Has it really been a year (almost) since I've updated? Geez! So much has happened in the last year. We moved back in with my mom last year, which was a super smart move. And, as most of you know, my mom passed away on April 26, 2010. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with... EVER! I know she is in a better place and she's no longer unhappy. I have many, many, many regrets, but I also have the BEST memories of her. It was just me and my mom for 20 years of my life and I miss her so much. I thought it would be a good thing to share some of those memories in my blog post.
This may seem pretty strange to a lot of people, but because it was just my mom and me for so long in this house, we went to the bathroom with the door open :D haha. Anyways, one day my mom was "going potty" and a little neighbor boy walked through the front door. My mom hurried to finish her "business" and, super embarrassed, politely asked the little boy what he was doing. He asked if we had any popsicles. This little boy had never been to our house before, and I don't know if he's really considered a neighbor because he lives down the road and around the corner on a different block (?!?!) My mom thought it was so funny, but so embarrassing.
When I was younger my mom and I would go to Arctic Circle every Friday for dinner and then come home and watch the TGIF line up. Does anyone remember this? They played shows like Full House and Dinosaurs. That was like a ritual until I got to the age where I'd rather be with friends. There's regret #1. I wish I would have never broken that ritual.
I think my mom was a little hesitant when I started hanging out with Benny, but he wanted to prove to her that he was an alright guy, so he invited her out to dinner many times, and came to the house to see if she needed help with anything. She soon found that Benny is a great guy. He always made her laugh. After she passed away we were going through some of her things, and I found a little piece of paper in her purse that she was writing all sorts of "Benny Quotes" on. She had written down things that Benny said that made her laugh, like she never wanted to forget those things. One of the "quotes" she had written down was when Payton was about a year and a half old. Benny was telling Payton "Can you say Grandma? Can you say OLD Grandma? Can you say Dinosaur?" He always joked about her age, even though she was still very young, and she always laughed. They used to go back and forth with the "Nancy" "Yeah?" "Stinks!" bit. My mom always fell for it, but she rarely got Benny to fall for it :).
There are so many memories that I will cherish until the day I get to be with her again. I love you Mom! You will forever be in my thoughts and heart!
