sappy... oh, and a story about the mom.

sent to me this morning by my mom:

TO THE WONDERFUL WOMEN IN MY CIRCLE
When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, and then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your significant other.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say let's pray together, another let's cry together, another let's fight together, another let's walk away together.
One friend will meet your spiritual need, another your shoe fetish, another your love for movies, another will be with you in your season of confusion, another will be your clarifier, another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life, on whatever the occasion, on whatever the day, or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back, or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ... those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman, but for many it's wrapped up in several... one from 7th grade, one from high school, several from the college years, a couple from old jobs, several from church, on some days your mother, on some days your neighbor, on others your sisters, and on some days your daughters....or it may be some of the new people you just met!
So whether they've been there 20 minutes or 20 years, be thankful for the women in your life who make a difference.



and speaking of my mom... i realized i hadn't posted about her visit. DUR!
she got in on monday, we came back to the Itty Bitty Living Space and dropped off her bags, then headed off on BBQ Hunt Day 1. i took her to Dyer's, which was the first BBQ place where i ate when i got here, perhaps you remember THIS story? i mean, those sinks alone are worth going for. we ate and laughed and i still couldn't believe that she was here. i kept pinching her to make sure she was real. i bet she had 50 bruises when she left. we left there and went on a plant hunt. i had decided that i want plants here and i am NOT going to kill them. yes, i was the girl who couldn't keep aloe vera alive. shut it.
so we bought plants and came home and commenced with the drinkin. her with her pink wine.. and me with my beers. it was HAPPINESS! meanwhile, it was sweltering in the IBLS so i turned on the "air conditioner" and then we heard a voice. it was the kid from across the courtyard, on a ladder, under my window, trying to fix the a/c. bless his heart, we scared the shit out of him. so, we sat and talked while he dinked with the A/C, now, lovingly renamed "The Swamp Cooler" because all it does is blow semi cold air at loud and high speeds into the living room. but it works. so we chatted and drank and laughed and i pinched and we had a great time. the next morning i was off work so got our asses in gear and went shopping some more... and then met Husband for lunch at the mexican place that has the "best chile rellenos". that's what momma wanted, that's what momma will get.... too bad once we got there, we found out they had NO smoking section, AND they don't serve margaritas. oooooh, did she let him have it for that! once she forgave him, they talked golf and i drank beers. we left there and came home and mom took a nap ON the FLOOR, right in front of the Swamp Cooler. could we have been more low-rent? after her nap, she informed me that it was TIME FOR MARGARITAS! yes ma'am. will do. so we sat and drank margaritas and talked and talked and cried and talked and made mexican cornbread and talked some more. then went to bed exhausted.

i had to go to work the next day, so mom loaded her spades game on the computer and i left her here with her cards. when i got home, she was STILL IN HER JAMMIES, STILL PLAYING CARDS!!!! this is the woman who yelled at me when we bought a new computer game a month ago. hello, Pot, i'd like you to meet Kettle! once i finally got her motivated to put on some clothes..... we went for lunch at BBQ place #2. we heard Country Barn had good BBQ, so we gave it a shot. the inside was VERY cheesy with elvis and marilyn and old cars on for decoration, but the trip to the bathroom was fun... the whole restaraunt is very dark, and the door to the bathroom looks like a barn door, but once you open that door... it was wall to wall ceiling to floor 3 inch wide beveled mirror "paneling" even the door to the bathrooms were mirrored. i thought for a minute i had entered a portal to Las Vegas! the 3986 million images of me made our way to the ladies room where inside there was ALL black with TEXAS SHAPED SINKS!!!!!! again, with the yay! now that i know they are in more than one place, i am SO getting one installed in our house when we build. if H has a problem with it, he can kiss my native ass.

but back to the the story... the bathroom was worth the trip (side story: when my brother ian was little, he would have to go check out the bathroom no matter where we went.... we would joke about it, when he would just get up in the middle of eating to go see them. i think that quality in me was dormant) but the food SUCKED BUTT. capital S ... capital B. we left there and went shopping SOME MORE, hello, we're girls. its what we do.
we came home and watched movies... err, I watched movies, MOM played cards. i even made a comment about "this is quality time? we could do this at YOUR house!!!!" and right about that time, i got ganged up on by both her and H saying, "you don't have to always be DOING something together for quality time" yeah yeah yeah... shut it.

around 11 that night, we made the obligatory whataburger run. you have to. it ain't texas, if you don't.
we got up the next morning and Cranky Husband took us to breakfast at Jerry's. its a hole in the wall-middle of downtown-drive too fast and you'll miss it place. but they have these BRISKET BREAKFAST BURRITOS. (i have to write it big to express to you the sheer SIZE of these monsters) picture a dinner plate sized tortilla STUFFED with brisket, eggs, hashbrowns and cheese. add to that ho-made salsa... and ascend directly to heaven.

mom finally got good BBQ... now i could put her on a plane with a clear conscience. H went back home for more sleep (he needed it) and we took off for the airport. we goofed off there for a while... even managed to get a little but more shipping in... and then we said our "see you in two weeks" (it makes it easier to handle if its in 2 week increments) and off she went.
i hope to get back to SC in september... and see the rest of my family. but i miss her. and that's part of the reason i drug my feet on writing this... if i wrote it, it would mean she was really not here anymore.

so, momma, i love you and will see you in 2 weeks.

to the rest of the girls in my life, i am so eternally grateful to have you. i love you all.