Fimo Fanatic: Charlene's Blog

About My Family

You won’t read too many posts on this blog that don’t mention my family.  And like my stepdad said, “You can’t tell the players without a program”.  So, here’s the program…

Allen. Boy, how do I keep this to one paragraph?  I could sum the whole thing up into one phrase:  I love him.  But it seems so simple to say it that way!  I did blog about how we met, in my post entitled,  “Uncle Sam“.  He wrote under this photo, “Work hard.  Be diligent.  Never give up.  Kiss Prince Charming and you are left with a gray haired frog.”  Witty, because he’s prematurely gray and of French descent.

Steve & Heather.  Steve is our oldest son, born in 1985.  He and Heather married in 2009.  He’s a computer repairman, and she’s a cinematographer.  Steve is going to college part time, working on his computer science degree.  He’s entertaining to talk to, and has inherited his dad’s sense of humor.  He could easily succeed as a stand-up comic.  Heather is an excellent party organizer, and when we have family get-togethers, she’s our party consultant.  She’s a creative thinker and talented photographer.

Margo & Ryan. Margo is our only daughter, born in 1987.  She and Ryan also married in 2009, two weeks after Steve & Heather did.  (Yes, that was a crazy summer!)  Margo has a business degree and works at a craft store.  She’s the most crafty of our kids.  Ryan is the assistant youth director/worship leader at our church and works at a truck stop.  He’s an incredibly intelligent, talented guy.  Reminds me a lot of Allen.

Phil & Jewel. Phil is our second son, born in 1989.  He and Jewel married in 2010.  We don’t have their wedding photos back yet, so an engagement photo will have to do.  Phil is a soldier in the US Army National Guard, and Jewel works at a gas station.  Phil has an innate ability to smell food and know what spices it needs.  He’s an amazing cook.  Jewel is a considerate person who has a creative sense of style.

Will. He’s our third son, born in 1990.  Will loves animals, and he has the perfect job for it; works as a dog groomer at a pet salon.  He’s another one of our really talented kids; in his spare time, he excels at sculpting things out of wood, like elaborate fantasy swords and wizard wands, without any diagrams.  He just goes for it, and it comes out great.  He’s a soft-spoken guy with a big heart.  He’s headed to college in 2011 to begin getting a teaching degree.  He wants to teach elementary or junior high history.

Mark. He’s our fourth son, born in 1992.  He’s also a soldier in the US Army.  When he finishes with his military obligation, he said he’d like to get a business degree and open his own pet store.  Mark has a talent for sketching, particularly comic-style Anime drawing.  When he has time, he works on a web comic.  Mark is a charming guy, and he makes friends easily.

John. He’s our fifth son, 1994 – 2001.  He passed away in a tragic accident that rocked our family terribly.  Sometimes it’s hard to talk about him, and sometimes it isn’t.  He was a very sweet little guy, as most small children are.  He loved to beat his chest and yell like Tarzan.  He was usually wearing a smile. Oh, there were a few exceptions.  The first time he saw snow, he was upset because we hadn’t told him it would be cold.  But he soon got used to that, and winter became one of his favorite seasons, because of sledding and snowmen, snowball fights and Christmas.  He is sorely missed.

Fur-and-scale babies. No list of our family would be complete without pictures of our assorted pets.  The breeds and species have come and gone, but there have usually been some sort of winged/scaled/or furred family members around.  These days, it’s two cats, a half dozen freshwater fish, and a green iguana.

Joe. He’s our brown-and-tan Tabby, born approximately year 2000.  We picked him up from an animal shelter.  He’s a beautiful cat, but he’s a grouch.  I once wrote about this photo:  “Yeah, Emperor Joe. Whatever you say. Point those headlamps somewhere else, I’ve already been indoctrinated, okay?”  He’s actually made a lot of progress.  He was initially terrified of people and spent most of his time under a bed.  But years of loving acceptance have helped him a lot, and now he is brave enough to meet strangers.

Blue. he’s our Blue Russian, born in 2002.  He was born to a friend’s barn cat, and the first time I saw him, I wanted him.  He’s like a dog in a cat’s body.  It’s wierd.  He sleeps on his back with his feet in the air, snoring.  He will attack dogs, even those who are friendly to cats.  He guards the house from intruders, all except the mouse kind.  Those, he’d rather play with than eat.  I was trying to keep to just one photo of each family member, but I had to show the second photo of Blue, because it typifies his personality.  Yes, he is fast asleep with his head stuffed in one of Will’s shoes.

Fish-fish. Actually, they are all named Bob.  Will started the first fish tank about 12 years ago, and his fish was named Bob.  But the fish died.  So he got another one.  Named it Bob, too.  The tradition stuck, and now all our fish will forever be named Bob, no matter how many  or what kinds of fish there are.  Fish-fish is my nickname for them.  I have taught them to come to the corner of the tank when I say, “Here, fish-fish-fish!”  Yes, I really do say that.  Embarrasses the heck out of my family when I do it in front of company.

Iguanadude. You gotta say his name like Chicken Joe would say it, elongating the ‘dude so it sounds very surfer, like, “duuuude”.  He’s a regular green iguana, born approximately 2009.  He’s Mark’s monster, but he kinda likes me.  But that’s because I bring on the chow.  He loves cilantro and yellow squash.  Mark and Will made him a really cool cage with a hammock for him to lay under his heat lamp and sunbathe.