The Road to the Marines

 

 One of Parker's senior photos- where he is NOT holding a gun!

Quite a few people have asked me why Parker wants to join the Marines.  I can't speak for him, except for what he has written in his letters, but I can share my own thoughts and observations.  Here's what I know.  When I look at photo albums it starts being funny because every page you turn there is a photo of Parker wearing wither Red, White, and Blue or camo.  It is rare to see anything else until high school when he added wrestling t-shirts to his wardrobe.  And his hair has always been short since he had a say about it.  Sometimes even shaved.  The other thing that is obvious as you turn the pages of the many photo albums is that we have traveled a lot.  Parker has been to 38 states and 5 countries.  He knows what America is all about and he's seen what is part our borders.  He knows what he stands for.

Parker was, and is, a tough and tumble kid.  He was scaling the refrigerator at about 18 months- which was a problem for me since I was 8 months pregnant with Reed!  He was always dirty and would make anything explode that he could- flour in the kitchen, baby powder in the bathroom... you get the idea!  He always wanted to be outside.  Right around his 4th birthday we bought a new-to-us motor home that was straight from the 70's and came with the 8 track tapes from the era.  He decided that camper was his and he wanted to go camping all the time!  As we traveled he learned great tunes by Johnny Cash and the Carpenters.

Parker was in kindergarten on September 11, 2001.  He was already a patriot and that event galvanized his 5 year old heart against the bad guys who threaten our country.  He was a vision in red, white, and blue and he wore this pin that we made together every day for months. I was surprised to see the school pictures with the flag he had built out of Legos that he made at school- I didn't know anything about it, but Mrs. South said that he kept it in his cubby and would not let anyone take it apart to re-use the Legos.

At that time in his life, all Parker wanted to be was a firefighter.  We watched "Here Comes a Fire Truck" over and over.  Ed and I can still sing all the songs!  For his 5th birthday Ed had put an old hydrant over our irrigation water spigot in the back yard.  We bought the right size hose and Parker could water the garden like a fireman.  When the fires burned after 9-11, our Fire Department was sending some guys to New York to help.  Parker had his dad unhook the hose in the backyard and he gave it to Fire Chief Dale Ekins to take to NYC to help put out the fires.  A few weeks later the hose was returned along with a FDNY hat that Parker wore all the time.

Parker shot a .22 for the first time in 2002 when we were in Illinois at Uncle Bob's house.  Loved it.  This is his 4th grade school photo from 2006- 4th grade.


Parker loved being in the Boy Scouts of America.  He loved the campouts and the hikes.  The harder the adventure was, the happier it made him.  He earned his Eagle and for his project he built a fire pit in North Lake Park.  His favorite part was the Camping Merit Badge.

The photo on the left is from the 50 mile bike ride.  It was a cold miserable day in September, but he did it!  Can't remember if he was 12 or 13.  He earned his Eagle at age 15.

Parker started wrestling in high school which is a brutal sport.  He learned to be tough both mentally and physically.  Of course Reed had to follow in his big brother's footsteps.  When they would come home from practice, Reed would be moaning and say "That was the worst practice ever."  Parker would come in with a big grin and say, "That was an awesome practice!"  The funny thing is, I don't think he ever liked wrestling despite the fact he was on the team for four years.  It was all about pushing himself to the limits in a sport that most people just can't handle.

Parker has always loved shooting.  He is our varmint control manager at the cabin and is pretty lethal with a pellet gun.  I can't even begin to imagine how many rodents have had aerial burials down there at his hands.

In November of his Junior year (2012) he was lifting.  He went down into a squat and started to come up and got stuck.  His first knee surgery was to remove the bone spur that had finally gotten long enough to dig into his IT Band muscle.  He recovered quickly and was able to start wrestling in January.  Interestingly enough, he was much better than he had been before surgery.

This is my favorite photo of Parker wrestling.  I love the intensity in his eyes as he was waiting for the ref to call the pin.  You can see the scar from the first surgery in this shot as well.

In April of that same year he went to one of those trampoline places where he managed to hurt his knee.  The doctor we went to was an idiot.  He did an ultrasound, pronounced that he would be fine with some physical therapy and sent us on our way.  I still can't believe I let that happen.  He did PT for a couple of months and then went to Vandit Wrestling Camp in June.  His knee dislocated 7 times in the first two days.  After doing some more PT, finding the doctor again who had changed offices, and finally getting x-rays and an MRI, we were sent to the head of Sports Medicine at the University of Utah Orthopedic Hospital who did a huge surgery on P's knee on September 25th, 2013. (For more on the TTT surgery, READ THIS.)  Parker became the poster child for a perfect recovery.  The doctor said he had never seen someone heal so completely and quickly from that big a surgery.  He cleared him to wrestle on January 6, 2014!

These are the scars from the second surgery.  He had two dissolvable screws to hold the new "tendon" that was made out of his hanstring and two big old screws holding his tibia together after they broke it and reshaped it to better hold the patella. Unfortunately Reed blew out his knee on January 7th and we had another knee surgery in the family.  Parker got tweaked in one of his matches and his Dad called an end to his wrestling career.  I left on a cruise with both of them on crutches! 

As any good parents would, we tried to talk to Parker about going to college or serving a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He was pretty quiet about his plans, but we knew he was thinking about military service.  Things came to a head in April of his Senior year when he asked us to go to the recruiter's office and sign paperwork to allow him to join the Marines since he was only 17.  After many conversations, and a few tears on my part, we did.  This was important because it allowed us to start down the path of getting his knee cleared.  To be honest, we never really thought they would take him since he still has two screws in his knee.  But he was in such good shape that they thought he would be just fine.

This photo was taken during Parker's junior year of high school.  You can see that he had taken the "military thing" to the next level.  And that there was a new sense of seriousness.

Parker left in June to go work in North Dakota on a road project for his Dad's company.  He spent the days hauling rebar and running up and down the hills with Survey equipment.  By the time he came home in October, he had lost about 10 pounds.  He was supposed to leave on November 17, but all of a sudden the date was changed to November 2.  We were on the hustle to have family photos and to get everything ready.  Which, since they can only take a Driver's License, a Social Security Card, $20, and the clothes on their backs, it was pretty easy!

Getting sworn in for the second time (active duty) at the MEPS in Salt Lake City.  November 3, 2014.

It was hard sitting at MEPS and knowing my boy was leaving and that he would come back totally different- a man.  I am actually kind of excited to see if he picks up after himself. . .  This little kid who was at MEPS because his sister was going into the Army became enamored with Parker.  This is the last photo I took of him before he left.  It make me happy that he was so kind to this kid.

It is fun to sit back and think of all the influences in Parker's life that led him to want to serve his Country.  We are pretty patriotic and I think Utah is a very patriotic state- much more so than Maine where his Dad and I grew up.  Ed and I are both the children of men who served in WWII.  My brother served in the Army and my niece served in the Navy during Desert Storm.  Parker will be the first Marine in the family tree.  I think our tree is getting a lot stronger- and better defended!

Parker's Graduation

Parker made it!  On May 30th he graduated from Lehi High School as part of the class of 2014.  We are very proud of him!

Bow the Knee

A few weeks ago Parker was asked to speak in Church today.  Then a couple of weeks ago it was announced that this week would be Fast and Testimony Meeting due to General Conference next week.  Parker's talk was moved to last Sunday, which turned out to be perfect since he was having surgery this week.

Parker is not what you would call "an open book."  He keeps things close and he has to be pumped for information.  He told me that for his talk he could use "For the Strength of Youth."  I figured that was safe and never gave it another thought.  Until he stood up in Church and announced that he had been given a topic but he had felt prompted to go another direction.  He used "For the Strength of Youth" and he talked about physical and mental health and avoiding extremes- such as obesity AND anorexia.  He talked about drugs and their impact here on the youth of Lehi.  He did a good job, he did not embarrass us, and I didn't really think about it any more than that.

But over the week I have had several people mention that they though Parker's talk was great.  They noticed that he only had a brief outline and that he spoke from the heart.  They thought he presented himself well and that it was great information that they hadn't thought about in a Church way.  Yesterday three people mentioned his talk, but one person took me by surprise when she mentioned that she was impressed by Parker's courage in taking on such a difficult topic and making such a strong stand.  I hadn't thought about his talk in that way.

Then today Sis. Bennett, who just happens to be the Bishop's daughter, gave an assigned talk on preparing for General Conference.  Just when I though she was going to finish, she said that she had struggled all week with her talk and suddenly yesterday she was impressed with what she was going to say.  She talked about self-harm and self-mutilation- and had already cleared it with the Bishop.  It was an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners kind of talk that you rarely hear in Church. She mentioned that she was encouraged by Parker's talk and felt the topic needed to go further.

And then the Choir had to sing.  I had chosen a piece that we sang last year and was a little uncomfortable with the choice.  I spend a LOT of time listening to music and pondering about what lessons we are supposed to teach through music.  At the same time, I want to keep my choir moving forward musically so I try to not repeat music.  This particular piece is called "Bow the Knee" and it has a powerful message.  In fact, at choir rehearsal almost the whole choir had tears streaming down their faces as we practiced it.

I was just fine and thinking about the logistics of the piece.  I gave the downbeat and was suddenly overcome by the first few chords.  I shook it off- I had work to do! As we reached the middle of the piece, I was once again overwhelmed by the Spirit with the sure knowledge that this song, on this day, was EXACTLY what the Lord wanted.  The puzzle pieces fell together.  This was the message of hope for the people who were struggling with the issues that Parker and Carina had discussed.  They were in the congregation and they needed to have this balm.

I was overwhelmed.  I only remember a couple other times in my life where the Lord spoke so clearly to my soul.  I broke down- while conducting!  Luckily the Choir kept going and they were great.  I'm a little embarrassed by the strength of my reaction, but the inspiration and weight of the situation came so suddenly that I could not prepare for it.  

I know that the Lord loves us and wants us to be happy.  He understands what we need and when we need it and He can make things happen for His own purposes.   He uses music to speak and to teach.  He understands our struggles and our pain and his will make it all work for our benefit and His glory- if we will let Him.

Recap of 2012

I can hardly believe that it is already 2013!  There were certainly times when 2012 seemed to drag, but taken as a whole, it zoomed by.  So much happened- here is a quick run down:

Ed:

• Lost 100 pounds.
• Opened an office in North Dakota in April.  And just finished their second office a few weeks ago. 
• Wired up the cabin so that we can see what is happening down there.

Kaye:

• Got recertified to teach for another 5 years but discovered she is no longer marketable.
• Bought a serger and spent many happy hours sewing- especially for Baby Gracie.
• Still serves on the City Council.

Colby

• Spent the summer working in North Dakota.  He made a pile of money.
• Got engaged to Danaca Moore on Halloween. 
• Worked at WalMart this fall, but got laid off last week, so he's looking for a job.

Parker:

• Healed his separated shoulder but then had surgery in November to remove an osteochondroma on his knee.  Soon he might get to wrestle again.
• Got his driver's license. . . and wrecked his truck.
• Hit six feet tall and size 14 feet.

Reed:

• Played baritone in the Lehi High School Marching Band and went to Washington, DC to march in the 2012 National Independence Day Parade.
• Is on the Lehi High School wrestling team and has a JV spot at 113 pounds.
• Has six happy chickens and sells eggs to the neighborhood.  We also eat lots of omelets.

Lewis and Clark:

• Big Lew got hurt fetching the tennis ball at Thanksgiving with Madison.  He couldn't even get on the bed, but now has his hops back.
• Clark sliced his tail open in January which resulted in a partial amputation of his tail.  This fall we have no idea what he did, but we came home one day to find a big chunk out of the end of his tongue.  
• They are the funniest, best dogs around.  Except when they are being sneaky and stealing food off the counters! 

In Threes

Well, it took a while, but Parker's shoulder finally got healed up enough to go back to wrestling in practice. Then, on the 16th he came home from practice saying that he thought his finger was broken.  I figured it was a new excuse to get him out of the next Dual, so I wasn't too concerned.  Until the next morning when his joints were black and swollen.

Bad mom.

An x ray confirmed a fracture and he go put into a hard splint.

Fast forward one week.  It was an early out day, so I took Reed to the Legacy Center to play basketball.  Soon I received a text that her had hurt his finger.  Yeah.  The same finger- left pinky.  He already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the next day to deal with his allergies/asthma, so he had an x-ray.  No break, but torn ligaments. 

At that point I was ready to come home and break Colby's pinky to get it over with since I am kinda superstitious about how things come in threes.  Colby is glad I restrained myself.

Fast forward three days.  I was cleaning the bathrooms and needed some cleaner from the linen closet.  I grabbed it and headed back to the bathroom with both dogs following me.  Clark yelped and I didn't know why.  I put down the cleaner and glanced back into the hall where I saw a lot of blood on the floor.  This whole event took about 5 seconds.  In an instant I knew what had happened- Clark's tail had been cut in the grate of the hallway nightlight.  I followed the trail of blood and trapped him under my desk.  Since I could see the bone of his tail, I knew it was bad.  I called Ed and the vet and tried to stop the bleeding.  Ed and I carted Clarkie to the vet where he got 6 stitches and a big tail bandage.  We are hoping that everything grows back together, because if it doesn't, they will have to cut off his tail above the injury.  That would make us all really sad because Lewis and Clark have awesome tails.

So, anyway.  That was number three.  Colby is safe. . . for now.  At least from me breaking his finger!

Real Life Day at the Collins' House

Last night Reed decided that he needed a chocolate snack.  He couldn't eat a bowl of M&M's because they have caffeine and he is trying to lower his caffeine intake. . .  So, he decided to make a cake.  He did it all by himself and it came out great. . .at about 9:00pm.  He was all ready to make frosting when I suggested that he just spinkle some chocolate chips on top. 

After we all gorged on a couple of pieces of chocolatey goodness, warm from the oven, I asked him to make sure that he put all the ingredients away.  I glanced around and thought he had. . . a thought that haunts me now.

I had to take Parker to the doctor this morning.  After x rays it was determined that he has a separated shoulder from the wrestling meet on Friday.  He's out of commission for a few weeks-  in a sling which is designed to produce sympathy from Mom and possibly girls at school.

I dropped him back at school, ran to WalMart to buy him pants for tonight's choir concert, and headed to the JH to pick up Reed.  When we got home I realized that the dogs had gotten into the trash. . .again.  Totally my fault.  I know they can open the cabinet and I usually put the bin on the counter before I leave.  Then Reed found it in the living room.  The bag of chocolate chips.  Or should I say, the empty bag that once held the chocolate chips?  Not some namby pamby 12 oz bag. . . not for our family!  The massive bag from Costco.  It had been 1/3 to 1/2 full.  Now it was empty.

I have two dogs that are twins.  Lewis is slightly larger than Clark, but they are both over 50 lbs and Lew is probably pushing 60lbs.  He's a real Collins.  Anyway, how do you know which dog ate the chips?  I smelled their breath.  Oh, yes I did.  I could smell the chocolate on Lew, but I wasn't sure about Clark.  Reed thought we should make them throw up.  He has never actually seen this happen so he didn't really know what he was getting into.  A tablespoon of salt down the throat usually makes a dog regurgitate whatever is in his stomach.  It worked for Lewis.  And there was chocolate.  Quite a bit of it.  I was starting to think that maybe Clark hadn't gotten into it, but I felt like I should make him throw up.  Salt again?  No.  This time I went to the big gun- hydrogen peroxide.  That produced an effect in about 5 seconds.  Quicker than we could get him outside!  It was wildly effective and he had eaten a LOT of chocolate. . .

Then comes the panic.  Do I take them to the vet?  What if they puke in the car?  How much is that going to cost?  Can I get charcoal slurry at Petsmart? (No- I checked)  So I did what anyone in my situation would do.  I called my husband.  He thought they would be fine.  I agreed and we hung up.  About two minutes later I was fretting when I got the text asking if they ate all the chips from the bag on the counter.  Yes.  Maybe you had better call the vet.  Ok, I think so, too. 

After I checked my bank account I called the vet.  She was concerned about the amount of chocolate until she heard that they were Irish Water Spaniels.  (As in biggish.)  She was glad that I had induced vomiting and she thought they would be fine.  I should expect diahreah and hyper activity. 

So, all in all just a regular day.

Oh, Dear

I love to look at other people's photos of their children.  I love the sweet faces, wispy hair, and total absorption in whatever they are doing.  I even love it when they are pouting or crying.  I don't really have photos like that of my children because I was trying so hard to survive that I didn't get the great shots.  I got a lot of shots. . .just not great ones.  I can't beat myself up, though because that wasn't really the "thing" when they were younger.

Today is a big day at our house.  Parker passed the test to get his driver's permit.  I truly wasn't sure whether to be happy or to break down in tears and to ask the nice man at the DMV to rip it up.  Tomorrow I will take him driving, but not in my car.  But that is another post.

Anyway, we should document these big events.  So here goes.

Parker at 15-and-a-half. Addicted to YouTube videos. Learns all sorts of delightful things from them such as how to build a bomb with aluminum foil and toilet cleaner and how to maim himself with bike tricks. Parker likes to sit in his dad's chair and surf the internet. He even sits like dad. Scary.

This is the patronizing smile.  Available at almost any age, but particularly popular with teenage boys.

Check out that hairy leg.  Not to mention the plaid jammie pants and the lovely old man slipper.  Take note of the small cut on the ankle.  I bet he has no idea how he got it.

He remembers how his toe got looking like this, though.  After his THIRD ingrown toenail procedure the doctor may have been a little heavy handed with the liquid that kills the nailbed.  Parker got an infection that was unbelievable- it took twice daily soaks and prescription strength anti-bacterial ointment to put it down.  Still icky, three weeks later.  FYI- that ugly toe is part of a size 14 foot. 

Big hands, too.  Notice the small scar.  He has them all over.  They are from knives and other tools as well as bikes and wrestling matches.

The doctor says we are going to have a big boy. He's 5'9" and still growing. Those size 14 feet are providing a firm foundation for growth.In case you were not aware, the slippers your grandpa used to wear are now daily footwear at the high school.  I don't get it.

One of my favorite "things" about Parker is his voice.  It is very low.  I get the gigs every time I listen to the message on his cell phone because he made it about 2 years ago and he sounds like a little kid!  He definitely has a man voice now and he sings bass in one of the choirs at school.

OK.  So pictures of baby feet are way more adorable, but the fact is that babies grow up and that is definitely what has happened at my house.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Parker's wry sense of humor, ability to do difficult tasks, and growing sense of responsibility are way better than baby toes.  And diapers.

Love ya, Parks!

An Unwanted Show of Affection

It seems to be a rite of passage for adolescents. . . since they are uncomfortable with their changing minds and bodies, they often engage in inappropriate activities in an effort to impress others or to show affection.  For adolescent boys (and apprently adolescent girls as well. . .) the "Doorbell Ditch" and  "Toilet Papering" are popular stops on the road to adulthood.

In the past month we have had the dubious honor of being the recipients of these displays of affection not just once, but twice.  These visits appear to coincide with the birthdays of Colby and Parker.  The first clue was the doorbell ringing at 12:30am.  When I looked outside I was met with a vision of white strips of paper fluttering in the breeze.  I know it is hard to believe, but my first inclination was to feel anger and frustration, not love and acceptance.  I stand chastened.  Maybe the frustration comes from the fact that the perpetrators went all the way around my house and not once did the dogs give any indication that there was something unusual going on outside!  No treats for Lewis and Clark today.  I went back to bed while Ed watched for sometime, hoping that the delinquents would come by again, but to no avail. 

At about 7:30 this morning, after taking these beautiful photos, Colby, Parker, Reed and I  spent the better part of an hour pulling toilet paper out of our trees and bushes, cleaning it off all the vehicles, and stuffing it into four large garbage bags.  Since we found the wrappers, I am confident that the paperers used 48 double rolls of toilet paper in their quest for decorative domination.  At least we can be comforted by the fact that they did not scrimp.  I thought the draping of the fence was really quite well done and the paper that is stuck on the roof attests to a strong throwing arm, so I think they should get an A for effort.

A Lucky Break

Dalton, after he was moved to a regular room, with a worried-looking Parker

This photo was taken one week ago. Parker's best friend, Dalton, fell off a rolled-up practice mat that had been stood on it's end. He hit his head and shoulder and suffered a skull fracture and a severe concussion. Although he did have bleeding in the brain, it stopped on its own and the swelling he suffered was minimal. He really has no idea how lucky he is that he is able to walk and talk and function!

That point was really brought home this week as actress Natasha Richardson fell during a ski lesson, hit her head, and died of her head trauma last night. How quickly these tragedies can occur! How fragile is life!


How lucky we are to still have our D!