Mom's Diary Diddle

June 7, 1961 - Today I took a trip to Fussa.  Got myself lost.  But I did enjoy my trip very much.  Bought me a large straw bag.
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Note:  I can't imagine how excited and scared Mom must have been to do this.  Here she was a small town girl from Georgia, 27 years old and four children under the age of nine and she strikes out on her own to explore.  She doesn't speak the language and has just moved to a foreign country and to a new set of neighbors.  Wow!

Mom's Diary Diddle

May 21, 1961

A very short day about six hours long.  The trip has been smooth so far.  Got to Hawaii at last.  Wonderful place.

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Note:  We were on our way flying to Japan with a stopover in Hawaii.

Grandmother, Derek and Pistachios

Mom had a jar of pistachios next to her chair and invited Derek to come up and have a taste of some. Once he had a sample, he was a convert!

Sunday Afternoon

Laying and sitting around on Sunday afternoon after the family reunion...
Derek and Granddaddy...

Derek and Papa Joe...

I know he's saying "Hi Grandma. You're my favorite grandma in the whole wide world"!

Me and The Main Loves of My Life

Our annual family reunion day picture with my favorite husband...

Mom with her favorite daughter...

Aunt Rachel with her favorite niece...

Dad with his favorite daughter...

What a great four-generation picture with my favorite son and grandchild and father...

And my favorite kids with the world's bestest daughter...

And lastly, the best looking family at the reunion...

Here's hoping and praying that we are all together again next year and that we are healthier, happier and have everything that we need - especially love for one another.

Family Reunion - May 2010

Let the chatting and catching up begin...

Corey, Aunt Ruth and Joe and others at the money jars.

Mom and Aunt Rachel

Lovely Mom

Back row: Aunt Alice, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Delores

From row: Mom and Aunt Alice

Back: Joe and Dad
Front: Vickie and Helen
Way back: Nancy

Looks like something got Corey excited.

Jimmy. The first time I'd spoken to him in a year.

Susan. What a great picture of her!

James, Helen, Eileen, Gretchen, Nancy, Madeline, Amelia.

Time to eat!!!

Momma Mia!

In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to place some pictures of Mom that I recently came across...

This picture of four lovely ladies came at the conclusion of a day spent in a beauty shop while we lived in Japan. Don't you just love the big, boufant, laquered down with hair spray do's? And, in case you don't recognize us we are from left to right - Mom, Nancy, Susan and me. If I correctly remember, this picture was taken by our dear family friend Mr. Bill (see January 23, 2008 blog).

I don't recall or recognize the location of this picture below. I do know that:

1. it was probably taken in Japan probably about 1964 or 1965 because Mom has a cast on her foot. The cast came about when Mom went ice-skating in Tokyo with me and some of the other young men and women from our little church branch. While out of the ice, Mom slipped and fell and wound up with a cast on her foot.
2. I do know that the dress was made by Mom's own personal seamstress. When we moved to Japan in the early 60's, Americans were able to hire maids and a seamstress for a very nominal rate. If I remember correctly, Mom also had her own art teacher who came to the house to give her painting lessons.

This picture was taken outside our home in Valdosta in March of 1971 with our little dog, Betsy. Mom had me take this picture to send to Dad who was in Vietnam at the time. (Upon Dad's return from Vietnam on July 4, 1971, we were being transferred and moved to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. On the very day that we were being packed and loaded for the move, Betsy wandered out in the street in front of the house and someone ran over her).

I love, love, love this picture! I don't remember the circumstances of when I took this picture, but she looks so happy and so beautiful!

Until I discovered this picture taken in September of 1973, I didn't even remember Mom going to Disneyworld at that time. Cooking in the kitchen in Brookfield in 1973...

This picture was taken with Dad and Jennifer after Mom had been badly burned by grease in 1978 or 1979.

I Love My Mom - 2010

Here it is Mother's Day 2010 and once again I am unable to spend it with my own mother. I sent her flowers, beautiful ones, but that is such a pitable gift considering all the things she's done for me my entire life. It seems to me that no matter how old I get, I still need and want my mom and I've been sadly lacking the opportunity for real communication with her over this last year. That's another thing. It's been a year since I've seen her.

I posted this picture because it's one of my favorite ones taken shortly before my move to Wyoming. We'd just had our hair cut and thinking we looked pretty darn great! There were certain things that I used to do for Mom on a regular basis before the move, i.e., take her to get her hair cut (even when she thought it didn't need it), cut her fingernails (which always grew incredibly fast and ALWAYS needed to be trimmed), take her to dinner at Golden Corral most every Wednesday night (since Dad really didn't enjoy going to restaurants) where she would have her piece of steak prepared medium rare with a serving of freshly steamed broccoli and cauliflower, some mashed potatoes and dinner finished off with some peach cobbler a la mode and/or chocolate pie. I miss those doing those things for her and with her.

There are lots of other things we did in the past. I know that Mom loves her Dairy Queen Blizzards - the chocolate covered cherry kind. They had to be made with maraschino cherries, not cherry pie filling, and I always had them add some chopped up pecans too. If she wanted one, I made sure she had one. If they didn't have it on their menu, I told them how to make it because I knew how happy it made her. I remember coming home from Atlanta with Mom one day and, of course, she wanted a Blizzard. I stopped at the first advertised Dairy Queen off the interstate. The water main had broken so the restaurant wasn't serving food at that time. I stopped again at the next DQ - the ice cream machine was broke. I tried again at the next one - this time they were out of chocolate. Yes, I tried again, but this time, this one didn't have maraschino cherries. I tried every Dairy Queen from Atlanta to Tifton until I was finally able to get her Blizzard an exit or two from her own home.

I know how much Mom loves going to the movie. I remember even when living in Jacksonville, she would come to visit and she and I would go to the matinee and sit through two or three movies in one day, come back to my apartment, order pizza and watch television. She and I used to pull all night binges of watching movies especially when Les was gone hunting and it was B.C. (before Corey). I'd rent a VCR on Friday afternoon, pick it up, check out several videos and she and I would stay up ALL NIGHT LONG watching movies until our eyes couldn't focus or stay open any longer. And, she was usually the one that could outlast me. Our primary themes for movies where "Harlequin Romance" or comedies. I think the movie that we probably enjoyed the most was "Trains, Planes and Automobiles". We laughed so hard in one section that we had to stop the movie, rerun it, watch it, rerun it again several times. How Dad was ever able to sleep, I don't know.

There were the trips. I'd just stick her in the car with me and off we'd go waving bye to Dad and seeing him several days later. She always had a sense of adventure and was always ready to go on a trip.

She was there with me the days prior to and at the birth of Corey and at the hospital with me during my gallbladder operation. She was with me in her living room a few days before my delivery when she witnessed the flying roach that landed on my swollen belly, ready to give birth, and laughed uncontrollably when I jumped off her couch screaming.

She loved me when I brought shame and dishonor to her and for some reason she seemed to love me more. She held me like a baby during my divorce and dried my tears on so many, many occasions from scrapped knees through all my pains of growing up.

Yes, it's been over a year since I've touched her soft skin, smelled the freshness of her hair, kissed her lips and forehead and wrapped my arms around her. I miss my mom. I miss making memories with her - right now, right here memories. I'm grateful for the old memories for they are what sustain me from time to time when I am unable to speak with her. I know there will most likely come a time when I will no longer be able to speak with her because she will be unable to do so for whatever reason. I feel that widening already taking place and it pains my heart and my soul. I know that some time will come when I will have to look back and realize that she is no longer physically on this earth and I will have missed out on having spent more time with her and making new memories. But, I know, even though I may not hear it as often, I know that my mother loves me and that she always has. She has always loved me unconditionally and unselfishly. What a role model she has been and I hope and pray that my own son will look back one day and loves me as much as I love my own mother. As written in Proverbs 31:

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She stretcheth our her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

I love you Mom and I miss you. What a blessing you are to me.

...before I take you ole biddies with me again!

In 1977, I decided I wanted to go to Canada on vacation since that's a place I'd never been before. I also decided that I would take Mom along with me, as well as Aunt Rachel. So with the car packed and everyone loaded in the car, we took off for a week's work of vacation.

Not too far out of town, Aunt Rachel, who was seated in the backseat of the car commented, "Well Hazel, it must be a cold day in hell because here we are off on another trip with Carol"! (See blog "It'll be a cold day in hell..." dated 3/3/10 for further details).

Here's Mom tying her tennis shoes somewhere along the trip. (She was almost 43 at the time). On one of our stops in Canada on the way to Thunder Bay...

During our trip we visited a site where we walked down a path to the edge of Lake Superior and saw a mist-covered island and petroglyphs drawn on the side of a mountain wall; we were stopped by a rock slide on the only highway we were taking through Canada and were delayed about an hour; we saw some moose(s) for the first time ever and Mom made me get out and take pictures (found out later that was a big no-no as they could have charged me).

We had a wonderful time together and I'm hoping I find more of the pictures I took (like the moose(s) and add them at a later time.

"It'll be a cold day in hell..."!

In 1976, Mom, Nancy, Aunt Rachel and I headed off for an adventure from Georgia to Washington, D.C. We were going there to get ready for Nancy's wedding which was going to take place in September at the Washington, D.C. Temple. There was paperwork she needed to pick up and other arrangements to be made, so we all took off to our nation's capitol. I took Aunt Rachel along with us because she'd not been too many places and I loved her a lot.

Of course we wanted to see and do as many things as possible and one of the stops we made was at Arlington Cemetery to see the grave of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy.

(Aunt Rachel and Mom looking at some of the many headstones in the cemetery)

Then, we wanted to go by the White House and check it out but didn't know how to take a tour. While we were stopped at a red light, we noticed a guy with a sign saying he would give tours of Washington, D.C. for a fee and take you wherever you wanted to go. We all laughed thinking that would be a great idea, but who in their right mind would turn their car over to a complete stranger and trust that all your stuff wouldn't be stolen. But as we circled the block, we got to talking about the possibility and decided we'd be those people who lost their minds and take him up on the offer. We actually went back, found the guy and made him promise to us he was legitimate. Somehow, we took the man at his word. I actually turned the keys of my Mach I Mustang over to this guy, with all our luggage and let him become our guide.

True to his word, he got us tickets to tour the White House, dropped us off, told us where we could meet him after the tour and he did everything he said he would. So, we all have toured the White House and even saw Susan Ford out by the guard shack. We then bid the driver a fond goodbye with a nice payment and tip of $10.00 if I remember correctly.

(Nancy, Mom and Aunt Rachel outside the White House)

For our last stop before heading out of town, we decided to tour the Capitol building. We parked in one of the parking lots and headed up all those steps. Once inside we got to see a display of the Magna Carta which was dated 1215 and had been loaned to the U.S. in celebration of our bicentennial. We even got to go into the Gallery where the Congress conducts its business. You had to be very quiet and no pictures were allowed to be taken.

After we'd done all the sightseeing in the Capitol we wanted to do, it was time to leave the building. When we exited, we discovered we were on the wrong side of the building. Rather than have everyone go back through the building, I suggested that I go get the car and meet them on this side. I told them and showed them where to meet me as it would be impossible to park or to stop for a long period of time because of the traffic.

It was a very warm day and by the time I had climbed back up those steps on that side, go through the entire building, down the steps on other side and then find the car. When I finally got it and went to pick everyone up, they weren't where they needed to be. I had to circle the entire block and come back and then they still weren't there. Finally on another pass, there they were. Needless to say, I was rather "hot under the collar" by this time and it was then that I pointed my finger at both Mom and Aunt Rachel and exclaimed very loudly "It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever take you ole biddies with me again"! No one said a thing, but they did get into the car rather quickly.

I don't remember the rest of the trip, but that quote has stuck with everyone even up to this time.