Monday, February 29, 2016

The Men in My Life

I loved this prompt from Andrea and Erika's "Let's Talk" series and thought it was the prefect way to share a little more about The Men in my Life:

Brian
We all know Brian around these parts; sarcastic, silly, and my other half. The best Girl Dad to our sweet babes and a doting doggy parent, too. My best friend since I was a Junior in high school and he was a sophomore. The one I didn't know was The One until we shared our first kiss. I can't say enough wonderful things about him and am so thankful God joined our lives together.

Shay
My brother is 10 years younger than me. And the best baby brother I could have asked for. I was SO excited when my mom told me she was pregnant! Because of the huge age difference I feel like I was the jr mom and he pretty much was my practice baby ;) When Shay was 2, he started to display some concerning health issues and because of reading The Babysitters Club books, I strongly felt he was diabetic (a main character had diabetes and in one book it described her symptoms- always thirsty and urinating frequently, check and check.) After a scary incident when he was running and just collapsed and couldnt stand up, he was officially diagnosed as having Type 1 diabetes. My brother is one of the bravest people I know. And one of the smartest. It is awesome having a grown up relationship with him and seeing him with Kinsey and Brielana. He takes his role as uncle very seriously and they adore him. I will never forget when he told me I was the coolest big sister out of all his friends older sister's because I treated him nicely, unlike his friend's sisters. I will always carry that badge of honor with pride.

Papa
forgive the grainy, dusty picture, thanks ;)
My maternal grandpa is my father figure. He was the one who taught me how to ride a bike, bought me my first pair of roller blades and took me to my swim lessons. He is one of the funniest people I know and I like to think that's where I got my wit and sense of humor.
My papa walked me down the aisle at my wedding and when we picked out baby names the boy we never did have would have shared his name. My papa is 89 years old and has early onset alzheimer's and it breaks my heart to see him disappearing. He has good days and bad days but at least he still has days left with us. And he still has his funny bone intact!

Dad
My dad is a recovering alcoholic. I don't remember a time when my parents were together. I would only see my dad occasionally growing up and it didn't really bother me until I realized I was the only one out of my friends who didn't have their dad at home with them. My dad couldn't attend my wedding because he was at a detox center. But a couple of years after that, he moved to California and located about 90 minutes away and we have slowly worked towards a relationship. Two years ago he had a stroke that took away his balance and sight from one eye but gave him perspective. Our relationship is tenuous and at times awkward but I will take the small talk about the weather and the long laughes to fill the silence than never trying and feeling bitter and angry. It's the trying that matters the most to me even if there are missteps there is also mercy.

Dave
Brian's stepdad is a blessing in our lives. He came into Brian's life when he was 13 years old and has been his father figure ever since. Dave has the ability to make everyone feel welcomed and part of the family right away. He is hilarious and always ready to help us or lend a hand to anyone in need. He is Papa to the girls and has become a role model not just to Brian but to me as well. 


Linking up with Andrea and Erika.
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13 comments:

  1. The men in our life definitely have an effect on us. And while it might not be perfect, it is nice that you and your dad have been able to form a relationship now. And how sweet that you met your husband in high school and that your papa walked you down the aisle :)

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  2. Sorry to hear about your dad. I can understand those awkward relationships when you don't have a lot of history with the person. and Alzheimers is no fun at all. What a sweet post

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  3. Thanks for sharing about your dad, glad that you guys are slowly able to form a relationship. So awesome that you were/are so close to your grandpa, I had this all written down to write about, and then forgot, oops!

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  4. I like your attitude that working on whatever relationship you and your dad have is better than holding onto bitterness which will probably cause regret later on. I can definitely relate to that. I'm glad your grandpa was able to fill that role for you. He sounds like an amazing man :) So sorry to hear that he has Alzheimers. My grandpa had that too and it's an awful disease. On a lighter note, I was OBSESSED with babysitter's club. Like I'd read each book in a day as soon as I got it, and my mom had to tell me to pace myself because she wasn't going to buy me a new book each day of the year ;)

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  5. I absolutely love this!! You have some pretty amazing men in your life. I love how honest you were about your dad and I think it's great that you are working toward a relationship for him. Take your time and do it on your terms. I might need to do this too, but I don't feel like I could actually go into detail about my relationships with the men in my life because it's so complicated with my dad vs step dad. My dad is a great man who I love dearly, but he has not made the best decisions like how he forgot to pay some of my college bills (he paid half and I payed half) so when I started getting calls from collection agencies and found out "I" owed $10,000 that put some strain on our relationship. And Drew was pissed since we were close to getting engaged. Anyways...the stories I have. Ha ha!

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  6. What a cool collection of guys you have in your life. Thanks for your openness about your dad. So cool that you somewhat figured out about your brother's diabetes!

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  7. I am in love with this post!!! You have so many wonderful examples in your life & they will benefit your girls SO much throughout their lives too! Such a fun & raw post. Thank you for sharing!

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  8. Aww, what a special post about the men in your life! And I love how you diagnosed your brother via the baby sitters club!!!

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  9. Such a great, real post. Thanks for opening up and sharing about your guys. P.S. I am LOVING that blue eye shadow on you ;).

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  10. This was such a great post, Whitney. I admire the real and raw of it all.
    Baby Sitters Club!! Yes! Which character had diabetes? Didn't Claudia always have food hidden in her room, and had special snacks for the one with diabetes?

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  11. Such a special post! I love the story about your brother! Who knew 12 year old's could be so smart ;) It's nice that you included your dad. I know some of those feelings all too well.

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  12. Oh friend, what a sweet and precious post!! These men are so blessed to have such a caring and sweet woman in their lives!! And you are right...the trying is what it's all about!

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  13. What a beautiful post! I loved learning more about you and the men in your life. Thank you for sharing!
    And I love that you diagnosed your brother with diabetes via reading the babysitter's club. I totally loved that book but clearly was not paying attention as well as you since I don't even remember one having diabetes!

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