Its Mommy's birthday tomorrow. Zee, Clarissa, me and our families are meeting at my Dad's tomorrow for dinner then we're headed out to the cemetery to celebrate that wonderful woman we lost all those year ago. The rule: you must wear pink. Pink was her favourite color and I would have changed the back drop to something pink but I already did that last week. I've been pinkly inspired by my mom and I would have to guess that it might be my favourite color too.
I sure miss my mom a lot. In January it will be the half way mark in my life that she's been gone. The memories that I have are fading fast. That alone inspires me to keep a journal. I haven't been the best these last few months but its kinda hard when your half homeless (not really but sort of). On a side note something cute that I want to make sure is written down. Yesterday I was in the kitchen with Raven making lunch. She of course was on the counter because she needs to see everything that is going on. She was gabbering away like her usual self and then she says "Georgey Porgy ran away kissed the girls and made them cry". She was saying that over and over again. It may not be in the right order but I thought that was pretty good for a 2 year old. I'm guessing she learned that from Mardy because she didn't learn that from me. I've been teaching her "barber, baby, bubbles and a bumble bee" and she's almost got it.
Sorry that was a long side note, but at least it was a cute one. Back to Mommy......I cannot look at flowers without thinking of her. Debbie has some amazing flowers here and being in her backyard brings back memories of my mom in her flower patches. I also can't think of the Raymond 10 K race without thinking of her too. She loved going in races and when she would do the Raymond 10 K my dad would drive us in the Suburban and find her along the route. One year it was raining and she didn't know if she was going to make it. I got out of the Suburban and ran with her the last block in my rain coat holding her hand to the finish. When I finally felt old enough to run it I ran it in her running shoes even though they were a little too big.
One memory that I have of her is one where I was asked to sing at some seniors luncheon. They wanted me to sing "Dear John". Its a song about a girl who dumped her boyfriend while he was on his mission and then wants him back. It really a cheesy funny song. I had sung it at a ward talent show and thats why they wanted me to sing it there. I was in grade 4 at the time. I don't remember being nervous but when my mom came to pick me up during school she was wearing a costume. She was wearing this gigantic purple hat and a dress. I was kind of confused, I thought I was the one going to perform. I asked her about it and she said that she was nervous but since she was in costume she didn't need to be nervous anymore. That really helped me later on in my school years when I had to sing a solo for a grade 9 school play. Luckily I was covered up in white bandages and I had sun glasses on. I was singing a song about getting covered in Poison Ivy.
My mom was a horse girl, but not only was she a horse girl she was an Appaloosa girl. She grew up in the midst of Appaloosa breeding and racing. Her horse was Tulips. She got Tulips when she was 13 or 14 and that is the horse that I grew up with. She out lived my mom I think by a little over a year. Tulips defined gentle. She was short too. Combine short and gentle and you get to learn the run and jump. Now Tulips would stand in place, we would run as fast as we could and try and jump on her back without a saddle or without anything to boost ourselves up. Never did we make it on the first attempt, rarely on the second and we were lucky if we made it on the third. Tulips would stand there until we made it on. Then she would take us on a slow ride around the field and stop in the exact place where she started saying that "okay you've had your turn its time to get off now".
Mommy I miss you and even though you've been gone nearly half of my life I feel fortunate just to of had that short time with you. You shaped who I've become and you make me look forward to the hopeful distant future when we shall meet again in the Heavenly courts on high.
Here are some pictures of my mom. They are the only ones I have on my computer, my other pictures are packed away. The one by the waterfall is a picture of my mom in Hawaii while she is pregnant with me.
