Kramer Family 101- The Dad

Look how much they look alike! Camping summer 2011.

He is such an awesome daddy! Late summer 2011.

Finn adores his Daddy and as you can see, always has!

Matthew in Holland. Love his eyes :-)

Matthew in The Middle East

Next, we are going to learn a little about the dad of this family :-). Matthew was the first & only child born to his parents in Gresham, Oregon. His mom said she got it right the first time, so why mess with perfection? Matthew grew up in a calm household (only child!), having the opportunity to enjoy all sorts of neat experiences. He started snow skiing when he was three years old & still enjoys the sport immensely. Raised in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, he attended Big Lake Youth Camp during the summer & was active in his Sabbath School programs. Matthew has been a lifelong vegetarian & is one of the healthiest individuals I know. He attended Portland Adventist Elementary & then moved onto Portland Adventist Academy (Mara attends the same elementary school!). After high school, he scored near perfect on his SAT. He attended one year at Walla Walla University and partial years at Portland State University & Mount Hood Community College, eventually earning enough credits for a general bachelor's degree but since he wasn't sure what he was wanting to do & then I entered his life & marriage & babies took over, he settled for a job as a diesel mechanic at Wholesale Truck Parts in Portland. I grew up working for my family's diesel truck salvage so I can tell you without being biased, that Matthew was (and still is) a very talented, capable mechanic. Besides rebuilding engines day in and day out, he started doing some side jobs, hauling all his heavy tools to the Troutdale truck stop & related areas to make repairs on semi trucks. He didn't care for working on the engine while they were in the truck but still did an excellent job. Being a mechanic for a living wasn't in his heart (besides the fact, that he was barely able to make enough to support the family) and going to nursing school was a desire he had for several years. It wasn't until we discovered that our son was on the way that we began praying a lot about a door opening for him to enter a nursing program. He applied to Walla Walla University Portland campus in March of 2010, scoring an almost unheard of perfect score on his entrance exam (so they told us)! Because we didn't know if he would be accepted into this highly competitive bachelor's program, he had to take some refresher courses at Mount Hood Community College just in case. He took those during the evenings & continued working during the day. It was a rather intense time as my pregnancy with Finn wasn't an easy one for me. In late May, he received the call that we had been praying for! He was going to be quitting his job in four weeks to begin a highly intense "summer start" nursing program. And intense it was! Finn was born halfway through & although he was able to be there for the birth, he was working on homework until my contractions became unbearable! We brought Finn home & he hit the books while I took on the responsibility of all three kids so he could keep up with the program. That was a very hard time for me and at some point, I may share my experiences and of how the Lord sustained me. Fast forward to 2012, Matthew has continued to make Dean's Roll every quarter & is set to graduate this June with his bachelors in nursing. When he isn't isn't school, studying or working on assignments, he is a devoted father to our children & I couldn't have asked for a better one! He doesn't play video games or watch T.V and that to me makes him worth a million :-). He still enjoys skiing when he gets the chance & loves to work on his cars. He also spends two days a week working for his dad's natural mattress shop making deliveries in between working on homework.Last June & July he was blessed with a long trip to the Middle East & although I was insanely jealous, he did bring me back some nice things :-). Our marriage isn't without its bumpy areas but I can honestly say that I have never regretted "hooking up" with him! I love you, Honey :-)