mi familia

Just a warning, this blog post is about to get super cheesy.

I know everyone says this, but I truly believe I have the best family in the world. Even when my brother is annoyed at me for making us late to church or my dad’s joking has gone just a tad bit too far, they are still the best people I know, and they are still my favorite people to spend time with.

About my dad… For a huge chunk of my life, and for most of my memory, my dad worked as the Director of Public Relations for John Force Racing. That meant he traveled a lot on weekends to all of the races, and he worked from home for the most part during the week. He loved it, and he was amazing at it. He was, and still is, the very best in the business. Ask anyone who knows anything about sports PR and they will agree with me. Despite loving it, at the end of the 2016 racing season, my dad decided to take a step back from the racing world. I think it really hit home for him that I don’t have much longer before I go off to college, and Nick isn’t far behind me. He decided to take a job at Heritage Auctions, so he wouldn’t have to travel as much and could be around for Nick and I more.

As much as I loved having him home on weekends and having him home every night, it was weird. It was weird to see him wearing a tie all of the time and to hear him talk about handbags and art. After a few months though, that weirdness changed into something different. It became increasingly clear that my dad was not an “indoor cat” as he called it. Having a 9-5 job and pretty much just churning out press releases was not for him. His passion is in event PR, where he can be out and about meeting and talking to people. Heritage Auctions is a great company, it just wasn’t the best fit for him. Like I said, for most of my memory, my dad worked for JFR. I never noticed it when he worked there, but he had this glowing passion for what he was doing. At Heritage Auctions, there was no glow, and I hated to see him unhappy. He tried to hide it, but the passion and zest for the work he was doing was just not there.

And then, about a month ago he came home and told Nick and I that he had given his two weeks notice. Nick and I were surprised, because it seemed so sudden. What we didn’t know was that my parents had worked out the math and budgeting to where we could make it work as a family. Since then, he’s been working for his friend Tony Fay. He works from home most days and is working on a variety of projects that he is passionate about. He has a fire in him again and the difference in his overall mood is astronomical. I am so stinking proud of him. He’s always told my brother and I to do what we are passionate about, and I’m proud of him for following his own advice and setting an example for Nick and I. All of the money in the world is not worth him doing something that he is not passionate about, and I will live every day of my life being appreciative of the lessons that he has taught me.

About my mom… Firstly, she is an angel. Anyone who calls her anything less is simply wrong. For the ten years that my dad was flying all over the country for work, she was at home figuring out how to cart two busy kids around, work, and keep her sanity intact. Even now, when both of my parents are home I still always automatically put her name down when I need something signed. She is one of the smartest and most creative people I know, and she never gives herself enough credit. She is the DIY Queen. If she attempts something off of Pinterest it is almost always successful, and often turns out looking better than it did in the original picture. In any room in our house I can point out at least five DIY things she has done. Growing up, all of the other kids were always jealous of Nick and I’s Halloween costumes because she always knocked them right out of the park. Nick was Darth Vader one year and his chest plate even LIT UP.

On top of being a sewing and spray painting goddess, my mother is a social worker at a dialysis clinic. Social work is one of the most underrated, underappreciated, and underpaid professions out there. I don’t know where she gets the patience to deal with some of her crazy patients, but she does it with grace and class. She is a paperwork aficionado and a therapist all rolled into one and the world is greater for it.

Lastly, whenever someone tells me that I look just like my mom, I always tell them thank you for such a wonderful compliment. My mother is the most beautiful woman out there, both inside and out. I hate that she doesn’t always see that, which is why I try to remind her as much as possible. I love how much I’m like her. I get my craftiness from her, my love of finding a good bargain from her, and my perfectionism from her. Last weekend when we were in Fayetteville visiting the University of Arkansas, we had the option of going out for dinner. We chose to order pizza and watch HGTV in our hotel room instead, and that was the perfect night. Whenever I think of her I think of the children’s book Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my mommy you’ll be.”

About my brother… Nicholas Todd Werner. Gosh, I love him so much. He’s truly the best little brother a girl could ever ask for, even though little isn’t really something you could call him at this point (he is currently 6’2”). He will be 16 the day after Christmas, which is truly crazy to me. He is growing up too fast. First and foremost, he is one of the smartest people you will ever meet. He has the most amazing memory, which he puts to good use in school. It’s always been extremely frustrating for me because he picks everything up so easily, and then tests so well. But despite being uber smart, he’s incredibly modest about it. He never brags about it, he just does his own thing.

On top of that, he is also one heck of an athlete. He made the varsity swim team as a freshman, which is really difficult to do at MHS. Even though he is not the fastest swimmer on the team, he is one of the coaches’ favorites. He is extremely reliable and punctual. He doesn’t goof off or complain, he just works hard and consistently improves. He has the attitude and motivation that coaches’ dream about having in their athletes.

And if that is not enough to brag about, he is also super sweet. Anytime anyone I know finds out that Nick is my brother, the first thing they talk about is what a sweetheart he is. I hate to cook, and he knows this. So whenever we’re home alone, he often pops in my room and asks if I want him to make me a grilled cheese. He makes the best grilled cheeses too. He knows the perfect moment to flip them, and he knows that I like having two types of cheese. Additionally, since he’s so tall, he is also at the perfect height to give really good hugs.

I sing his praises now, but we used to fight all of the time. That didn’t really change until my freshman year of high school and his first year of middle school. I think we both became so busy, that we didn’t see each other as much. So when we did see each other, we didn’t want to spend that time arguing. Now I feel like we have a deep appreciation and respect for each other. We are both very different people, and that’s okay. One of my favorite parts of my week is driving him to swim practice and us talking about our day. He is one of my best friends, and I love knowing that he will forever have my back, just like I will forever have his.

So for now, that is all. Thank you for letting me brag on my family for a bit. They make it so easy, and I want the world to know how awesome they are. I would not be the person I am today without all of the things they have taught me, and I’m proud to be my parents’ daughter and Nick’s sister. Between the bar that my dad and my brother have set, it makes it near impossible to find a guy that meets those standards, and I’m pretty fortunate to be able to say that. At some point I’ll make a post bragging about my grandparents, because they are pretty fantastic as well. It only makes sense that the people who raised my parents are also the best!