My 100th post

I dedicate my 100th post to my mother.

When I was little Tori and I called her "mama"...for a while it was "mommy". I'm not sure how old we were when we started to refer to her as "mother" but we were pretty young when it started. When Andrew was a baby he started calling her "mother"...we had to remind him that she was "Nana" to him. People look at us funny when they hear us call her "mother", it sounds so formal...but I couldn't imagine calling her anything else.

She has taken very good care of me since the day I was born. Somehow I think it was probably easier back then because I couldn't think for myself. Once I started "thinking" for myself things got a lot harder.

She used these hands to lift me up out of my crib, to comb my hair in to the shape of a palm tree, to cook me dinner, and to give me a bath every single night of my childhood. In the early 90's when I was diagnosed with cancer she did the same things for me. Fortunately I didn't have enough hair for her to comb in to the shape of a palm tree. In this picture she is using these hands to fish money out of her wallet so she can buy me dinner.

This is the look that I got when I told her that I hadn't cleaned my room, when I disagreed with something she said, when I told her that I hadn't gotten that noise on my car checked out, when I walked down Pacific Coast Highway after dark, (when I was 47 years old!). I also got this look when I said, "Hey..I'm going to take a bus trip across the country all by myself!", or when I said, "I have a great idea! I'm going to move in with a man who is 18 years older than me, who is the mortal enemy of my father, and play house!"

This is the look that says, "We are SUAVE groupies!! Aye carumba!" (We have matching hair do's!)

My mom has worn many hats in her life. She's been a daughter, a little sister,a baton twirler, a wife, a grieving young mother, a mother of twins, a maid, a taxi driver, a seamstress, a cook, a gardener, a relentless cheerleader, a dog trainer, boo boo monitor, a Mc Donalds employee, a traffic clerk, a customer service rep, an aunt, a friend, a band booster president, a Kingsmen bingo worker, a shopper, a care giver, a cat rescuer, a grandma...but I think I like this hat the best:


How many "Nana's" know what a "myspace" pose is? This one does:

I do what I can to make her happy but it's not easy. She doesn't like anyone to spend money on her so you kind of have to sneak it in on her. It took 66 years but she finally sat still long enough to wear a Hilton robe:


My mom has been one of the few constants in my life. She has done whatever it takes to provide for me and my sister. It is because of her that Christmases in the Wyatt house are gift giving orgies for the kids. It is because of her that I like to go places and do things. My dad always said, "If the wheels are rolling then Nancy's in the car!" It is because of her that I learned to revere my grandparents. It is because of her that I have the self esteem to do things like this:



And that's all I've got to say about that. (or else I will start to cry.)