Thankful #6

FAMILY - I am proud to be a Berg/Caldwell/Hadley.  I have A LOT of family.  On the Berg side my dad has 3 brothers and 1 sister with me being one of 21 grandchildren.  On the Caldwell side my mom has 4 brothers and 1 sister and I am the oldest of 26 grandchildren.  I have two brothers, 1 sister-in-law, one nephew and one niece and Jeff has 3 brothers, 1 sister, 3 sister-in-laws and one niece...and we have Ethan.

I have had wonderful examples from both my parents.  My dad is the best example of a honest, hard-working man who would do anything he could to help someone else and I admire him.  I know I can always count on him and that he loves me no matter what.  I am his only baby girl and I share his middle name as part of my first name and the same chin dimple.  He also has given all of us many laughs over the years..."That's highway robbery!"   My mom would do anything for her children.  She is also very talented with making beautiful handcrafted items, such as baby booties, crocheted dressed and hair accessories and tole paintings.  Her middle name is part of my first name and I get my perfectionism and my purse fetish from her. 

I am also so thankful that I was able to know all of my grandparents, even if is wasn't for as long as I would have liked.  My Grandma Verna became one of my best friends as a child.  She is my only living grandparent.  She is a magnificent seamstress, making the warmest blankets, fun sundresses when I was little and aprons, and she also makes the best pound cake ever!  She taught me to love myself and not to worry about what others think or say.  She also taught me how to make her best pound cake ever but I should have had her teach me to sew because I severely suck at that.  My Grandpa Don was a wonderful wood craftsman and I cherish all the things he made me over the years, including the carousel horses that he made for my wedding reception.  For my younger cousins they missed out on a great man as he had a stroke many years before he passed away and unfortunately it changed his personality from the grandpa I knew.  My Grandma Helen was the sweetest, most caring person I have ever known.  You knew you were loved by her and she cherished spending time with her family.  My dad reminds me of her so much, especially with his laugh.  My Grandpa Ross taught us the meaning of hard work.  He was a farmer in Idaho and I remember spending time with them playing in the irrigation water that filled the entire lawn, playing on the old tractor, finding shells in the canal and when all the cousins were there having sleeping bags line the floor of the basement.

I also married into a wonderful and supportive family with in-laws who are great examples for their children and I am so happy to be part of their family.