My Parents

You are looking at a picture of my dad with the kids, in a tree house built with his very own hands...2x4's, nails, hammers, cement mixer, post digger, a measuring tape and lots and lots of Coca- Cola Classic. He donated nearly his whole week here building this masterpiece. No Tree House instructions needed. He just built it. The boys could hardly stay out of his hair long enough to wait for it. William just kept saying, "I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful." Jake kept trying to get up there before it was safe for tiny toes. A lot of patience, a lot of love, and a heck of a lot of hard work. We present to you the newest member of the Ford Family: The Ford Family Tree house!

We did find some time to head down to Kirtland. Always a good spot for visitors.

So...my parents. I was talking to one of my friends in Salt Lake and she mentioned how much she admired my parents for not being materialistic in a materialistic world. I guess she was saying that she appreciated how my parents could probably afford more materialistic possessions but have chosen not to. This got me thinking about my parents and their example to me. Here are my Top Ten:

10. O.K. First of all. My dad could have probably bought us a swing set for less money than it cost to build our new addition in the backyard. But there is a problem with that. Buying a swing set does not make you work for it. Nothing is life comes without hard work. As a result of a million 2X4's and nails, that tree house is NEVER coming down.

9. When we were younger we NEVER got name brand anything. I didn't even know what Girbaud's were (those really expensive M.C. Hammer jeans) until I realized I was the only one in the school without them.

8. My parent's do not own a Big Screen T.V. They have owned their two medium sized T.V's for about 15 years now. No need to upgrade. They still work. Kindof.

7. I don't know if my parent's have ever "sold" a car. It is hilarious. The only place their cars have gone is to the junkyard. Why buy a new car if your old one still works? My dad's old car you could hear coming up the road.

6. My mom never bought us anything "full price." Except my soccer cleats. Once they bought me red Adidas ones. They were sweet.

5. We were blessed to have remains of old cars when we were driving age. We shared. They were not "sweet rides" but they worked. Except my brother Sam drove the car with his knees instead of his hands, and that was pretty sweet. We were also expected to take care of these remains. I remember going in to the gas station and asking them for oil when I was sixteen. The guy kindof looked at me and said, "what kind?" "I don't know, I just need something so my car doesn't blow up...my brother told me I had to. It has an oil leak." He sold me some 10W30 and I was off. Once I was married, I had to teach my husband how to check his oil level. He wasn't amused.

4. The Ping Pong Table. My dad built this Ping Pong Table for us to play. Of course, he could have bought one...but why? This table probably cost more and weighed more than our house. It took my dad and all three brothers to move it. Furthermore, we left it out in the rain and as a result, it was horribly warped. Deemed...unplayable. But it still remains a family legend. I think it became the most expensive firewood ever.

3. I was "dating" kindof this guy in college. We went over to his house for lunch. Apparently I

made a bad impression. He mentioned to his friends how he couldn't believe that I would sit on the arm of the couch. I laughed. I guess it wasn't going to work out. Damn. He sure missed out on a catch. My parents house was the "the place" in high school. It wasn't because of the "things" they had. The ping pong table was great and all...but it was the way they made us feel. They talked to us freely about boys, making out, sex and anything else. We would always be sitting on the arms of the couches...anywhere to find a place to sit. As long as we dished the high- school dirt to my mom.

2. O.K. When we were young, my dad did it. He splurged. Well, not really. He decided it would be good for us to have a horse. Learn to ride it, train it, take care of such a large and beautiful animal. One thing. He didn't want to buy a really expensive, trained, horse. Oh, no. Let's train it ourselves. Remember: Nothing is worth it if it doesn't require a lot of hard work. Well, we couldn't catch the dang thing. I don't know if we ever rode it. Eventually he gave up. We sold it to the meat market.

1. The World's Best grandparents. Legos strewn across the house. Upstairs and down. Killing flowers. Catching fish...and letting them die. Dirt bombs being thrown in their face. Sand tracked all throughout their house...including the newly re-finished hardwood floors. Clogged toilets. Clogged bathtubs. A dozen eggs smashed on their kitchen floor. A movie library full of Backyardigans and Super Heroes. Marker Murals on their walls. A grand-kid room with video games and a trundle bed. A fridge full of hot dogs, whole milk and Popsicles. A soda table with drinks that make even the youngest child drool. Real live bunnies that eat lettuce from your hand. A Bird tree with a million birds that make obnoxious sounds when you push their belly.

I'm not sure if they are "living the dream" but they sure make our kids feel like they are.