I want to thank my sister (Hey Tina) for the wonderful time! I can't tell you how happy it all made me feel!
Mom and Dad picked me up at a MARTA station about an hour or so after I arrived by plane after flying for about fourteen hours. From there, we went to my sister's house to enjoy food, fun, and hospitality. What a delightful time!
While at Tina and Charles' place, I enjoyed the company of this Boston Terrier (I can't remember its name) who belongs to my niece Valerie (Tina's second child).
From left to right: Nickki, Valerie, Chandra, Allysa, and Dad (without whom this picture would not have been possible).
From left to right: Tina, Dad, Chandra, Me, Valerie, and Mom
I'm sitting next to the most important woman in my life
(Hi Mom!) and without whom this occasion would not have been possible. For as long as I've known her, she's been 100% mom. I'm convinced "being a mother" was her life time calling, and she's worked the part very well. Not only has she watched her children grow and journey through a lot, I've watched her -- as a girl, a woman, a granddaughter, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, an aunt, a mother, a wife, and an individual with memories and dreams -- grow and journey through a lot too.
Behind me is the house where Mom and Dad live. It sits on property in Habersham County, Georgia where a lot of memories have been made.
The main house sits way back from the highway.
That's the first house where Mom and Dad lived after they first bought the property back in about 1979. The property means nothing. The parents who have lived there, and the memories we share mean more than the whole world.
While at the Atlanta airport on December 31, 2012, I called Mom to tell her I would board the plane in about thirty minutes. But, that's not all I called for. She cried. I cried. She said, "I'll miss you." I said, "I'll miss you too." She said, "I love you." I said, "I love you too."
