Flashback Friday

This flashback is of my mom and dad, truly two of the greatest people I have ever known. They are eerily similar to Garry and I with our backgrounds:

• Mom and dad grew up in the same town, Garry and I grew up in the same town



• We were all High School Sweethearts



• My dad converted my mom to the gospel, I converted Garry to the gospel



• My mom is older than my dad by two months, I am older than Garry by two months



• We were all married at 20



• We had our first children at 25

Next year will mark my parents 50th anniversary. They are a perfect fit for one another. Here's what my mom had to say about my dad in an old blog post:

Take Ron for instance: He isn't a real exciting person, as far as wanting to do new and unusual things. But, he is a good man--one who puts the needs of others in front of his own, one who loves his family, his church and his country, and one who is a peace with himself, his life, and his past. I love that he does all the laundry, never ignores me when I ask him to help me, and goes the extra mile to make sure HE doesn't add a single thing to MY work load. He loads and unloads things, puts everything away after a trip or after he uses it--well, I could go on and on.

My dad doesn't gossip, sticks to the adage, "If you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything", he's generous with his money when it comes to his kids. When he comes down to visit he always takes us to dinner and lately has been taking me to Sam's with an open credit card policy to help with food storage and such. For years, he has gone Home Teaching on the first Tuesday of the month, religiously, literally for as long as I can remember. He has always taken care of older extended family members in his family, whether it was his own parents when their health was failing, or his uncle who recently passed away. He is 69 and still farms cows and loads hay trucks and unloads hay for the cows all winter, usually by himself! He's just amazing and I'm blessed to have him as a father.

My mom is so selfless. She always says "Never make a plan because something will always come up". She always had an open door policy and had strays (friends of her children) living in our house at any given time that it was needed. She truly goes out of her way to make each and everyone of her children feel important. She is a GREAT grandma, always wanting an adventure to happen for the kids when they are with her. She is an amazing cook, she loves to learn new things and was constantly upgrading her education. She gets more done in a day than anyone I know as long as she can start early (she's such an early riser!) She continues to exercise and take control of her health, even when living in snowy La Grande where it's hard to get that exercise in in the winter. She has stayed in touch with her sisters even when living far apart, and she's taken it upon herself to do a lot of her families geneology and get them those temple blessings they deserve. She just truly inspires me and amazes me.

I love them both so much and am lucky to be their daughter!