Happy Birthday, Tracy

Today is our son-in-law, Tracy's birthday.   We first got to know Tracy back in June of 2002.  He and Amy have been married for nine years now and although we've known him for just over a decade, we feel like he's been part of the family for a lot longer.  Right away we enjoyed and appreciated his laugh, his kindness, and his affection for our daughter and her children.
A little while ago I interviewed Tracy but I had to keep it short because it's the last day of their camping vacation in Coldwater, Michigan.

Here's how it went.

Happy Birthday, Tracy.  I hope you're having a wonderful day despite the fact that it marks the end of this camping trip.

Has it been a good day so far?  Yes it's been an awesome day.  We got a new vehicle so that was good.  So you got Amy a new car?  Did you get anything else for your birthday?  No just that.  Any special plans for tonight?  No not really.  We're just gonna pack up and get everything ready to leave tomorrow.

And how has the camping trip gone?   Yeah, it's been just like all the other ones.  It's great getting away.  I love being outside and I love camping, fires, fishing, family....everything about it.   Did you catch any big ol' pigs?  I caught an 18 incher (one inch less than the one you caught).
I hear there's a new sport in your life.  Was it very hard creating a little golf course of your own?  No.  We had all the tools required which were the property and the lawn mower so it wasn't that hard.  Do you plan to expand it someday?  No I think we'll leave it the same for awhile.  We're looking to get a new greens mower eventually so we can putt but for now it's fun the way it is.

So not only do you have room for all kinds of sports at your house, but your best friends and favorite party partners live next door.  I'm curious.  Did you move there because of the neighbors or did you get to know them after you moved in?   After I moved in.  But, ever since then we've been inseparable.  We do everything together in fact they're camping next to us right now.

I know you do a lot of traveling for your job.  Do you get tired of driving all over Michigan or is it something you kind of enjoy?  I enjoy it.  Really?  Oh yeah, it's one of the best things about my job.  I'm not stuck in an office and I see new faces and new places everyday.

You seemed to glide into the role of father pretty seamlessly when you married Amy and all of a sudden had three stepchildren.  How does it feel to be a grandfather to four already and essentially the patriarch to a family of ten?  It's just amazing and extraordinary to have so many people that are really a big part of my life.

Is there anything you can tell us about yourself that we might not already know?  Amy says I can fix anything.  Can you?  Well, I've had electronics training and stuff. Basically I do the job I do because I can fix anything out there.  It's what I do.
What else?  Well, she says I'm really good at the drums on rock band.  And that although I have a rough exterior, I'm really sensitive. 

And that was about as much as I could drag out of the two of them.  Despite the fact that they were so busy, it was a good interview and he was, as usual, very cooperative.  However, there are a few things I'd like to add about Tracy.  He has a sweet, loving disposition and really is kind and considerate of his family (and everyone else).  He has a strong sense of right and wrong and is true to those principles.  He's extremely likeable and he's the guy you'll always want to invite to your party because he's so fun-loving yet kind and selfless.  We're so glad that Tracy is our son-in-law and we're wishing him a very happy birthday and a year full of everything he could wish for.

Oh, and I just remembered.  Earlier when I asked about the fish he was catching I should have inserted a picture of him with his catch but I didn't have one which is because when we're fishing with him, he's selflessly driving the boat, trying to get as close as possible to the best spots, maintaining all our fishing gear, and doing everything except getting to fish.  And that's the kind of guy he is!

Happy Birthday, Marcus

Today is our son-in-law Marcus' 37th birthday.  Marcus lives in Nebraska with our daughter, Lori, and her children.  He joined our family back in 2002 and was a perfect fit from day one.

I spoke with him a little while ago to wish him a happy birthday and conduct a little phone interview.  Here's how it went:

Happy birthday, Marcus.  Are you having a good day?  Yeah, I'm having a very good day.  I love Fridays.

Do you have any special plans for your birthday?  Yeah, tonight Lori and I are going to go out for dinner and tomorrow we are going to a wine and balloon festival out in the country west of Omaha.

I know that you're away a lot during the week for work but you always make it home for the weekends.  Do you feel like your weekends are better just because you appreciate your time at home more?  Most of the time they are.  The time is so limited that's it's really special to have those 48 hours on the weekends to do things together.  Even simple things like going for a walk together are special. 

I know you work for a radio station in Iowa and that you've done some sports announcing.  Do you enjoy it?  Absolutely!  The best part of my job is getting to broadcast games.

And is it harder than you thought it would be?  Ummm no.  The part that everybody hears is not hard.  You just have to be yourself .  It's the technical part and learning how to use the equipment and edit audio files and things like that that are a big part of my job.  I produce a lot of commercials so production part is an important part too that I really enjoy.

Do you like being a step-dad?  Oh, I love it.  It's the best job I've ever had and I don 't consider myself a step-dad I consider myself a dad.  The highlight of my day so far was when Lori texted me a picture of the boys together this morning.

It seems like you're a just-about-perfect stepfather - always supportive and offering guidance but never overstepping you're role.  Do you find it a difficult balance?   I did at first but we kind of developed our roles as parents early on and the last 8 to 10 years have been no problem at all.

For a long distance relationship, you and Lori seem to have a very close, loving marriage.  Does this require extra effort on both your parts or is it a natural progression because of your love and respect for one another.  It does require extra effort and I think if this were the beginning of our relationship it wouldn't work.  It just wouldn't be possible to start a long distance relationship like this but having been together for 11 years we have enough trust and respect that it does work.... at least for awhile until we can be together all the time.  This is not the end game right now.

What can you tell us about yourself that we might not already know?  Well, today was day 30 of streak2sept for me.  That was something that Lori's been wanting me to do - be more active and start to run and this was a great way to get started.  I still do a lot of walking but I've started to do some running as well.

There's a lot I'd like to add about Marcus.  First of all, we don't see nearly enough of him.  On the occasions when we've been to Nebraska, he's been in Iowa and even those moments are few and far between.  It's our loss because Marcus is one of the sweetest, most agreeable, personable people you could ever know.

He's always so willing to help out, talk about what everyone else wants to talk about, play whatever everybody else wants to play, and smile agreeably every time I decide to take a picture.

He's not only loving to his step-children, but enjoys and interacts with his many nieces and nephews.

Ask him a favor and he never hesitates.  He's one of our most important sous chefs on New Year's Eve, a wonderful and attentive bartender, and helps out anywhere and anytime he is needed.

He knows more about sports of every kind than any ten people put together and most importantly, he's unfailingly kind and considerate.

We love Marcus and we're so happy that he's part of our family.  We're wishing him an amazing birthday and a wonderful, successful year.

And for ourselves, we're hoping to see more of him in the coming year!

Happy Birthday, Marcus!

Happy Birthday, Chris

Yesterday was our grandson-in-law's 28th birthday.  We first met Chris back in early 2008.  He impressed the whole family right away not only with his willingness to help but also with the knowledge and expertise with which he did it.  He even made a lasting impression on his future uncles-in-law.

He entered a house with a large group of people where Dan and Dave were working on a project.  As soon as they were introduced, Dan and Dave said, "Well, here, you're a carpenter.  Come and help us out".  Chris never missed a beat.  He picked up the tools and got to work.  I didn't even know him and my heart almost burst with pride.  If Chris had turned around, he would have seen all the women of the family exchanging glances of the utmost approval.

And it's been that way ever since.  I conducted an interview with Chris a little while ago over the phone but I only had a few questions.  After all, I'd just done an interview two years ago and I couldn't think of any better questions than I'd asked back then.  Besides I intended to write about him more than interview him.  Here's how today's interview went:

Yesterday was your birthday and although I did wish you a happy one then, I'm just now doing your interview.  I hope you don't mind that it's a day late.  No, not at all.

Did you have a good day?   Yes.  We went out to dinner at the Mexican Fiesta Restaurant.  It was good and I ate way too much.  I got a Mexican sandwich and a side order of six tamales and I felt like I had to eat it all.  So I did.

Now that you're securely into your late twenties, do you feel older?  I'm starting to because I'm realizing that the twenties are ending.  I only have two years left and it feels like only one.

I think you said before that as a teenager you didn't envision yourself as a husband and father yet you fit the role so well.  Is parenthood all you thought it would be?  It's a lot more than I thought it would be and in a better way.  I've found out that kids just make your day better.

I've seldom seen anyone with more patience with his children than you and you always seem ready to teach and explain.  Where does all that come from?  My grandparents on my mom's side were very patient with me.  Especially my grandfather.  He always explained everything and kids just flocked to him.   I thought if I could be like him, it would be awesome.

You've repaired our fence so that it can't be broken down again, you've re-built our small pond and added a flagstone walkway, you've repaired and installed hardwood flooring in Beth's studio, you've repaired walls, installed windows and doors, installed siding and trim, and done a myriad of other miscellaneous projects.  Is there any construction project that you can't do?  No.   And if there were you'd figure out how to do it?  Yep.
Where did you get your incredible work ethic?  Definitely from working with my dad when I was younger.  He used to take me to his work sites so I could help out.  He was a rough carpenter, and they have more of a hard-knocks work ethic which I picked up.
You and Amber seem like a match made in heaven.  What makes you work so well together?   I think it's just that we're met for each other.  We have so much in common and we're so much the same that everything flows well together.  Our parenting style is the same (we're both patient with the kids) and that helps too.

What can you tell us about yourself that we might not know?  I used to play hockey and I'd like to try to get back into it.  I only played a year last time because we had all babies but now that they're getting older, I feel like it's a good time to start again.  I'm thinking about starting as a substitute next season.

What else?  My favorite team is the Redwings.

And that pretty well concluded our interview.  Now I want to describe Chris the way I see him.

First of all, he's a loving, devoted, and patient father.  And his well-behaved children are a direct result of his parenting skills.  Of course, I don't want to take anything away from Amber.  After all, she was brilliant enough to fall in love with him and she's a loving, devoted and patient mom.  But Chris displays qualities not often seen in a man.  He finds time to not only teach his children but also to play with his children every day which is a teaching opportunity in itself.  When the children in his son's preschool class have to take turns to see who gets to sit by him, you have to realize that Jack learned how to be a good person from his parents.

And now I'll proceed to the extraordinary story of his help when we remodeled the outside of our house.  Amber told me that the week prior to his arrival, he spend hours on the internet reviewing and studying the best ways to do every facet of our project.  He worked side by side with Dave starting with installation of the front door, all the windows and additional required framing, and the professional quality installation of the siding and trim.  And when most people walk while they work, Chris ran.  He knew we had some serious time constraints and he did everything in his power to make sure it all got done working from sunup to sundown.  Then when the rest of the crew left, Chris stayed behind doing the finishing touches that not even we thought of.  At our request, he added a storm door but then he pointed out that the project wouldn't be complete without house numbers.  He even gave careful instructions to Harry on securing the gutters to the house.  He would have done this job too but we didn't have the necessary supplies and he had a job to get back to at home.

So now we know he's a loving husband and father, a skilled and knowledgeable worker, and has a work ethic that won't quit.  But there are a few other things I want to add.

Chris is also a loving son, grandson, and friend.  Although he's driven and dedicated when working, he's easygoing and friendly when visiting.  He has a good sense of humor and a slightly self-deprecating manner that's sweet and likeable.

We feel blessed that he's part of our family and we hope the coming year brings him happiness and success at every turn.

Really there's only one negative about Chris.  He's set the bar awfully high for all the grandchildren-in-law to come.