The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me...

I know I write a lot about how much I love my family, about how close I am with my mom, but this old blog is dedicated to my dear old Dad. I think I'm just getting excited to go home next week, and this has been the longest I've ever gone without seeing him. I talk to my mom several times a day, but don't get a chance to talk to him as much. He's always there for my advice about life, job, finances, and just about anything else. Maybe other people think their dads know everything, but mine really does know quite a bit.(not everything though. I don't want him to get a big head :) However, with just about any question I go to him with, he has an answer. He's where I go for my political information that has encouraged me to research and develop my own beliefs and thoughts. He was also there to explain the medical things to me during nursing school(and still now).

My dad is a pediatrician, and he has spent his life working for kids. Whether it be my brothers and I, his grandkids, foster children, or any of his patients he has worked with over the years, it is obvious that his impact is rarely forgotten. When we lived in Papillion, I was always so proud when we would be out at the grocery store or restaurant, and his patients would come up to us, so excited to say hello to Dr. Moran. It could be his cartoon ties or maybe his youthful and optimistic outlook that always made him so approachable for children. My dad has worked in many different areas of pediatrics, from drug abuse to child abuse and neglect. Whenever I tell someone what my dad does, they always tell me that he must be a very special person to be able to work in that specialty. That is definitely true. Through the work that he has done, I have seen that it is possible to make a difference.

With my career choice as a pediatric nurse, I've also gotten the chance to work with him a little as well. He came to speak at my hospital unit's meeting, and he had a committee to teach us how to work with a certain population of patients that were going to begin coming to the floor. As a nurse, you must learn to rely on that "nursing instinct," which in the beginning is always hard to hear. Oftentimes, I would call him after a shift to run something by him, as we know residents aren't always as "on point" as they should be. I really think I can attribute the "sharpening" of my nursing instinct to some of his guidance. Its pretty nice to have your own pediatric handbook just a phone call away.

As I mentioned earlier, my dad is a kid at heart. I think that's partly why we teased him that for his "midlife crisis," he got braces(same time as I did!!) I like to think I get a little bit of that youthfulness from him as well(not just the inability to see 3-D movies). Our family visits Disney World quite often, and we were able to take all eleven of us last summer. I think Dad got just as excited as the little girls did sometimes. (But I did too.....there's just something magical about that place). I also remember watching The Muppet Movie with Dad when I was younger. I've always said "The Rainbow Connection" will be our father-daughter dance if I ever get married. Throughout my life, my dad has done his best to expose us to almost everything. We've been to musicals, symphonies, operas, traveling, and many other things in between. I've definitely had opportunities for great experiences in my life. Its just nice that he has wanted to share that with all of us.

When I was in nursing school, I had a girl in my class who always talked about how she wanted to marry a doctor except that he would never be home. I told her that my dad was always around to see our sports game, home for dinner, etc. I told my dad about this and asked him how he was able to do that, and he told me that he made it his priority to be home for those things. I believe this is why I am so lucky. Both of my parents have always made our family a priority. I always know they are there for me whenever I need them.....like when it was my birthday, and I called them at 4am so they could wish me "happy birthday" as I was getting home from a night out. They didn't even care (too much ;). They even support me in things that they aren't really a fan of, but know that I really want(i.e. moving to Texas). Its always easier to make the big leaps when you know there is a strong safety net there for you.

I've been reading a book by Kermit the Frog(what??!! :), and I came across a quote by Jim Henson that I thought my dad would really like.

"I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality and that everything works out for the best. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked for me." - Jim Henson







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