My dad was born Muslim, my mother was born Catholic. His form of fun is watching BBC news and eating cucumbers -saltshaker in hand, hers is dancing to Marc Anthony and collecting African-American angel figurines. When I booked my first TV job, she cried and lit her Virgin Mary candle, he responded with, "well at least you finally got something!"
They met at a swimming pool in Houston, TX, where they still live today. (Houston, not a swimming pool) She had just moved from Colombia and didn't know how to speak English. Coincidentally my dad had lived in Spain for 6 months, spoke Spanish fluently, and they were able to communicate. They dated for 2+ years before his proposal and have been married ever since.
I look to my parents for many things - love, patience, compassion, support, patience, compromise and more patience. How two people from such different backgrounds could complement each other so well, and do it with humor along the way is beyond wonderful to witness.
At the encouragement of friends who have met my folks and heard the stories, I have decided to blog about the #shitmyparentssay because...............sometimes I just.cannot.deal. Also I'll probably end up writing a sitcom about these two in the future so I might as well get my thoughts together now. Get ready!
Here they are, on their 28th wedding anniversary, upon being asked by me what the secret to a long-lasting marriage is:
