Let’s Talk…Moms

So I was going through my blog on Friday afternoon and realized that I completely forgot my post for Friday Favorites. What the heck??? Sorry about that. My post will just have to wait until this Friday…think: Gluten Free Products!

Today’s let’s talk link-up with Andrea and Erika is all about moms. And while i’m not a mom just yet, I thought i’d share with you two great moms that I know….starting with my mom. Even though the topic of this post is moms and that’s what i’m sticking to, a lot of what I say goes to my dad too. I’ve been blessed with the parents I got.

I know just about every girl says this, but my mom is truly my best friend. In every aspect of the title. She’s the first person I call when I have a good day and she’s the first person I call when I have a bad day. She defends me, she helps me, she supports me, she’s my biggest cheerleader, and she’s a huge comfort to me. I think the best way to describe her would be calling her my safety blanket.

My mom is the one who got me through my hard times at Oklahoma (like this day pictured below when we moved my things out). When I say I don’t know where I would be without her, I mean that with everything in me. I was spiraling fast down a long and dreaded path when she stepped in and helped me.

But when I was younger, we were not close at all. In fact, we could go days without speaking to one another. We butted heads far too often and were constantly in battle with one another. It wasn’t until my high school break-up senior year that we became close. I realized then how I could confide in her and how she would do anything for me. She would stay up until 3:00AM talking with me when I couldn’t sleep and she would sleep in my bed with me when I just needed her there.

Mom and I kind of have our own language. We think a lot of the same things, say a lot of the same things, and do a lot of the same things. My brothers and sister started calling me “mini” because they think i’m “mini mom” and while they’re just being obnoxious I actually take it as a compliment.

But at the same time, we can argue. We can be honest and tell each other when we’re being stupid or being sassy. I have to tell her to “calm down” sometimes and she has to tell me to stop being dramatic. I love it though because I wouldn’t want a mom who only shows the good side.

I can’t tell you how many times she has seen me cry within the past 4 years or listened to me whine. These past 4 years have been tough on me, but luckily I have had her there to just…be there.

My mom grew up in small town Iowa. She can cook, she can clean, and she can get down and dirty with the best of them. She has been known to tackle a dummy at my brother’s football camp, she can jumpstart her own car, and bugs do not scare her one bit…she’s a farm girl after all! And I love that about her. She’s the farm girl, my dad is the city boy, and i’m still wondering how that worked. 😉

The way to my mom’s heart is random acts of kindness without speaking on her behalf. I surprised her with flowers right before Easter, just because I thought they were pretty and it meant so much to her. I think there has been maybe 2 times in my life that I have physically seen her cry, but 1 time that I wasn’t there. I was going back to OU one day and it was before her birthday. I got her flowers, a card, an apple fritter, and a present and left it on the kitchen table for her to come home to and she texted me later saying she couldn’t call because it made her cry.

She has the mind of a creative genius. She is pure right-brained! She owned her own business, she was in charge of my volleyball banquets, and she used to make curtains and window treatments galore. Not to say her right-brain doesn’t drive my left-brain crazy because I want to organize her dad-gum pantry and refrigerator, and well, everything because it’s not organized!! Haha

It takes my mom FOREVER and A DAY to make any sort of big decision. She is very detail-oriented and needs all the facts from 324 different people and then she can process. I realized that I am this way too…and my dad is, so it makes sense

My mom loves cooking, and it’s where I get my love of cooking from. We can spend hours on end in the kitchen, with our Pandora on, and just be chopping away and chatting away. It’s one of my very favorite things to do on the weekends.

My mom looooovvveeesssss her kids. There are 0 doubts in my mind about that one. From all the days she has stayed awake worrying about us (literally she never went to bed until I got home at night), to being at all of our games and practices, to watching tv shows with us, mom is our #1 fan.

Mom always tries to make holidays special for us and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will be coming to our house until we have kids…and then they will probably make two rounds for our kids.

When either of my parents pass, it’s going to be a devastating day for me. I told them they were not allowed to die. But I know at their funerals I will be thinking nothing but good thoughts about them. And i’m truly thankful to Jesus for that. Some people don’t have good, loving parents. And some people my age don’t have their parents here on Earth anymore. I couldn’t image my life without my mom (and dad).

Mini loves her mom! 😉

Other posts about my momma you can just click here.

And I can’t forget to mention JJ. She is my paternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother died when I was just 3 years old so I don’t remember her at all. That’s why I feel extremely lucky to have had JJ in my life for so long.

JJ passed away my senior year of high school and it was a sad, sad time for me. I will always remember going to visit her during the summers, playing cards with her while drinking cranberry juice and sprite with bugles during Christmas, and laughing about the silliest things with her. I see her a lot of myself in her (my uncles laugh about that because she could be feisty at times).

We all miss her a lot, but she was a good mom to my dad and his brothers. I always remember them talking about how they would never tell her when their games were as kids because she would be the only parent in the stands. That’s our JJ!

Molly loves her grandma too!

Moms make the world go ’round, y’all. What are some of your favorite memories with your mom?

Show and Tell: Favorite Party You’ve Hosted

Good morning and happy Tuesday. Today is the first Tuesday since the middle of January that I haven’t had to be in classes all day. SO so SO excited about that! With that, let’s talk party-time with Andrea!

Without a doubt, this is my favorite party that “I’ve” hosted. Technically, I didn’t host this party. Technically my mom was the one who thought of everything. And technically it wasn’t even at our house or in our state. But that’s only if you want to get technical.

My parents celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in 2011. They were trying to think of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do for their anniversary. My mom said “Why don’t we throw JJ a surprise 80th birthday?” (Their anniversary and my grandma’s birthday are on the same day.) Also, we call my grandma JJ in case you’re confused.

This was April 2011 that we were trying to plan this shin-dig. The September before we had thrown my grandpa his 90th birthday party – the fam and I with gramps below.

So mom thought we should surprise JJ for her 80th. She knew how much her dad appreciated his little party and seeing as my grandma lived in Virginia with my uncles we knew she would NEVER have expected it. My dad agreed and off we went.

The day of her party we set it up.

And we waited patiently….ish for her two friends to roll her down in her wheelchair to the party room at her Assisted Living Facility. Her friends came and told her they wanted to take her to lunch so we were in the room next door to the dining room so it wouldn’t be obvious. We had actually flown in the day before, but of course she had no idea.

And the rest of her friends plus her family lined the outside of the room 🙂

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She didn’t know what to think. I love, love this picture!

“I was wondering what they were doing here!” (She actually saw our old neighbors from when we lived in Virginia walking in and didn’t think anything of it. Ha!)

Cake and goodies for everyone!!!

Showing her the cake, giving her an 80th birthday necklace, and letting her soak it all in!

This was our family, my dads brothers, and her niece with her husband. She was happy as can be.

Love this lady so darn much!

JJ and her three boys. She got all boys and was ELATED when she found out my parents were having a girl as their first born because my dad is the only one that had kids.

My family and our JJ!

We had such a good time and my dad was so happy that we did that.

So we visited her in April 2011 and she passed away in August 2011. Her little party was perfect timing considering that was the last time my siblings, mom and I saw her. And it was on such a happy note. She had a lot of health issues and ended up passing away after a major surgery. We all miss her every day. That party continues to hold such a special meaning in my heart so it’s without a doubt my favorite party that we or I have hosted.

In November of 2011, the same crew that was at her party flew to Boston to bury her next to my grandfather.

And speaking of that spunky woman, I went and visited her this weekend in Boston….come back tomorrow to read about that memorable trip.

XOXO