tribute to my shmaps

This is my dad. Michael Moore. Hands down, no question, the absolute best father in the world. You will not find a better one. This man is so great, it makes me sad he has no sons to carry on his family name. That’s how great.

This tribute is not for no reason at all. Today, September 16th, is his birthday. And I couldn’t be more thankful this man was born. I’m not thankful because he made my existence possible. I truly think the world is a better place with Michael C. Moore in it.

Some things I love love love about my dad:

The fact that he’s an engineer. Engineering wasn’t always my dad’s dream job, but he’s really great at it, and I love how easily he can understand and explain complicated things. One time he told me all about how the air conditioner in the car works, just for fun.

His creativity. My dad is quite possibly the most creative, inventive person I’ve ever known. When we were young, in the days long before digital video and editing, my dad got all the neighbor kids, my sister and myself together to make a silent film about a family of zucchinis, set to music.

His sense of humor. All you people out there who think I’m funny, this man is largely to blame. He’s the source. When we were young, he told my sister and I we were not aloud to tell others to “shut up.” He said instead we could just tell people to SYFFT (pronounced sift), which stood for “shut your fat flapping trap.” It’s difficult to explain in written words how he is the best kind of hilarious you can find. I just love being around him.

His humility. My dad is so low profile. He has all the reason in the world to be prideful, and yet he is the most humble, unassuming person you’ll come across. He’s kind and generous and never draws attention to himself.

His love for my mom. All our lives, my dad set the bar high for my sister and my future husbands. He has always treated my mom like he really enjoys her. In a world where marriages were constantly struggling and falling apart, my sister and I always had a healthy one to look up to. I’m so thankful for his faithfulness and love to her.

His trust in the Lord. My dad has a strong relationship with God, and has set an incredible example to be content in our circumstances and to expect that God is able to do great things. He lives his life in a way that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he’s taught me to seek to do the same.

I could talk about my dad for hours. I just really truly think he’s the best. He inspires me to be a far better person than I am. I admire and love him so much, and hope I can be just like him someday.

I’m so blessed to be the daughter of this man! HERE’S TO MY SHMAPS ON HIS BIRTHDAY!!!

Figs for August 9th

No, no. Not these kind of figs:

Gross. Come on. THIS is the Figs I’m talking about:

Her “real” name is Lauren. But I call her by many names (such as Figs, Figgy, Figgy-wouldn’t-would-she, Figgers, Figgin, Feign-an-illness, Fain, Fernain, LeurFain, etc.–and the list truly does go on). The reason this blog post is entitled “Figs for August 9th” is because this one and only Figs was born on that day 25 years ago. And since we are already two days past the momentous occasion (also known in our family as “the best day of the year”), a tribute to this exceptional human being is overdue.

This is my big sister. And you should know right off the bat that I’m sure there’s never been a better sister. Not even probably a sister who came anywhere close to the great sister that she is.

It goes without saying that she’s absolutely gorgeous. People know it just by looking at her once, so I don’t need to go into vast detail to try and convince you of this.

Looks aside, she’s one of the best people you can know. She’s got an incredible sense of humor, which makes being her sister a real hoot. There is hands down no one I laugh harder and more frequently with than Fain. She’s a major part of why I have so many great memories of growing up in the Moore family.

She’s also kind and considerate. I admire her quickness to give others the benefit of the doubt, and she’s careful to really love others well. She’s the most loyal friend I know and consistently proves to be the person I can call to feel like someone really knows me even when I feel like life is throwing me around.

She’s incredibly smart and thoughtful. I love talking with Fain because conversations with her never fail to turn into conversations about the things that really matter most in life. She’s strong, generous, an amazing singer, good at reading interesting books, cares about the right things, loves her family and loves the Lord.

She has pretty much all the qualities I wish I had more of. Here’s to Fain! A woman who is easy to love, and inspires us to become better human beings for the purpose of glorifying the good God who made her!

time for another tribute

This is a tribute to my sister-in-law Becca Mann. She’s great, and I was inspired to tribute her today for two reasons:

1. Right now, she is at home, while her husband is in Burkina-Faso, Africa for three weeks! What a great example of a loving, supportive wife who knows a thing or two about perseverance.

2. She’s one person I can always count on to watch my flip videos and read my blog. I know there are others of you out there, but Becca really has a knack for this. Her and her husband are the ones who inspired me to do all this techno-communication in the first place.

Ok. So, here goes the tribute:

Let’s get a picture on here just to get things started. Here’s one of Becca with her hubs, one of my bro-fo-in-laws, from who knows when:

Aside from being my most fashion-savvy family member, Becca is all of these things (and more):

1. Smart and ambitious. Becca works at a church, is married to a youth pastor, invests in many of the lives of younger people at her church, takes really good care of their awesome house in Salem, Oregon, spends time with friends, reads a lot of Real Simple, AND goes to school!

2. Hi.larious. I love spending time with her because she makes me laugh a lot. It’s fun being with her and her husband too because they tend to elevate each others’ levels of funny when they’re in the same room.

3. Really great to talk to. Becca is really good at investing in people’s lives. She knows how to have a good conversation and obviously cares about doing so. I always appreciate her desire to share herself with others in honest and humbling ways.

4. Interesting and helpful. I always love heading to her blog, because she’s usually got something worth reading or seeing. Whether it be some good wisdom on life’s circumstances, a recent find, or some great practical tips, I’m always glad I visited.

5. Great at reflecting. Becca is great at sharing her thoughts about life. She’s sensitive to what God may be doing in her life and always seems to be working toward meaningful growth. I’m reminded by the way she lives her life how important it is to constantly be making progress on becoming the people God wants us to be.

Well, kids. I hope you feel honored to have read about this great great tributed individual. Cheers for Becca!

grandparent’s day

In case you were unaware, today, January 28th, was Grandparents’ Day. I probably should have alerted more people to this fact earlier on in the day, but here I am. Better late than never. You should know that I am one of those lucky folks who still has both sets of grandparents. Even more than that, I have two more sets of grandparents as a result of marrying my husband. That leaves me with FOUR-count ‘em-four sets of grandparents in the world today. Here are some neat things about my grandparents (original and in-law):

Clement “Grandfather” Moore (my pap’s pap): This grandpa is incredibly handy. He once made a car. MADE. Currently, he’s making an antique-style secretary desk for Jeremy and I as a wedding gift.

Veronica “Granny” Moore (my pap’s ma): This grandma’s got lots up her sleeves. She can make a mean Chicken Washington and watches the Bachelor. She can also make just about anything on her sewing machine.

Otto “Grandpa” Trettel (ma’s pa): This grandpa is big on telling jokes and does it well. He once taught me a song entitled “Combination Underware,” about a person who got stuck in his combination underware because he lost the combination.

Nancy “Grandma” Trettel (ma’s ma): This grandma knows every card game in the book, and has taught me the majority of the ones I know. She keeps her husband in line and has an incredible laugh when she really gets going.

Richard “Papa” Potter (pa-in-law’s pa): This grandpa is a national bridge champion and really fun to converse with. He loves to fish and has great stories.

Betty “Grandma” Potter (pa-in-law’s ma): This grandma is a saint, if only for putting up my with pa-in-law in the early years. She likes to travel and allows her grandkids to stay at her beach house. (Thanks!)

Kenneth “Grandpa” Wynkoop (ma-in-law’s pa): This grandpa really knows how to throw a  regular family get-together. He also gives speeches. As of yet, he has not given any of these speeches during a regular family get-together, but one can hope.

Jean “Grandma” Wynkoop (ma-in-law’s ma): This grandma collects nut crackers and could beat most young men in bowling, golf, and probably other things. She is known to her enemies as “JAWS,” but she’s really a softie.

So there you have it. Eight whole grandparents, each very different and unbelievably wonderful. This small tribute to them demonstrates the tiniest sliver of my affections for them. Love you, grandparents! I’m so thankful for you all. Happy Grandparents’ Day!!!

welcome to twenty-three

My fiancé is 23 today (May 9th; the date on my blog is wrong). His name is Jeremy and I like everything about him. Nearly, anyway. I suppose it would be unwise to make such a statement if I expect people to take me seriously. The point is, I’m ridiculously thankful he was born twenty-three years ago, and so I will take some time here to talk about him a bit.

One thing I love about Jeremy is that he is a philosopher. He examines life through eyes that seek to determine how to live and think well. He’s got incredible discipline for creating habits to develop his character and teach him how to understand and love others well. He’s a wonderful thinker and an exceptional communicator.

He is also an artist. I’m not sure he would describe himself to someone else as an artist. He is a lover of all kinds of art and has a high value for the creative work of himself and others. He is a poet, a painter, a graphic designer, and a photographer. He appreciates the theatre and a good film and loves art museums.

He cares immensely about personal growth and learning. Humility is a quality of his I experience frequently, as he seeks to learn from me how he can better serve and love me. He loves to read books and ask good questions of interesting people and be challenged by others. When he is given a job, he won’t finish it until it is completed to the best of his ability. He loves his friends honestly and cares greatly for their benefit.

He loves camping and being outdoors, playing soccer, and he prefers cats over dogs.

Most evidently, he is passionate about discerning how the Lord desires for him to live, and eager to follow wherever He leads. He has committed himself to the gospel of Christ and lives with purpose in light of this truth.

There are of course many more things I could say about Jeremy, but this will have to do for here and now. Thanks to God with the help of Rick and Cheri, for bringing this great person into the world.