10 Years Part 2

In case you missed Saturday's edition, I'm taking a trip down memory lane in honor of the 10 year anniversary of my Mom's death. Put the Kleenex away you won't need it for this one. We left off at #5, so here we go.

6) Being an accomplice to my bout with crime....third degree reckless throwing to be exact. While she pled the 5th to it, she knew exactly what I was doing that night I had to call her from the cop shop for egging a jerk from church's house. She actually gave me money to buy the eggs! But she had to make it look good for when the church ladies came knocking at her door the next day screaming at her for raising such an unruly, Satanic daughter. My poor innocent Mom, too bad we weren't Catholic cuz I'm pretty sure she'd be in the running for sainthood.

7) I got my love of Mexican, food that is, from my Mom. We loved us some Taco Bell and Chi Chi's. On more than one occasion, I would write my own note, forging my mom's signature, to present to the school secretary to excuse me from school and then go meet my Mom for lunch at one of those fine establishments. I signed my Mom's name so many times my senior year that when she actually did sign something they didn't believe it. After GI Joe and I were married, I would still meet my Mom for dinner and she'd tell me how I could work off the enchiladas I was eating, now that I was a newlywed. My reaction was probably very similar to yours right now...."MOM!!!!"

8) Midnight shopping at Wal Mart. I also inherited my love of Wal Mart from my mother. We especially loved going there at odd hours when we had the place to ourselves. We would wander the aisles, shopping and laughing. That was girl time at it's best.

9) Serious Sunday dinners at the pastor's/our house. Being the perfectionist pastor's wife that she was, she would slave away all weekend preparing the house for company and for a spectacular meal on Sunday after church. And sometimes she'd forget to set the delay bake on the oven so we'd come home to cold food and have to get KFC instead. Awesome. I get my insane need for perfection when company is coming from her too. Thanks Mom.

10) Game nights with Mom and the sisters. We are a very competitive bunch and it often got very heated. My middle sister Heidi is a tad bit argumentative, although she'd argue she's not! But anyway, we'd be playing a friendly game of Uno or Sorry and I'd start the trash talking and possibly attempt to cheat just to get Heidi riled up. And it would work every time and then before you knew it Heidi was fightin' mad, I would keep egging her on, and Mom would laugh so hard she'd spew Pepsi all over the table. Now that's the stuff memories are made of.

My Mom was a wonderful, naive, sweet, funny, classy lady and I am obviously nothing like her. :) I'm so glad I at least got 20 years with her and hope that someday I'm half the mom she was. She was never a recipient of the Worst Mother of the Year award so I have a long way to go but it's good to aim high.