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We all come from somewhere, right? This is the foundation from which we are freed into the real world to become who we are, who God made us to be. I come from a crazy Italian dad and an intelligent, loving, beautiful, not crazy mother. The crazy Italian has earned every letter of this name over the 30 something years I have known him. His accent is thicker than glue. He has always been hyper- everything. Addicted to organization. Meticulously preserving clothing from 1985. Always dramatic, demonstrative, exaggerative…you get the idea. He is the man who shows up with literally 10 pieces of luggage for a 2 night stay. He will only purchase about 6 different brands of food…and this has never changed. He’s got you DelMonte, Heineken, shwepps, and Ritz crackers. You would think he owns stock or something. My dad gets mad about everything, has a severe mild temper issue. He doesn’t know the names or birthdates of any of my children. He calls Brayden Brandon, Weston Chester, or if it’s a good day-Winston, Halle is of course Holly, well, he clarifies it with Molly or Holly? Right on Dad. Oh and by the way, we talk, (he talks), every week. He is most definitely from a different planet. He has always loved me and He is also the man who taught me everything I need to know about how to make some mean bolognese and how to shove someone’s nose into their brain, in self defense of course. He also taught me average intelligence as he calls it. Basically, the correct or more effective way to do things. As I look back at it all, there is not one single thing about him that is average. Especially not his intelligence. I reflect on the countless things he has said or explained, and I have come to believe the crazy Italian is in fact, very intelligent. He loves animals. Cat’s especially. Nobody ever talks about the cat ‘man’. Let me tell you, he exists. If it was between his finger or the cat, he would give his finger.

And then there is mama bird. She is kind. Always loving. Always caring for myself, family, friends, her parents…she never fails to make others the priority. She is graceful, polite, fancy, and always ready to dig in and get it done. She makes no excuses, and raised me without holding the reins too tight.

I truthfully am not brave enough to tally up the who-wins-the-highest-number-of-character-traits-passed-down-contest, but I do believe I am a little bit more my dad than I want to confess. I am crazy. I can’t eat normal, I teach my kids every bad thing that could happen, so ‘Be careful’! I realize I do actually know the right way things should be done 95% of the time. Every once and a while I fall from grace and do a stupid, but hey. I am human. I fight anger when I don’t get my way….and I am brand loyal. {cringe}

What sparked this post was my husbands grandparents 60th, yes 60TH! wedding anniversary. I am doing a little craft for them, and in it, every child, grandchild, great grandchild will be on their own leaf/ branch on the tree. Reflecting back on what makes me, me, I realize how impacted and shaped I am by my parents, my grandparents, and the bonds and characteristics we all share. What a beautiful gift parents and grandparents are…not simply for what they teach us, or what beneficial habits or personality quirks we inherit, but for the blessing in calling them ours. God uses them powerfully to mold us into us.

Guest Post
I arrived in the ICU this morning to find Michelle, much in the same condition she has been in since Wednesday evening. A little background, before I get to the main reason for this post. She had a temporary (5-6 day) lumbar drain put into her spine, and a running stitch into her original incision. The drain (10 cc/ml) every hour, helps remove the pocket of fluid that sits on top of her head. The stitch will hopefully tie her incision tight, and combined with the relieved pressure allow her wound time to heal/seal together, so she doesn’t leak anymore CSF.  They plan to turn the drain off on Monday.  Let her rest for 24-48 hours, retest the shunt, and see if there is any leaking. While I am optimistic there wouldn’t be leaking on Tuesday, it’s the days after that (usually at home and following a nights’ sleep) that are the true test.
I digress, she is not feeling well at all.  The draining causes her extreme headaches, and this time it is coupled with nausea. She is pretty much sedated for most of the day without much wherewithal to who is around.
Typically I shy away from blogs, social media, etc but felt compelled after seeing Michelle’s phone filled up with hundreds of unread texts, calls, face books posts etc this morning.
Obviously , we have been seeking so much prayer over these past two months. So let me provide some ways your prayers have been answered, and hopefully encourage you knowing that God continues to work in so many ways.
Seizures:  Michelle has not had a seizure, that we know of, for the last 40 days. After having days in which she would have in upwards of 10 this is tremendous hope that her last tumor surgery worked as you have prayed.
Walking: on Wednesday before her lumbar procedure, Michelle and I had the chance to walk around the DOU ward. No walker, no wheelchair.  She looked liked she was ready to run. Where typically I held her arms while she walked, instead we held hands as she walked for the first time in months.  🙂
Family health: as you can imagine, the burden has been falling on our immediate family, as Michelle has been in the hospital for 33 days now. Over the last two months no one has gotten ill, been unable to perform their needed roles, or any other unanticipated incumbrance. Other than some difficulties with our oldest’s ego and competitiveness the children have been wonderfully adaptive.
Food: never before have we eaten so well. The meals that have been provided, both at home and hospital, have been so appreciated. I can’t tell you how nice it is to not have to worry about cooking. Those days where we need to grab a quick bite have given much insight into the best hamburger joints in north Anaheim. Try Farmer Boys……….
Home Care: I could go on all day, but this needs to be said. Given the need for me to continue to work through this time (in San Diego no less), and not having Michelle  at home, has created a what should be a logistical nightmare. However, with mom’s, in-laws, friends, neighbors and a wonderful home care giver provided by Compass Bible Church the kids and house have been more than taken care of.
Encouragement: cards, gifts, messages, I could go on. These have sustained us to no end.  I have no way to send a response to each and every one of you, however, please know that these have all been cherished, loved and accepted with open arms. They keep us going, when we think there’s not enough in the tank. Finally, God’s timing is perfect. At the same timeMichelle entered the hospital, our Godly pastor released a book about how God uses trials in our lives and what our response should be. It has helped read while sitting here in the ICU, and would encourage you to read it as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Lifelines-Tough-Times-Gods-Presence/dp/0736958169/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1403375415&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lifelines+for+tough+times
Needless to say, God is hearing your prayers and supplications. For that, on behalf of my family and specifically Michelle, THANK YOU!!!!