Some of you may know the wonderful woman known to Anna as "Gamma Hoobie" - known to most others as Hootie McJowls (no, that's not her real name), and known to me and my siblings as "mom." For those of you who don't have the pleasure of knowing this wise old owl (ha, mom, get it - hootie/owl...ha...ha. Ok, sorry), here are the top ten reasons she ROCKS:
10. She used to make little hot dog people for us when we were small by cutting arms and legs into the hot dogs before microwaving them, then drawing ketchup and mustard faces. They always tasted better like this.
9. She let us destroy the front lawn with our slip and slide (remember those??) and never complained (at least not that registered with me) when we left our wet towels on the floor.
8. She taught us to road trip early. And she showed no fear, packing all three of us from toddlerhood on up into the car for 8-10 hour drives at a crack.
7. She totally took my dad up on his offer after one of our road trips out west to let her fly back while he drove back across country with the three of us in the camper. I actually applaud both of my parents for that one!
6. She partied with all my college friends back at her hotel room after my wedding. Until 4 a.m. Yes, she IS that cool.
5. She always went out of her way to make the magic of childhood real for us. Whether it meant elaborate letters from the Tooth Fairy or staged sooty footprints on the hearth from Santa's boots (that thoughtless man - clean your feet!), we believed!
4. She let out the biggest WHOOP of joy when the nurse told her Anna had arrived in the hospital. I heard her all the way from my room, which was down the hall from the waiting room where she was.
3. She listens to my whining and complaining on an almost daily basis without telling me to shut up and deal with it. She's my sounding board and that frequently means listening to me moan and complain about the water temperature of my shower that morning (and other irrelevant things of that nature).
2. She drunk dials/texts me when she's with her friends (rarely) and they're far more hilarious than any drunk dials/texts I got in college.
1. She has seamlessly transitioned from nose/butt wiper to homework checker to taxi driver to sound adviser to trusted friend in a mere 28 years.
You wear a lot of hats, Mom. And they are all awesome. Thanks for being a great role model and also thanks for not rubbing it too much in my face that I'm getting my just dessert for a lot of the crap I pulled on you as a kid! :)
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what an awesome show of how everything we do, on a daily basis, our children will grow to love so much and be so thankful for!! Good for you Kerry for letting your mom know just how much those small and big things are appreciated! and good for you, Hootie, for doing such an amazing job! it's mom's like you both, whom I look up to every day! :)
ReplyDeleteKerry, that was an amazing tribute to an amazing woman. And yes, my mom drunk dials/texts/fb msgs me when she's with the "Shack" gang also (2 sidenotes here: 1) the only time she can fb me is when she's with your mom, 2) I like to call our generation le petit shack, a la petit ya-yas from the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). And looking back, I have no idea how she roadtripped with the three of you to and from MN so much. Amazing! (PS - This is Meg)
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