Luckiest of Unlucky Days

I love Friday the Thirteenth. Why, you might ask? Well, it's the day the two most important people in my life got engaged!

(Wedding dress, white hat, and a dozen red roses... graduating from an all-girls high school in Texas doesn't get more southern than this picture)

With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, I can't help but think about all I love about and have learned from my parents in the last twenty years.  

I'm blessed to have been born with my dad's calm and easy demeanor. Life is always good for him, and I love that. He sees joy in the little things and understands that family means everything. And sports are more than just a physical activity; there's so many life lessons that can be learned through playing a team game. As my previous volleyball coach, my dad taught me that. 

My mom, the Brooklyn-born business woman, has much more common sense than anyone I've ever met. I've adopted her motto that being yourself is the most important thing you can do. Her money-saving skills I quickly adopted by age three, and I'm proud of the fact that, besides tuition, I support my indulgences in Omaha and paid for my daily Roman adventures. Plus, she enjoys good coffee as much as I do.

Together, they've taught me that God and others come before myself. And they've instilled in me a love for Rome; now I can say all three of us have studied abroad in Italy's beautiful capital!

But, most of all, they've taught me what love means. It means always being there for each other, even if they have to drive forty minutes to me when I have a flat tire. It means letting you go have your own adventure, whether that be in Omaha or Rome, take your pick. It means reveling in the good times and pushing through the bad. 

Needless to say, I'm so proud to have the parents and family I do. 

But, let's be honest...

every family can't be perfect all the time.

Gina