Just over a year ago, I gave a really fun eulogy (sarcasm marks). I also ate a whole pint of ice cream, probably drank an entire pitcher of margaritas, and emptied my bank account doing some retail therapy.
I took today off and realized that at some point I need to start cataloging all these memories I have of my mom--so many things remind me of her, and so many of those memories are from quite a long time ago. I have two younger cousins both of whom pretty much only knew my mom when she was sick, and most of my friends have never met her.
So, here are the little things I remember, some of the little memories I don't want to forget:
- When I was in elementary school, my mom would sometimes pick me up early from school...and we'd take the train downtown to go the opera, ballet, theater, whatever she picked. When we were there we would eat these little candies, and for whatever reason, I felt super cool and fancy eating them. Maybe because they come in a cool little tin:
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| I currently have 3 of them at home--in fact, I'm eating lemon ones as I write--probably getting super cool cavities, because I'm chewing them for maximum sugariness. |
- My mom, like me, would do almost anything to make people laugh. When she got sick, I did ridiculous things like decorating her with garland...and doing ballet with a tree skirt on...to make her smile. Please note that these photos are from when I was a freshman in college.
- My mom was a force-to-be-reckoned with, as someone wrote in a letter to my family last year. She did not put up with anyone unless she wanted to... I believe this face (and the flipper about to be thrown) says plenty.
- My mom loved animals, particularly dogs. I'm pretty sure the prompt for this photo was: "Go stand by your dad and pretend like he had a say in whether or not we brought these dogs home..."
- My mom loved her family beyond belief. There are so many hilarious things about this photo (oh my dad's teeth and hair...MY teeth and hair...but it's great nonetheless).
- My mom could sleep through anything. Every night she would fall asleep while we watched TV on the couch. I now understand why I fall asleep in my work clothes nearly everyday.
- My mom pretty much never wore makeup.
- Similarly, my mom didn't care what other people thought of her. At all. She was pretty damn fearless.
- "When you were finally allowed to come home you weighed 4 pounds but you sure were feisty. You were also a battler just as your mother was." My mom was a battler. :)
- My mom made my brother's and my Halloween costumes. Not in the cool, "Wow your costumes are so fancy way," but in the "Hm, you want to be a princess? Well, why not wear this dress you wore as a flower girl?" or "Really, Chris, you want to be Zorro? I'm sure Zorro had a pair of white shoes too..." way
- My mom had a really great "I'm not impressed" look. I realized this while looking through photos. Thankful I don't remember receiving this look from her!
- My mom was an amazing shopper. She was a pro at searching through sale racks. I unfortunately inherited both my parents' shopping styles: I love sales...and I also am convinced spending more for something is worth it (thanks, Dad). I'm sure my bank account agrees.
- My mom had a lot of confidence: she thought she did amazing accents and also thought she was an amazing singer. I of course loved when she would sing in the car when my friends were present--or even better, when she would bust out her accents in front of friends and their families. I wasn't embarrassed...at all... ;)
- My mom thought Dove soap, Clinique's 3-step system, and Aveda's tea tree oil were the only beauty products you might need. I have learned this to be false.
- My mom also insisted that a cheeseburger could cure almost anything. I have learned this to be true. I ate a cheeseburger 2 days before going to the ER and was convinced I was fine--48 hours later I had surgery, but that cheeseburger really fixed things for 2 days!
That's all for now, folks (anyone get the reference??). My brain is tired, and I'm out of photos. Here's to a year.
If you want more mom-awesomeness, see below:
♥a
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