My Mother

When I think of my mother, I remember...

How she would practice the piano at night after we had gone to bed. The piano was in her preschool room that was near my bedroom window. The sound travelled right to me. It was like my own private lullaby.

Her words of wisdom whenever we had a big day or performance. She would give me the "channel the nervous energy" speech. Generally, it worked out.

During the summers, she would plan day trips around our rural town to give us a break from the usual. We would hike to Wild horse Monument or visit the Whitman Massacre museum. Even in high school, I loved going on these outings.

No matter how angry or frustrated she was with us, and no matter how loud she had just yelled, she would always answer the telephone with a sing-songy "hello"

She fills her life with things she enjoys. Singing, music, teaching, theater, reading, history...the list goes on.

And mostly, I remember that she did EVERYTHING for us kids. Like most mothers, she made huge sacrifices for the benefit of her family. She still does. I just adore my mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Day Twenty- Nine

Something You Could Never Get Tired of Doing

This.

The End.

Day 28

Your Favorite Movie

I adore this flick. The cast and the dialogue are rich. It's full of dry humor, my favorite kind. I admit, I've watched this movie on repeat play for hours on end when it first came to DVD.

The best part: When shy IRS agent, Harold Crick, brings flours to the pretty baker, Ana Pascal. Adorable.

Day Twenty- Seven

A Picture of You Last Year and Now and

How You've Changed Since Then

(March 2010. Photo by photographer Katy Wilson)

(April 2011. Photo by photographer Hinder in the Backseat)

Ways I've changed in the last year include...

* Hair color*

*We're DONE with school I get much more time with Riley on a regular basis*

* Maybe I've mellowed out a little. Maybe not *

*Then- mother to a 15 month going on two year old. Now- Mother to a 2 going on 15 year old *

* Put miles and miles on the old running shoes*

* Maybe a little more empathetic*

*Appreciate this blessed country a little more*

*Then- planning every detail of our futures. Now- realize most of my future is out of my hands*

*Maybe a little less sleep deprived*

* A year older and many fine-lines richer*

Day 26

A Photo of Somewhere You've Been To

Here we are in Penticton, British Colombia, Canada.

When I was 16, I did Junior Miss. Trying to explain what a Junior Miss pageant entails is difficult. Until Riley watched his first pageant, he thought it was something like a cotillion. Trust me, it's not a cotillion. And I didn't have to wear a swimsuit. That definitely would have been a deal breaker for me.

Anyway, that little tangent is just an effort to explain why we had sashes and crowns in the picture. Basically, we were silly teenage girls who wanted to feel royal for a minute.

It was a quick trip,and we spent the majority of the time in the car, watching Scarlett O'Hara throwing tantrums in the south via the portable DVD player. But I do remember that my experience in Canada was beautiful. Flowers everywhere. Fresh fruit stands dotting the highway. Friendly people and too much techno music.

Day Twenty-Five

What's in Your Purse?

I was going to take a picture, but then I realized how mortally embarrassing that would be. All my unorganized shame posted on the world wide web. No thanks.

So here's the inventory of what's in the ol' shoulder bag today:

1 South Fork lanyard with my keys attached
1 teal pocketbook stuff to the brim with too many coupons and not enough money
4 tampons
1 mini sunscreen
1 cough drop
1 unknown random white pill
1 bottle of aspirin
3 diapers
1 mostly chewed pack of Dentyne Fire
1 blue pair of toy sunglasses
1 immunization record
1 old Ensign magazine
1 old prescription that I never had filled
1 Ziploc full of crumbled Ritz crackers
1 Ziploc of wipes
1 package of fruit snacks
1 lone stick of gum. Trident layers, I believe
2 lip glosses
1 camera battery (I've been looking for that!)
1 dead pen
1 golf pencil
Scads of old grocery lists, receipts, and gum wrappers

"And a partridge in a pear tree!"

Day 24

A Photo of Something That Means a Lot to You

While walking through Copenhagen last June, Riley suggested we detour through a church yard to see this obscure statue. I don't recall the name of the church, but it seemed to be rarely used, maybe even abandoned. This statue was one of the only things within the walls of the shadowed church yard.

We saw many statues in Denmark. So many beautiful and majestic sculptures. But this small, oxidized piece of art really affected me. It affects me more now.

The crumpled woman. He face buried in her hands. Her hair strewn haphazardly about. It shows grief in a way that words can't.

But my favorite part is the look on Death's face. Looking back at her with pity and compassion. As if untimely death is just something that has to happen, and even Death himself doesn't enjoy carrying out his task.

Art has a way of expressing precisely what the heart yearns to express, but language simply can't.