2011 Carrie Busey Awards
by Todd Sweet
The Sweets // Living the Sweet life in Central Illinois.
Yesterday, January 30, 2011, would have been my mom's 66th birthday. One of the ways Julie and I enjoy marking the ocassion every year is by making a donation to organizations Louise would have supported. In the past we've made donations to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (she died of complications from breast cancer), Treehouse or Epiphany School where she worked for many years. This year we thought we would go local, so I solicited advice from folks on Twitter about non-profits based in Champaign-Urbana that work with children and received three suggestions. All three do great work, so instead of picking one we simply made smaller donations to each.
Louise was absolutely one of the kindest, most generous people you will ever meet, and she had an incredibly soft spot for children. I often recall the parenting advice she gave me before our son Cooper was born. She said, "let your kids know you love them unconditionally." Later on she added, "and pick your battles." She set a very high standard for parental love and support, but it's an example I try to live up to.
Happy Birthday Mom!
What a year! Ages 5 and 3 are so fun! For us, it’s been a year of half marathons, “trying” a triathlon, cooking explorations and getting to know the local foods community, & several kids’ events. Cooper started Kindergarten and Micro-soccer. His notes from school contain news ranging between being elected as student council representative to “testing” the classroom rules. Apparently he is always in motion, and that is a problem at school. Always an adventure! Anna loves gymnastics, swimming, and her "school." She claims she wants to be a Teacher or Veterinarian, which demonstrates her love of animals and telling everyone else what to do.
Our newest canine family member, Molly, joined us in October. We adopted her from "Heart for Rescue" in Indiana. She is a border collie/black lab mix. She has definitely become part of the Sweet household, joining us for our running adventures, nightly bedtime stories, and even attends an occasional day at doggie daycare.
As for personal travels, we made it to Disneyland, Seattle, and Minnesota over the past year, sneaking in some small camping adventures as well and hoping for more in 2011. So grateful for good friends and family!
Best health and happiness to all of you – for those of you far away, we miss you, come visit!
Love,
Julie, Todd, Cooper, and Anna
