Here's some pictures of Mom & Dad's visit to Tucson on Jan 1, 2004. Most every day they visited, Mom would drag Daddy out for a walk. She was a big walker. They would get up in the morning and go for a walk. It was really nice when they took Emma because Jen and I could sleep in. I know she really enjoyed walking around the development where we lived in Tucson.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Walking
Here's some pictures of Mom & Dad's visit to Tucson on Jan 1, 2004. Most every day they visited, Mom would drag Daddy out for a walk. She was a big walker. They would get up in the morning and go for a walk. It was really nice when they took Emma because Jen and I could sleep in. I know she really enjoyed walking around the development where we lived in Tucson.
Funny Hats
Mom always had a habit of taking ribbons off of presents and putting them in her hair as a funny hat. I imagine this is normal at a bridal shower, but she seemed to do it all the time. I wonder if she didn't get to do this at her birdal shower?
Another...
Monday, July 11, 2005
The Oddest Moments
Here's a strange one. Mom always had a way of bringing up important teaching points at the oddest moments. I find that her method of parenting was a bit sporadic - I guess in a good way. It's like she didn't have a lesson plan prepared and would remember things at the oddest times.
I recall (but could be corrected if I'm imagining it) that we were on a vacation where we were visiting a historical park. Maybe it was Williamsburg, VA? Not sure. Anyway, we all had to use the bathrooms. We all went, and gathered back in front of the town hall or something. We're walking along the path and Mom stops us to make sure we knew that when using the bathroom we should sit on our hands instead of sitting directly on a public toilet seat. I remember secretly being horrified that I didn't know that and that she had told us this as if this was a very important lesson. If this was so important, why had she never mentioned it to us before? I remember being totally embarrassed that we were discussing this in a public place on a walking path in the middle of this historic place. I think on the outside we just gave our normal "whatever" response and tried to change the subject.
This story kept popping back into my head recently. I'm not sure why. Told you it was odd. But I think it's a pattern. It's the way she did a lot of parenting. I often look at what I'm doing as a parent and wonder whether I'm just making it all up as I go along. Do I need to do some more lesson planning? I tend to dwell on things and over analyze. Again, that did not always seem to be Mom's way when it came to parenting. She had so much going on all the time that I think these things just hit her and she thought she better get this communicated now before we go forward.
I recall (but could be corrected if I'm imagining it) that we were on a vacation where we were visiting a historical park. Maybe it was Williamsburg, VA? Not sure. Anyway, we all had to use the bathrooms. We all went, and gathered back in front of the town hall or something. We're walking along the path and Mom stops us to make sure we knew that when using the bathroom we should sit on our hands instead of sitting directly on a public toilet seat. I remember secretly being horrified that I didn't know that and that she had told us this as if this was a very important lesson. If this was so important, why had she never mentioned it to us before? I remember being totally embarrassed that we were discussing this in a public place on a walking path in the middle of this historic place. I think on the outside we just gave our normal "whatever" response and tried to change the subject.
This story kept popping back into my head recently. I'm not sure why. Told you it was odd. But I think it's a pattern. It's the way she did a lot of parenting. I often look at what I'm doing as a parent and wonder whether I'm just making it all up as I go along. Do I need to do some more lesson planning? I tend to dwell on things and over analyze. Again, that did not always seem to be Mom's way when it came to parenting. She had so much going on all the time that I think these things just hit her and she thought she better get this communicated now before we go forward.
Vacations
I had a bunch of vacation memories this past week since we were on a family vacation. I'll highlight one:
When we were at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne, VT, we thought we recognized a couple on the tour. They had a boy about Emma's age and a younger boy. Their grandmother was also along. When we were leaving we realized that they were in the childbirth classes with us at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tucson back in 2002 before we had Emma. She was in the class and her mother in law took her husband's place when he had to work. They had driven across the country in their minivan with AZ plates and had been traveling for 3 weeks. They also recognized us and we caught up.
This reminds me of the trips across the country as a child. We went across the country twice. The first time we went I remember some people who knew their geometry calling Mom on the declaration that we were going to see the Grand Canyon in Colorado. (I didn't know any better, but having lived in AZ for 6 years, I don't think I would make that mistake again.) On one of these journeys we were driving late at night looking for a camp ground in [???? NM ????] the middle of nowhere when we found a camper hookup in the desert. Daddy went into the camp store and we ran into the Barlow's - a family from Street who had been good friends of my Grandad Famous and who went to school with Daddy. They had been driving across the country also, but from a different clockwise direction.
These trips were key in my mind to forming our adult beliefs. They also pointed out how small the US really was sometimes. I was reminded of those childhood trips and the small world this past week when we ran into a family we knew from Tucson on our Vermont vacation.
When we were at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne, VT, we thought we recognized a couple on the tour. They had a boy about Emma's age and a younger boy. Their grandmother was also along. When we were leaving we realized that they were in the childbirth classes with us at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tucson back in 2002 before we had Emma. She was in the class and her mother in law took her husband's place when he had to work. They had driven across the country in their minivan with AZ plates and had been traveling for 3 weeks. They also recognized us and we caught up.
This reminds me of the trips across the country as a child. We went across the country twice. The first time we went I remember some people who knew their geometry calling Mom on the declaration that we were going to see the Grand Canyon in Colorado. (I didn't know any better, but having lived in AZ for 6 years, I don't think I would make that mistake again.) On one of these journeys we were driving late at night looking for a camp ground in [???? NM ????] the middle of nowhere when we found a camper hookup in the desert. Daddy went into the camp store and we ran into the Barlow's - a family from Street who had been good friends of my Grandad Famous and who went to school with Daddy. They had been driving across the country also, but from a different clockwise direction.
These trips were key in my mind to forming our adult beliefs. They also pointed out how small the US really was sometimes. I was reminded of those childhood trips and the small world this past week when we ran into a family we knew from Tucson on our Vermont vacation.
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