February 6th

Today would have been my mom's 63rd birthday. I have spent today looking at pictures, laughing and crying over crazy memories of my mom and my best friend! It's been a crazy roller coaster of emotions for me today- I've been happy, sad, angry, and giggling. The happy has been thinking of how much she loved her family (even JR who she never got to meet). The sad has been the missing seeing her interact with JR. I remember seeing her in the first moments of Allison's life and how much she loved being with her. Angry that Allison and JR will miss having their "Nina" (Allie's name for my mom) in their lives. I've been giggling over some of the silly stuff my mom and I did together.

She was a SAHM until I was 17 and a junior in high school. She was the first person I saw every morning, the last person I saw every night, she took me to school every day, picked me up every afternoon, taxied me to my activities, and was room mother for my classroom (even when I didn't want her to be!), I miss the long phone calls when I was driving somewhere- I live in the boonies so those were some LONG phone calls :)

This was the church directory photo for our church- Allie's 3 months old! I was finally a normal color and able to carry Allison.

 

Looking in the nursery window at Allison for the first time. James took the picture from inside the nursery for me. It never fails to make me smile from the sheer happiness on her face!

 

My parents at my wedding (at the county courthouse). They'd been married 37 years at this point and 42 years when she passed.



 

 

Wedding day- standing in front of "my fountain" I have always been in love with that fountain- 28 years or so!

 

 

Momma modeling the new wig she was given (she hadn't been a blonde in 55+ years) She hated that wig and only wore it home that day- she re-donated it the next week at chemo. She prefered to wear a scarf or nothing. It was an adjustment to see Momma with her "spit shined" head but she didn't care!