Jenny's positive influence as the boys' mom extends, of course, to this day. Below are messages of appreciation that Dylan and Tyler recently wrote for Jenny.
Dylan, May 2024:
Being as loving as she was, Mom was sure to teach me the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. She did this in countless ways--whether it was fixing us nutritious (and delicious!) meals, serving us fruits and
berries throughout the day as healthy snacks, signing us up for a variety of extracurricular sports, asking us to exercise with her or dad, or maybe both at the same time, or ensuring we get our full 8 hours of sleep a night…the list goes on and on. Here at UCSB, I’ve tried to take her lessons to heart. I eat, on average, seven or eight apples a day in the dining halls, and keep a healthy reserve in my dorm as well. In fact, just a few weeks ago I started collecting the stickers on the apples I eat to keep a record of how many I’d consumed this quarter. Additionally, I try to go to the gym five or six times a week, just like how mom was sure to exercise in some form daily. She loved to do all kinds of workouts--yoga, “Reps to the Rhythm,” weightlifting, and bodyweight exercises; she also loved to go on long walks with her friends. Lastly, here at college it can be easy for a healthy sleep schedule to go out the window, which is what happened to me during my first quarter at UCSB. But right now, I sleep about the same hours that mom always wanted me to, give or take half an hour, and get more than enough sleep in a night (8-9 hours).
Tyler, May 2024:
One way in which Mom continues to influence me is her writing tip: "Always be concise". She would often be my editor for the papers I had to submit, whether it was school essays or applications. I like to use her advice as an excuse for not writing much and doing the bare minimum, but I always remember it when revising my work. Unfortunately, it appears she should have given me more advice as even with her tip, I still failed my writing placement exam to pass out of a writing course at UC Davis.
Another influence of Mom's that has stayed with me to this day is what I eat for breakfast every day. I can't remember when it started, but my mom brought home a large container of "Fage" Greek yogurt from Costco, probably for one of her many cooking projects. Throughout high school, I would eat this with strawberry jam for breakfast every morning as it was quick and easy. Even at the dormitory dining commons, I continue to eat Greek yogurt for breakfast, except now with fruit slices instead of jam.
Dylan, May 2024:
Another major influence mom had on me was her taste in music. Looking back, this makes a lot of sense given she had complete control over the Bluetooth speaker that played music nonstop around the house. Now, when I listen to music, a lot of it is from the 70’s and 80’s from artists like the Bee Gees, Elton John, and the Cranberries. I even made a playlist of our favorite songs that I still listen to regularly. But an even bigger way mom imparted her musical taste onto me was how she fostered my love of classical music. One of the ways she did this was signing me up for multiple orchestras, where we played the works of many different classical and romantic composers. Almost all of the pieces I listen to today were pieces I played in the California Youth Symphony. My favorite is Der Rosenkavalier suite by Richard Strauss, not just because of
how beautiful it sounds, but also because I remember how much my mom loved CYS’ performance of the piece. Another way she helped my love for classical music grow was by taking me to performances put
on by some of the best performers in the world. These included Tales of Two Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House by the LA Philharmonic, and Pianist of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek (something that I loved about the latter performance was that I’d listened to my mom play the very same pieces Golabek played, on the piano in the living room as I’d get ready for bed). My favorite performance by far, though, was Mark Inouye playing Hadyn’s Trumpet Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony. It was a piece that I’d heard countless times on mom’s iPod, and one that I’d even practiced myself. Hearing Inouye play it live, though, felt like listening to it for the first time. In my whole life, I’d never heard someone play trumpet the way he did, with such beauty and precision. Looking back, I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to experience such a moment with than mom.
Tyler, May 2024:
Throughout high school, my dad and mom pushed me towards the mechanical engineering pathway, as they were both engineers by trade themselves, and I was very indecisive about my career path. She believed that I was more of a numbers person rather than creative, and believed I would do better in a STEM-related field rather than humanities. However, hours before her passing she offhandedly mentioned she thought I would be well suited as an Economics major, noticing my conversations about my previous job in retail and interest when my dad talked about financial stuff. As it turned out, she was right! In my first quarter at UC Davis, I switched my major from Mechanical Engineering to Economics, and have found it to be a much better fit.
Even though I never liked to admit it to her face as it would give her too much satisfaction, her advice and influence were often beneficial and helped me significantly. If she was to know now how much still I followed her advice, from switching to Economics, liking the same book recommendations she gave me years ago, or the importance of double checking my math, she would smirk and say "See, I told you so”, as she could once again confirm that mothers do indeed know best.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
So great to read the words from D & T about their mom. ❤️