Remember These Two?

I remember vividly the day this photo was taken...out by Maplehurst Beach on Lake Lida one late Sunday afternoon...trying to get a christmas card picture of these two siblings. I put this picture out every year with my fall decorations, I guess to always remind me of what was. Me having the need to be the perfect Mother... sewing Ria her color coordinated church dresses, always making sure Ryan had matching pants, sweaters, socks.....and raise the perfect children.....concentrating on keeping a clean house, holding down a job or two and never really giving any thought as to what these two would become as adults. I realized when putting this picture out this fall, that it was taken 30 years ago...back in 1979...Ria was 3 and Ryan was 5. Looking back there are many things I wish I had done differently in that era of my life, but I guess I must have done somethings right because today I'm still the proud Mother of these two. They pick out their own clothes now, purchase their own homes, raise their own children as they see fit, and I just get to be an outside observer for the most part. The thing that I admire the most is how they each have become educated and each have followed a dream, turned that dream into a career and are both giving back to the community with their talents.

Ria as a photographer, giving many families the joy of capturing moments in their child's life in print, much like that picture taken back in 1979 does for me.

Ryan as a doctor of chiropractic, educating the public about the importance of spinal health and helping those in pain back on the road to wellness. I was so excited to get to attend the Open House for his new clinic location, and meet his co-workers.

From the first time I walked into his clinic over 10 yrs ago when he was just starting out, it jolted me to see my son, the same kid I had to nag about washing his face and hands, all dressed up in a tie, dress pants, wing tip shoes and a white lab coat!!

Ryan at the front desk with one of his chiropractic assistants! The back drop screen plays a view of the ocean with the natural sound of waves over the intercom relaxing you as you enter the clinic.

So I thought I'd brag a bit today about his success as a doctor and share pics of his new clinic for you. As someone who has worked in this field for almost 5 years now myself and visited several other clinics and how they do things, this place is a top notch, state of the art facility. You can check out more pics and features of his clinic at thebrostclinic.com. You can even sign up for a monthly newsletter with all kinds of great tips and info on spinal health!

Ryan's little wing of the clinic with his 3 adjustment rooms.


Ryan's desk area adorned with pics of his beautiful family taken by his photgrapher sister!

I wish everyone in my entire family would make the trip down and have Ryan do a thorough patient intake, exam, digital x-rays, computerized orthotics foot scan, report of his findings on your exam and top it all off with a great adjustment on you!

I also don't want my kids to ever forget who was most adamant that they receive a college education and helped them to get it.....I found this picture of my Dad with Ryan on his lap... it must have been taken in 1978 at one of my Dad's birthday parties as I had written on the back of the picture "giving Grandpa his birthday present from you... a minnow net!" So I made up this frame for Ryan with a bit of his ancestry; as he's the one who shares my father's name.


I can remember being a young child and traveling all the way to Davenport, Iowa to visit the Palmer College of Chiropractic as my dad wanted to pursue a chiropractic career back when he was about the age that Ryan is now. He never got to follow through on that pursuit... I think a wife and 3 kids to support at that time in his life pretty much halted him on that path, but I know he's very proud of what Ryan has gone on to accomplish and I know if he walked up into Ria's loft studio right now he'd probably shed a tear or two and think "WOW, all this from that little browned-eyed, brown-haired little pudgy girl who used to trudge out to the fish house with me just so she could eat butterfinger candybars one right after the other"....

The two little smiley kids of mine have made the best of an imperfect, in some ways very dysfunctional childhood. I guess I just have to keep telling myself I did the best I could with the circumstances I was given at the time. I'm very proud to be their Mom! Congrats to both of my kids on successful families and careers!