A Mom (or Two)

Mom and Me, June 2005

My Mom's in today while D's shooting a wedding. She's been cleaning out the fridge, washing dishes, straightening up, etc, etc ... but most importantly we've been chatting. That's my favorite part of spending time with Mom -- the "talking time". I'll admit it, we're so alike that sometimes our mutual stubborness or sensitivity will cause a glimpse of tension. But now that I've surpassed the teenage years, those tense moments are few and far between.

Anyway, I got to thinking about how she's always been the Mom and I've always been the child. How strange is it going to be when I join that rank of "Mommy"?! Of course, I know I'll ALWAYS be her "baby", but I'll be a Mom and a "baby" (if you will). We'll both be Moms. How neat is that?

A Little About "Mom and Me":

My favorite "Mom and Me" tradition: Going to Neyland Stadium to root on the Vols. What other mother-daughter duo do you know of who does that? It's absolutely wonderful! We've been doing it since I was in the 7th grade or so -- even driving 5 hours several weekends in a row to watch them play. Some seasons are more "productive" than others for them, but it's ALWAYS fun "Mom and Me" time!

Our Fashion Sense: We both enjoy shopping (maybe a little too much) and like to be nicely covered (i.e. modest) but fashionable (check out her pointy toe shoes in the pick above!). I've got a trillion clothes in my closet and she's got a zillion and two in hers. Someday maybe I'll catch up! 

Our Music Ability: Mom's a great pianist (although she may be hesitant to admit it) and I'm not too bad myself... we're both especially good sight readers. We also both played clarinet. She played through college (in the Pride of the Southland) and me through high school.

Favorite "Mom and Me" Time When I Was "Little": Going to the library and picking out books for the summer reading program. I can close my eyes and almost smell the smell of the basement of the library. Great times!

Favorite "Mom and Me" Trip: When been on a couple of trips with "just us girls", and while our England trip was the most memorable, I think I'm going to pick our Washington D.C. vaca for a rather odd reason. (TMI alert...) We were on our way to the airport (to leave to go to D.C.) and I started complaining about my stomach hurting. I had eaten a McDonald's breakfast, so I figured that accounted for the weirdness I felt. When we got to the airport (barely on time for the flight) I made a quick pit stop in the bathroom and discovered something frightening ... you guessed it! I had started my period. It was hot in D.C., we were walking a ton, and I was having to deal with the stress and pains that went along with Aunt Flo. I'm sure I was a terror to be around! But you know what sticks out in my mind? All the fun we had! We visited a tons of museums, memorials, etc and Mom made me make the best of it! 

Thanks, Mom for always urging me to push through!

(Side Note: If Jenaleigh has blonde hair, you now know who to blame!)