety of pets. We had parakeets, parrots, fish, dogs, cats, my brother (hahahaha!), and we even had finches (or something that my dad was trying to raise in our garage once). Our most colorful pet was a parrot named Cassie.

She was a nasty parrot with a sailor's mouth and a mean streak that never ended. Of course, when we got her we knew none of that. Let's just say she made her true colors known rather quickly, but not quickly enough to give her back!

You'd think I would have then learned to make sure that any pet, but any bird especially, that I wanted to get was friendly and rated G. Well, sorry to say that lesson took awhile to learn.

I decided, the year after I graduated college to get a Sun Conure. Sweet looking little thing. His name was Sunny. Although, the morning I tried to put him back in his cage before I left for work and he jumped up and LATCHED his pointy, sharp as all get out beak on my NOSE, I had a few other choice names for him. Turns out he only liked men.

He adored my boyfriend, who is now my husband, and soon found a home at his apartment. The darn bird would be sitting on my hubby's shoulder and literally RUN across the back of the sofa to bite me if I was sitting to close...like 3 feet away. I seriously hated that bird.

SO, lesson learned the hard way, but hey, I learned, right? Thanks, Mom & Dad!

I love you both!

Lesson #28

Lesson #28 - It's okay to make a boob cake for your father & get him a stripper - just don't let the kids see.

When my mom's dad "retired" she made him a big cake with boobs. They also got a stripper who danced around his chair in our backyard.

Honestly, that sort of event stays burned in your memory. It's a bit creepy to see a stripper around your grandfather and watch him cut into giant cake boobs.

So, the lesson here is that if you're going to do those things you really should make sure the kids are gone for the day. We learned that lesson the hard way!

Thanks (I think!), Mom & Dad! =)

I love you both!

Lesson #27

Lesson #27 - Share.

Sharing is a hard lesson to learn. Just ask the parents of two siblings close in age.

Luckily, my parents have never given up demonstrating this lesson. They share what they have with those who need it. They let others use their pool, their house, their resources...whatever it is, if they have it to lend they will.

They've even helped instill this lesson in my boys. I'll often catch them disagreeing (ha!) over who is going to play a certain video game when one of them will invariably say, "Mommom said we have to SHARE, you butta**!"

Hmm. Maybe we need a lesson in potty mouths. Next time. =)

Thanks, Mom & Dad!

I love you both!

Lesson #26

Lesson #26 - Leave it better.

My parents have always been big advocates of leaving things better than they found them. That includes their impact on people too. Leaving people a little bit better than when they met them.

It's a good lesson and one that I've been acutely aware of these last few days as I venture back into the full-time work force. I work with the elderly and some have severe dementia and alzheimers. Some of them can't communicate with words, some don't know where they are and many of them don't remember things from day to day. Their families come and visit (at least for the most part), but it's not everyday and it's hard on the sons and daughters who love them so much, but aren't recognized all of the time.

So, as I've been going into this journey of working I've been thinking a lot about why I've been given this opportunity. My mom summed it up this morning - "You're good for them." Yes, I think I am. I interact with them, I ask them questions about their lives, I listen to them, and I make them feel as safe as I can. That's what I learned to do from my parents. That's what I hope to pass on to my kids. Leave them better. Whether it's with a smile, a laugh, or simply holding a hand...leave them better.

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

I love you both!

Lesson #25

Lesson #25 - Family comes first.

Really, this should have been the very first lesson I shared. My parents have always put family first and have been a great example to us for doing this. There's never any doubt, ever, that if my brother or I needed them they'd be here in a heartbeat...or at least in about 5 hours. =)

When my baby girl was hospitalized in January my mom found out at 1-ish and was on a plane within an hour and a half. My dad made the calls, arranged the travel and my mom was on the plane and here by 7. Thankfully, the baby was fine, but it was a huge comfort knowing that they had arranged things and were here.

And that's just what family does. That's priceless. Thanks, Mom & Dad!

I love you both!

Lesson #24

Lesson #24 - Don't be afraid to try new things.

This lesson ties in with yesterday's, but is on a broader scale. It's not so much about businesses and achievement, but about trying things that you'd like to do. From scuba diving and underwater videos to walking half-marathons and the Breast Cancer 3-Day, my parents just go for it.

When they decide they'd like to try something, they just do. My dad took flying lessons, my mom walked the Disney half-marathon and both of them had a blast. They're good examples of living their lives "out loud"....of not being afraid to try new things.

And that's a great lesson. =) Thanks, guys!

I love you both!