Happy Birthday My Ramona!

Tomorrow is Ramona's birthday and I want to get a jump start and let her know "Happy Birthday" early.  Ramona is Amanda's oldest child and the mother of Drew man and Will, wife of Dustin.  She has always been someone very special to me.   From the day she arrived I have felt a kinship with her.  She is smart, fiesty, talented, opinionated(all the Prophitt women are), loving, kind, and would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.  She is my kind of girl.  So, since tomorrow is a special day for a special person I want you to get to know her too.

 Ramona and her brother David.  She has always had a glorious crown of hair.  I am envious!

Easter at Granny's

Let me tell you....who could resist this face.  I never could.

Look at that hair.  Her hair is amazing!

My Kathryn, Ramona, and Missi's Mandy at Uncle Larry's house in Dothan.

 

Mother and Daughter

 Hoover Dam

Ready to face the Pacific Northwest in 19 days.  Heading West!

 

We have traveled together, grown up together, fought, loved, sang, ....being part of this family has been amazing.  Ramona is an amazing mom, loving and devoted wife, and one of my favoritest people in the world.  Happy Birthday My Ramona!  Hope it is a great one. 

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Today is my cousin/sister Amanda's birthday.  We have been the best of buds since the day she first drew breath. I wish all of you could meet and know her.  You would be a blessed person for the experience....I know I am.   She is one of those people that I can tell anything and know she will go to her grave with it if I ask her not to say anything.  I can cry on her shoulder and she will either hold me or cry with me....while she is holding me.  She is my traveling, writing, singing partner and I cannot imagine my life without her in it.  She is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.  Even though Amanda is two years younger than me I have always had a special bond with her and kind of lived through her.  She has a spirit of adventure....and I have a spirit of less than adventurous.  She will try just about anything once.  She has parachuted from a perfectly good plane....just to say she could.  She has driven at NASCAR speeds....on back country roads....let me tell you she can teach those NASCAR boys a lesson in how to drive.  She has an amazing voice and I could listen to her sing for hours on end.....well...actually that is a lie because the minute I hear her sing....I jump in with harmony.  For years we have lived a good distance away....and now I am so close I can see her easily....and I love it.  Frank is away this weekend and tomorrow, Rebecca, Amanda and I are doing something that is great fun for her birthday....we are going in the studio to lay down tracks.  I cannot wait and I could tell when I talked to her earlier in the week that she is just as excited.  I think we are planning to cut another whole album of Gospel music.  That will be great fun.  But...that is a story for another day....today, right now...I want to wish my dear friend/cousin/sister....a very Happy Birthday!  I love you girl!

Things that make proud of Amanda!

Graduated from nursing school!

 Graduated with her B.S.N from Auburn

 One-third of Still Magnolias.

Singer, writer, friend, the best!  Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to My Momma!

Back in 1990 I was a participant in the Sun Belt Writer's Project through Auburn University.  We had to write stories, poems, etc. about various topics.  The whole concept was writing down to the bones....about things that meant something to us.  We wrote about heirlooms, people, events.  One of my favorite pieces is one I wrote about my mom.  Today would have been her 82nd birthday so I thought I would share a piece she loved.  I actually had it framed and done in calligraphy for her on her birthday eleven years ago....where it is in the hoarder house....who knows.  Want to know more about my mom....then visit my daughter, Kat's blog, Zambeste (it means smile in Romanian). 

Creek Mother

Turquoise, I believe you to be.

Indian features tell of Indian ancestry.

Turquoise, blue-green colors,

Blended expertly together

To form one,

Just like you and daddy.

Turquoise, bright and beautiful,

Laced with silver.

Your silver hair laces your face;

Beautiful to behold.

Each turquoise stone is as unique as you are.

Creek mother or Gitano,

Whoever you are,

Turquoise is the color of your very being.

Turquoise, I believe you to be,

My very favorite stone.

I thought since this was a special day I would give you a little insight into the life of Wilma Leigh Prophitt Sasser.  You do notice that my mom's name is Wilma....but did you know that my dad's name was really Fred.  Can you imagine how interesting that made my life as a child?

In her early days my mom loved the sun. She would lay out in our backyard covered with her homemade concoction of sun tan lotion:  olive oil, vinegar, and iodine.  She would have the prettiest tan.

Back in these days we lived on Georgia Ave.  It is the first house of ours that was torn down in the name of progress.  Our original house sat right across the street from Palm Beach High School.  Now it is enveloped in what is known as City Place.

Isn't she lovely.  She reminded me of Jackie Kennedy when I was younger.

One of our favorite things to do after the beach was go to A & W for a frosty rootbeer.  They had table top jukeboxes.  It was the coolest place on earth.

My grandparents (Tige and Emma), my brother, and my mom.

 After Kat's graduation Chuckles(Chuck is Kat's godfather) and mom share a moment on the coach.  I wish I could remember what they were talking about or looking at.

 At Jeni's wedding

Mom and Mrs. Johnny in B'ham on one of their many adventures.

Mom and Carla.  Carla was born when I was 15.  My mom was crazy about this one.

Susan, Jan, Mom, Scott, Chuckles and me at Eric's wedding.  Susan and I have been friends since we were five.  She is Kat's godmother.

Doing a little Boogie Woogie in my living room.

The "Great" grandmother holding Hayden.

In Knoxville the year Kat and Jan graduated from high school. 

Mom in her hair up days.  I loved it when she wore her hair this way.

Eric and Roulaine's wedding day.  Raegan, mom, Melissa, and Kat at Mistletoe Bough.

At her 80th birthday, shortly before the death of my dad.  Aunt Laverne, daddy, mom, Patricia and Roddy.

Christmas at Terri and Elin's in Birmingham.

Mom and dad on the school house steps in Kellyton.  The school is actually a house now and lovely.

Christmas at the lake house

Daddy's 80th birthday party, dad, Sue, mom and Rob

Thanksgiving at Adams.  This is one of the last pictures I have of my mom.  If I had known then what I know now I would have taken pictures of her every single day.

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters.

 It has been almost three months since my mom died.  I have actually gone down the nursing home road and found myself turning on my blinker to turn in.  I know the pain of her absence will dim in time but....for right now....I know she is celebrating her birthday with my dad and aunt and is happy.  Happy Birthday Momma!

Happy Birthday Mare Si Dotes

Today is my precious friend Mary's birthday.  I won't tell how old she is....but I will say she is still younger than me.  We met and became colleagues over 20 years ago when we were both hired to teach at Benjamin Russell High School.  We became good friends the day she fell and I held her in the parking lot until the ambulance got there.  I can't tell you how many times she has been there for me...and I for her. She has let me cry, yell, fall apart, she loves my daughter as much as I love her sons, and she knows things that I would have to kill her for if she was no longer my friend.  I was there for her during bad and good times too.  She is one of several friends that I could call at any time of the day or night and she would be there.  She is the best!    I hope that I have been half the friend to her that she has been to me.  I nicknamed her Mare Si Dotes early on....from the kids song....Mare Si Dotes and Doci Dotes and Little Lambs Eat Ivy....it stuck....and she had never heard the song until one day I sang it for her.  We both got a big laugh out of it.  Today is her birthday....even if Facebook said it was yesterday....I know better....and I am not home to celebrate with her....I am in Mobile.  But...that is the cool thing about us...we don't have to be....we will have time together....when we can....and I guarantee you....it will be good.  I hope she is having a wonderful birthday(even though I know she is working at her second job.)  I also hope she knows how much she means to me.....we are truly soul sisters.  We kid people and say we are sisters from another mother....and you know it is true.  Today, if you can....hug/call/text your BFF today....I'll bet it will make their day.  What cha think?  Happy Thursday!