In my family, playing games was a frequent occurrence, especially card games. One of the most common was cribbage, at which my Dad was especially good. When Chelsi and Kirsten were old enough to add numbers and match cards, Grandpa often played cribbage with them. The first time that Chelsi beat Grandpa– admittedly after several years of playing– it was a joyous occasion. It was like a rite of passage had taken place. The moment has been remembered fondly ever since.
One of Chelsi’s endearing lifetime qualities is her ability to make friends and bond with animals. Her adoption of Spice is one of the best examples of this. In another sphere, Chelsi from her youth had an attraction to horses, initially just riding them, but later with vaulting on horses. Vaulting is performing acrobatics on horseback. This attraction clearly came from Elin’s side of the house since, from my experience, the horse was always coming up when I was coming down. For Chelsi, horses provided an outlet that released her spirit and charged her batteries– something we all can use. When she got home from riding, she was always relaxed and had a recharged view of the world.
Finally, I fondly remember the many times when Chelsi and I had lengthy discussions about any number of topics. Presaging her doctorate, she was able to reflect on the various sides of the topic under discussion, even when she had a particularly strong view. That is not to say that I ever changed her mind-maybe a small concession that there were additional factors to consider. Hopefully we broadened each others' perspective some. Guy brings a third welcome dimension to these discussions. One can only imagine the two-sided discussions that are taking place.
Thanks for the many memories! May new memories flow from the expanded family arising from this union.
Dad
