Salt of the Earth

I'm going to start this post by saying up front that I totally hit the jackpot when it comes to parents. I adore my Mom and Dad. They uplift me, support me, and always make me want to be better. They were able fly out last weekend to watch the girls while we ran our race. In true grandparent fashion, they showed the girls the time of their lives. They had so much fun that when we came back, instead of being greeted with a "Mommy I missed you!" Teya took one look at me, clung to my mom and said, "I don't want Grandma to go bye bye!" Guess I can't blame her really. It's not like I ever take her to the Mall of America and let her ride all the rides, buy her matching bracelets and necklaces or let her pick out her very own slimy tree frog from the Rainforest Cafe. Yeah, I'm definitely not as cool as Grandma. : )

My sister Naomi came out too to help with the kiddos and to support her husband Kevin (who ran with us) at the finish line. There really aren't words to describe how happy it made me to have my parents and sister in town to support us. They are the kind of people that I hope to be. Just good, through and through.

After the race my parents stuck around for a couple days. I loved watching them with the girls and seeing them do all the things I adored as a child. Swinging Teya by both hands through the parking lot, giving her quarters for the gumball machine, singing songs in the car and my Dad's famous "buzzard" tickle finger.

I was also amazed at what a cleaning machine my mom is. I mean, I try to be pretty productive but my mom puts me to shame! For example, after I cook dinner, I'm done. I slaved away making it, I shouldn't have to clean it up right? Not so for my mom. She cooks it, cleans it, then follows us around and as soon as we put our glasses down they are rinsed out and loaded in the dishwasher. I felt like I had this cleaning fairy following me around. I got out of bed then turned around and she had already made it. Threw my clothes in the hamper and two hours later they were washed and folded on my dresser. Wow! the lazy part of me just wants to invite her to move in, but my better side tells me I need to take a cue from my mom and step it up in the cleaning department!

It was also cool being around my Dad. He is the embodiment of the Aloha spirit. He is warm, outgoing, friendly and fun. When we were at church I didn't need to introduce him to anyone. He just went from person to person, introducing himself and making friends. "Hi I'm Becca's Dad!" "How are you? I'm Becca's Dad!" By the end of church I found him in the hall hugging people. Love that guy!
When I was a teenager I was told that my parents were the salt of the earth. At the time I was like, "uh, whatever dude." (forgive me mom and dad, I was a teenager!) Now though I see very clearly that that is what they are. They are good, wholesome, humble, unpretentious, and just always seeking to lift others. I'm so glad my girls got to be around them and have their undivided attention for a few days. I'm also glad I got to be around them and to learn from their examples of how I can be better in every way. Thanks Mom and Dad, you guys are the BEST!