Tell Me About It Tuesday - My Parents

This week - Amanda and I are going to tell you all about our parents.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures on my computer of my parents, so I'm going to use what I have...

This is my older sister Melanie and my dad on her wedding day December 31, 1999.

My dad was born June 15th, 1948 in Wichita Falls, TX. His dad was killed in an accident when we was just 6 months old. His mom later remarried and his "step" dad considered him his own son and my dad considered him his dad. They were very close. My dad got in with the wrong crowd not long after high school and starting blowing off his college classes, and my grandpa told him that he needed to leave town to make a better life for himself and get away from the guys he was hanging around. When he was 2 years out of high school, he moved to Houston with his uncle and started in the tile business. Not long after that, he got a job in the mailroom of a company and wound up teaching himself drafting. He worked as an entry level draftsman and then made his way up to General Manager of one of the largest metal building companies in the United States. He left there in 1996 to start his own company. My dad was always a work-a-holic and loved what he did. He enjoyed going to work everyday and was passionate about what he did. He became very sick in 2000, right after I graduated high school He closed his business in early 2007 and passed away on April 23, 2007 at the age of 58. He taught me so much! He taught me to stand up for what I believe in, regardless if you stand alone. He taught me to always work hard and pay your own way. You can't take pride in letting someone do all the work for you. He taught me to do what's right even when it's the hardest choice and to be a good person. Sometimes, your character is all that you have, and you want to be proud of the person you are.

My dad was strict and sometimes stern. He made sure that we knew how proud of us he was but that he also expected a lot because he knew that we were up for the challenge. There wasn't a second that I ever doubted his dedication to his family and I can say that I owe my work ethic and character to him. He was so funny and he loved to be around people. He enjoyed gatherings and parties and he loved to share everything that he had. He was a giver - He was so generous with everyone around him and would literally give you the shirt of his back. He didn't feel sorry for people but he did feel bad about their situations and he would do anything to help them out of it. I know that I'm a more mature and responsible person today because of him. I love him and miss him terribly and feel regret for all of the people that never had a chance to know him.

This is my mom and little sister, Meredith on her wedding day, October 10, 2009. My mother was born on October 15, 1953 in San Antonio, TX. She was the youngest of six children and when her abusive dad passed away when she was a freshman in high school, she quit school and got a job to help her mom make ends meet.

She married at the age of 18 and stayed in another abusive relationship for about 5 years before getting divorced and moving to Houston. She went to beauty school and worked in a couple of salons around town and moonlighted as a bartender when my dad and her first got together. They were married about 2 years later. She went to night school and received her GED and continued to expand her knowledge and skillset in the "beauty" world. She became a licensed nail technician while she continued to do hair and then she bought her own salon. She owned and operated that salon in the Champions Forest area of Houston until my dad and her decided to buy land and build a house in Waller and she sold the salon. She oversaw the day to day operations of the home building and made sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to, and the way she wanted it done. She stayed at home for awhile, fixing up her house. Shortly after that, she went to work as a para professional for the school district and then applied for the art teacher job at a local elementary school. She worked as the art teacher until my dad's business started growing so much that he needed extra help so she quit and went to work for him in the accounting department. Actually, she was the accounting department! She worked with him for the next 5 or 6 years, but also started working with the school district as a bus driver and she would rush home on all of her breaks to check on him and take care of him. For the last 5 years of his life, she did everything for him - showered, shaved, dressed, cooked for him, took him to appointments, managed his medicine and his physical therapy. She was a full time, wife, mother, nurser, and worker and she did it all with a smile on her face. I can honestly, without a shred of doubt say that she is the most unselfish person I know. She will do anything for anyone at any time because that's who she is. Not because she wants or expects anything in return but because her heart is made of solid gold. She is caring, creative and compassionate. She is outgoing, funny and a blast to be around. She is supportive and encouraging and I couldn't ask for a better mother or best friend. I learned to be a nurterer from her. I learned to be caring and be concerned about other people from her. I learned that sometimes we do things we don't want to do because it helps other people and the feeling you get afterward is all the encouragement you should need. I learned that sometimes, a hug and a kiss make it all better and even if they don't - it can't hurt!

Both of my parents were/are a joy to the people around them and I couldn't ask for better parents. Before my dad died, they celebrated 31 years of marriage together. They are a great example of love and strength and I'm not only lucky to have parents like them, I am honored to be one of their children.

Can't wait to read all about your parents,