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

The Count Down

This is one of my all time favorite pics of Massey. My sister took it when Massey was about four.




Hard to believe she is graduating college a week from tomorrow.

                       She's our only daughter and one of the best friends I've ever made or had.

She's exuberant to the point of exhaustion. The kid never quits. She's determined to change the world.

                                 
                                                    My money's on her doing exactly that!



When Tim and I hit the skids after our twenty year run of constant advancement, she was in high school and all too aware of what had happened.

It was a double edged sword and in hindsight, was the greatest lesson we could could ever teach her.

I wouldn't change the past or what happened to us, even if I could. It is what defines us.

Our oldest went to Georgia State University for a year after graduating high school, then took a year off to make some easy money. He never went back, but has succeeded tremendously after a bit of waffling and doing absolutely great financially.

Our younger son and middle child, Zach never even  wanted to go to high school much less college...although is of the smartest (albeit stubborn) people you'll ever meet.

            I say kudos to him for not wasting money on something you have no interest in doing.


He floundered like a fish on the dock for far too long but after learning the hard way, has made it on his own back in Georgia without us for over a year now. He's doing what he wants to do...cook. He's currently the Sous Chef at a new up and coming  high end restaurant back home where we lived.

                                     Three kids, three different stories. Three different lives.
                         
                                       Who can choose a better life for yourself than you?







Massey has always been driven to get a college degree. She quit all extra curricular activities before her junior year in high school and brought her GPA up to Honor Student status.



We supported her every step of the way, even when we couldn't. I'll never forget that day we helped move her into her freshman dorm. Her room mates' parents were there as well, hauling in a flat screen TV, microwave, little fridge, WiFi router and every other single thing a girl could dream of to have in her first dorm room.


I brought a tunnel fan I'd bought at Walmart a couple of years back. I was totally embarrassed. Kudos to her room mates' parents, who acted like I'd brought a Tesla for them both to drive around campus.

 My brother has been more than instrumental for Massey getting her degree. When Tim and I didn't qualify to help her get a loan, he stepped up to the plate...and has again and again for the past few years.

        My family loves me, with all my many faults. Lucky for me, they also love my daughter.



She's finished her degree here in Orlando on line from Georgia and this next Saturday we will have our very first college graduate.

We're all going back (including my brother) to see her walk with her class at graduation. TJ and his lil' fam are coming from North Carolina. Our Lost Boy, Zach will be there too and having a graduation party at my sisters'.



It's been a tough decade for us, but feels so wonderful for us all to  have survived, flourished and carried on.


My girl. Our girl.


She's got a way about her.

"Dear Massey,

This is your Momma writing to you via the web. Your dad and I are both so proud of you, along with your two brothers and countless family members.

If there is anyone in this world destined to make a difference, it's you.
Go kick life out of the park.

Thank you for loving me with all my faults and thank you for being You."

                                                       You'll aways be my bestie.



Til Next Time..COTTON

Girl Time!

My camp counselor came home this weekend after training for a visit before all the kiddos arrive at camp next week. Pretty nice digs for a camp! This is the main cabin for the girl's she'll be in charge of. It has a kitchen, great room with TV, bathrooms for the campers and one for the counselors. It also has a loft. 

Here's  a picture of a frog on a log! It even has a lady bug on it's face...click on the picture to enlarge.

This was taken from the back side of the main cabin. That's Massey's cabin on the left and the girl's three cabins on the right.

The above photo is Ivy Corner, it has a spa house where they make soaps, lip gloss, bath salts, face masks and a place where they can paint their nails.

Here's Massey and her college room mate petting Misty, a pet deer known as their "Deer Dog." She was found when only two days old and raised with puppies being bottle fed, then brought to the camp to live on the 220 acre camp.

I'm excited for Massey to have this opportunity this summer, think she will have a ball and know those girls will love her being their counselor.

Canoeing in the lake, archery, swimming in the pool, arts and crafts, building shelters in the woods like the one above and much more.

I'm not sure who's luckier... Massey and her friends from college who are counselors this summer or the girls who will attend the camp?

Just glad to have her home this weekend.

My little girl has grown up and just thinking of this brings a little tear to my eye and a huge tug on my heart strings.

One summer she was just a little tot.

Seemed like the next year she was going to prom.

Then prom again.

I turned my head to look away for what seemed like just a second and suddenly she was having senior pictures made.

Then the next time I turn around she's finishing her freshman year at college and looking WAY too grown up.

This little girl who almost killed us both by demanding to be born in August instead of October weighing in at barely four pounds, fought like a giant and beat all the odds.

She's always been my garden of sunshine and will always be my best friend.

Her life is just beginning and can't wait to see how far she goes.

She loves me even though I'm a crazy person.

 She loves me with all my faults and I love her with her own.

We're like "Peas and carrots" as Forrest Gump said.

I'm proud of all my kids and love them so much it is a physical ache but the bond between mother and daughter is unique. Boys don't care for all the " Touchy Feely" stuff. Girls do.

This is me with my own mother at the age of fourteen. Little did I know,  less than three years later the hugs would end.

Every day I have with Massey is a blessing. When I was her age my own mother was gone.

I may think I'm older and wiser than her but have a feeling she will end up being the smarter one. At least I hope so.

Go gettum kid!

Til next time, a pretty proud COTTON