Can we just take a minute to talk about my parents?

Can we just take a minute to talk about my parents?  It's not really health and fitness related, but it has to be said.

BEHOLD, MY WORLD-TRAVELLING MOM AND DAD.

Aren't they the cutest?????  Look at my mom's hat and my dad's walking stick.  I mean, come ON...they're the CUTEST.

Let me tell you a few things about them:

1) My pops is a marathoner.  Even though I hate running with a fiery passion, I feel like my newfound obsession with fitness may be partially genetic (so I guess this is sort of health and fitness related).

2) They grew up in two little northern Minnesota towns, about 15 miles apart, but didn't meet until graduate school.

3) My mom is a champion for justice.  She always fights for what's right, even if it's the wildly unpopular thing to do.  I remember when I was in grade school, we always had a Christmas concert.  My mom didn't think it was fair that some students couldn't participate in this huge school event because of religious or other reasons, and fought to get it moved to a spring concert that everyone could participate in.  People were PISSED.  She is amazing.

4) My dad is a cancer survivor.  He retired shortly after his diagnosis and has spent his retirement travelling the world with my mom, and writing books about fishing and his life, the proceeds of which are donated to the American Cancer Society.

5) They volunteer for the American Red Cross.  Whether this means they are woken up by a 2am phone call to help out at a local house fire, given two days notice to be in Louisiana after a hurricane or Missouri after a tornado, or, like this week, asked to go to Buffalo, NY to help out after the massive snowstorm, they donate a lot of time and energy to helping others.  Sometimes they go solo, if they're not both available, and sometimes they are able to go together.

6) They always, ALWAYS support my sister and I.  If criticism is given, it's constructive.  I had no idea when I was growing up that there are people out there with shitty parents.  Parents who don't support them, who disown them, who say or do hateful, abusive things to them.  I'm so, so thankful I don't know what that's like...it's a completely foreign concept to me.  Though we don't agree on everything, they're constantly able to help me see things clearly and from a different point of view.

7) They're wicked smart.  Any time I don't know something and can't find a reliable answer on Google, I call my parents.  They will almost invariably know.  If not, I know I can count on a wise-ass, bullshit, hilarious answer from my dad.

8) They have "adopted" my sister's and my spouses like two extra children.  I know a lot of people who have strained relationships with their in-laws and I'm happy to say, that's not the case at casa Senarighi.

9) I inherited my mom's beautiful face and my dad's amazing sense of humor.

10) Their marriage is a shining example of equality.  There were times when my mom worked more, times when my dad worked more, times when mom would cook dinner, times when dad would cook dinner, etc.  Gender roles are largely absent at their house.

11) They took my sister and I on so many adventures growing up.  If there was a conference they had to go to, we went along.  We saw so much of the country and even foreign countries as kids, and I feel really fortunate for all of those experiences.

Circa 1984

Thanks for everything, mom and pops.  We're lucky to have you.