All Coming Together

The last time we took a family photo together was when TJ left for Australia, probably over five years ago. At least this one has a much better background and are all in a much better place in life.

Our girl, Massey got Gradiated this past weekend. We headed back to Georgia and ended up with almost ten inches of snow around the university where she was to graduate.

Graduation was cancelled for Saturday afternoon at three and moved to Sunday evening at six.

Huge flag on the play!


You can't stop us...we went right ahead with her graduation party on Saturday night at my sisters' house. All our friends from north and west of us were snowed in and couldn't attend but had a great turnout, with about twenty five of us celebrating Massey's wonderful accomplishment of getting her college degree.

             
One of her besties decorated her mortarboard and did an outstanding job!

My sister(of course) outdid herself with a huge pot of chili and  huge pot of vegetable beef soup. I simply chopped green onions, japs (restaurant lingo) and made some cornbread.


It was so nice to have all three of my kids together again and be with both my sibs as well.

I pretty much think everyone had a great time. There were friends from our past and friends we've made since.

The saying is true..."Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other one's gold."


To be surrounded by our three kids again was a wonderful feeling. It's been way too long.

The snow put a hitch in our plans for her graduation ceremony. TJ and his lil fam had to miss graduation and so did my brother since it was put off until Sunday evening but Saturday night was our graduation party, for her as well as us...for surviving!

If there is one thing I can say about being a member of the family I was lucky enough to born into, is that it's the best jump start in life you could ever be lucky enough to get.

Lucky for me, I did get it. 

It was such a wonderful weekend, even with all the weather issues. Our daughter graduated with her college degree and both my sibs were there to help celebrate. All three of my kids were there as well and we were surrounded by our friends, old and new.

Life doesn't get much luckier than that.

"The once in a lifetime kind of people."

Those are the peeps you want to be lucky enough to have love you. Always surround yourself with them and everything will be alright.



I asked my husband tonight to think of a song which (to him) best described being born as a Leach  (my maiden name) or how my family considers the grand scheme of life?

He thought for about maybe three minutes and came up with this:

Seems I chose a good man to marry and dance with through life.

He gets me...and he gets my family.

I've never asked him, but think he feels pretty lucky to have fallen in with us along his own way through life.

                                          We came into life separately  but are conquering it... together.

                        Huge congrats to Massey, our first college graduate! Go far and aim higher.

                                    We know you will; always know we have your back.

                                                                  Go gettum kid!

   She came into this world twenty two years ago, almost three months early and nearly killing us both.

                                                                And now I know why.

                 I'm the luckiest woman on this planet and don't ever think I do not realize that.

I relish every moment of my life . The good times, the bad times and the times it took to get from one to the other.


Til next time...

A mighty grateful COTTON

And Just Like That, She's Gone

Believe it or not, this is the view from Massey's new bedroom window. You can see all the way to Sandy Springs.

We left before ten this morning. You couldn't have put one more thing in this truck and is a good thing I'm skinny. The passenger side was packed and couldn't even see out the side window. Thank goodness for side and rear view mirrors!

That is, until we rearranged one last time to fit the one rolling cart left into the front seat with me and knocked off my neighbor's rear view mirror.

Huge sigh.
We all loaded up anyway and headed out. Massey rode with my friend Lisa in her car (also packed) and told them to drive slow and would follow (blindly) behind them into the heart of downtown Atlanta.

I was a nervous wreck the entire drive. I kept trying to look in the rear view mirror (not there anymore) and couldn't see squat out the passenger side. It's the first time I've ever been grateful there was a bog down of traffic on the "Grady Curve" right by the exit for her Loft. It was a lot easier to navigate when going fifteen miles per hour versus sixty.

We parked across the street from her Loft and all got out. I commented "That was a really relaxing drive!" (not)

My dear friend who helped us move in was also decorating Massey's room for her as a present. She had brought some really industrial hand trucks which flipped into a cart and only had to make three trips to the thirteenth floor.

Really? The THIRTEENTH floor?

Only Massey. (smh)

I was blown away by the view from her new room. You could see twenty five miles north of Atlanta from her bedroom window.

We let Massey unload the kitchen things and dragged all the things Lisa had brought with her to decorate into Massey's room, shut the door and got busy. Lisa wanted it to be a surprise.

Massey had told her she wanted a "Travel" theme and "Travel Theme"she got!

The closet didn't have doors so my friend had made a cute cover for it with sewn in pockets for extra storage.

She had also bought Massey a Duvet and made pillows for her bed with the same theme.

She had a world map we hung on the wall beside her bed. Of course Massey wanted the bed lofted to have space to push her dresser under it and only took us forty five minutes to comply...but did it!

I was already sweating like a 400 pound man when noticed her air vent was closed. We opened it but were beginning to both stink. My friend went over to see if the huge window would open while I had my back to her piddling around with something when someone shot off a twelve gauge shotgun in the room.

I clutched my chest like Fred Sanford used to and turned around to see my friend looking stunned. She had just turned a lock on the top of a window when the entire top pane slid all the way down behind the bottom one. Neither one of us could believe it didn't shatter into a million pieces. We tried to pull it back up but wouldn't budge.

I cracked the door open and hollered out to Massey to call maintenance.

I loved the world map on the wall and the piece she brought for over the door.

The idea of retro suitcases for a side table was fantastic!

The place used to be a parking garage for Grady Hospital before being turned into Lofts and had lots of exposed concrete which gave it just the right touch!

She put up a black board on one of the concrete walls, added an old window frame with knobs and wire mesh on it for hanging jewelry and put a cork board beneath it.

Too cute!

I loved the arrangement of various frames, especially the old wooden one with Massey's initials in it. The top left one reads: "Be Strong and courageous , for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

 This is an old box made to dispense ribbons. We cut a hole in the side and ran a power strip cord through it  so Massey could plug in her devices to charge without having to see an ugly power strip on her desk! (Once again, Lisa's idea)

She also brought not only two rugs for Massey's room but one for their little living/dining room.

How cute is that?!

So I can glue my neighbor's rear view mirror back on when I get back home, and we didn't break the probably three thousand dollar window pane and she's all moved in to boot! We'll call this day a major success.

We all went to The Vortex for a burger after all our work and then my friend left for home. What she did for Massey was incredible. Once again shows you how wonderful it is to be loved.

I took Massey to Publix and she picked up a few groceries. We got back and the window still wasn't fixed. I put on my "momma" voice and called the front desk again saying I didn't feel comfortable leaving my daughter without her window being shut. Not ten minutes later we heard a knock at her door.

I had to help him, I bet that window weighs two hundred pounds but he got it back up and locked.

Then it was time to go.

One last selfie in front of her huge picture window overlooking the biggest city in the south and it was time to go.

I mean talk about a place with a view!

We hugged and kissed, she thanked me for everything and suddenly it hit me.

She's gone!

She may come home for holidays or a visit but has tasted the real world, knows what possibilities are out there if you get a good education and is determined to do just that.

Good for her!

I am thrilled for her, but as she turned that lock after shutting the door as I left realized that was no little girl I just left but a smart, driven young woman who was chomping at the bit to take life by the horns and go as far as life could take her.

Good thing I was alone in the elevator because I cried the entire thirteen floors back to the lobby.

That's her bedroom on the second floor from the top, far right.

As I walked by the desk in the lobby on the way out simply said "Take care of my girl."

Out of all the things I've done in my life, some good and some not too good... my three kids are absolutely my greatest accomplishment.

They have worn me out at times but wouldn't take anything back or change anything which has happened.

They will be my legacy long after I'm gone.

The world should send me a Thank You note.

I've raised three incredible kids and know all will make a huge impact in whatever path they choose to follow.

Til next time...COTTON

Wonderful Weekend

Had all three kiddos home again this weekend. When the above ages they fought like cats and dogs but now genuinely like each other. This pleases a momma.

My kids have been through so many different stages. TJ was just a toddler when I met Tim. This is TJ two years later at our wedding, dapper in his little bow tie.

I didn't have Zach til TJ was about six or seven so practiced on TJ for a while to get my momma feet wet. Sometimes I did okay and sometimes it was an epic fail...see picture below:

You'll have to click on the picture to make it larger to see the look on his face. We went to Florida with my sister and her two boys who were a couple of years older than TJ. I thought it would be a great idea to have our picture taken on the balcony of the condo. We were only on the second floor. Seems TJ didn't really take a shine to my idea and was terrified. It looks like I am choking him but assure you I wasn't. TJ was a very sensitive little kid. He would cry when his man "Got kilt" while playing Nintendo's Mario and Luigi. That used to make Tim so mad. He was always a sweet kid  and thankfully survived my lack of parenting skills as well as harassment from his two older newly acquired cousins, who were rough and tumble as they come.

I remember one time we were doing something together and was chanting old high school chants and cheers. I started "U-G-L-Y, You ain't got no alibi, You UGLY, yeah yeah, you ugly!" TJ immediately started crying, sobbing through his tears, "I am NOT  ugly!"

 For Pete's sake, I was just kidding. My bad.

Seven years later, enters Zachary. I always loved this pic of him in a bubble bath. He had a totally different personality from TJ's and always marched to the beat of a different drum.

I remember one time when playing a Spy he had on the funniest outfit, and yes I took a picture. (telling him he looked so cool)

Notice where his tie is clipped! TJ never caused me a minute's worry when he was a little kid.  Zach was constantly getting stitches or getting into ridiculous situations. He has a sense of humor like mine but a brilliant mind I WISH was like mine.

 This was the time he took the outfit off Massey's My Size Barbie. Boy, that one made Massey furious!

Zach's always been a thinker. He hasn't always made good decisions but can tell you anything you want to know about pretty much most everything. He built his own first computer. He knows tons about history and science. He knows the components for an atom bomb and can weigh in on most any conversation. I left for work one day when he was younger and my next door neighbor who worked for the FAA stopped me. He said he was washing his car the day before and Zach came over to talk. He said "Your boy knows more about the Airbus than I do, and I work for the FAA. He's a pretty smart kid!"

I wish he used that fascinating brain a little more often but will come in handy for sure!

Then along came Massey.

On the morning of August nineteenth I arrived at the hospital by ambulance at four AM. I think she was born at four twenty. I should have known then I was in for a lot of drama with this one! After a two week stay she came home with us and has been ruling the roost ever since.

For the first four years she was so quiet I thought they had given me the wrong baby. She was the prettiest little thing with adorable curly hair and everybody doted on her. 

My sister's oldest son adored Massey and had all the patience in the world with her. He was probably about  thirteen or fourteen at the time. We used to all go on vacation to the beach together every summer. Casey (my nephew) was sitting in a chair in the living room of the house we rented one summer watching ESPN  when little Massey wandered over and climbed up in his lap. He put the remote down and started talking to her in a sweet voice asking her questions and making a big to-do over her. After a few minutes she simply got up and wandered off to another part of the room. Little Zach was probably six or seven and a wiry little monkey. He noticed the vacancy Massey had left and ran over in his little Power Ranger briefs to climb up in Casey's lap for his turn. Casey abruptly shoved him off by smacking him on the chest and roughly saying "Get OFF me BOY!" Zach just turned and went elsewhere. Yes, Massey was the princess and Zach was the court jester.

For the most part they all got along pretty well.

TJ was a good big brother to Zach and Massey had everyone else wrapped around her finger tight as one of her curly locks of hair.

TJ is six years older than Zach , which is a big gap when you're kids. TJ left home after his freshman year at college and they started to all drift apart.

For a few years Zach went through a rough patch and often wondered if he'd make it. He did but it wasn't easy...for any of us and especially him.

He made some mistakes but paid for them. What's even better is he LEARNED from them. The past two years he has turned his life around and is making tremendous strides.

TJ moved to Australia for a year and doing what I wish I'd done when in my twenties. Explore the world and travel. He's heading to New Zealand  in December for another year abroad.

These three kids have given me so many sweet memories, funny stories to tell and yes even a few tears but  wouldn't change a thing even if I could.

It seems like last week I was taking them to skate night or the tee ball field. Children are an incredible adventure, investment and reality check. When you have kids, perspectives and values totally change all for the better if you do it even remotely right. You'll go through tough times, everyone does. You learn about yourself when you have the responsibility of raising another human being.

I've never been the best parent but have always loved my kids and think I've done okay. At least they are all still alive. I'm not being funny but totally serious. I bet at least ten friends of my kid's aren't. Some died from cancer or other illness. A couple died in car accidents. One was murdered. A few fell into battles with addiction and lost. Things like this simply didn't happen when I was a kid and if they did were an extremely rare occurrence.

 Being a parent, especially a mother is a privilege. Your kid comes out of your body a clean slate. It's up to you what to write on it and to teach them how to use it in a positive way.

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be...

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me....

And if, by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love.

I know, how ironic to use lyrics from a Whitney Houston song...but are pretty spot on.

I had wonderful parents and an awesome childhood. Just hope my kids look back one day and feel the same way.

Til next time...MOMMA COTTON