I call this the lookalike picture because at this point in our lives we looked like twins. This makes me feel so special that I take after her in looks. I can only hope that I can be as strong and loving a woman as she was.

Mom would tell Susan and I that she didn't start smoking until she came over to the U.S. Well one day I was going through her photo albums and found this picture. Susan and I had so much fun the day I showed mom this picture. She said "where did you get this". I told her that it was in her photo albums. I teased her that things do come back to haunt you occasionally.

This picture was taken when mom was pregnant with me. The neighbors and family threw her a baby shower. She always told us how great her neighbors were to her when she came over here.

Mom was pregnant with me when this was taken. Several Christmases ago, she handed me a large box and waited patiently while I opened it. It was the same coat that she had altered for me. One day when she was in a grumpy mood, she snapped at me " I guess you threw that coat away!" I went storming out of the room and came back proudly wearing the coat. That is a very special present, one that I cherish. I seldom wear it but I do get it out and put it on so I can feel Mom hug me.

Mom had very strong ideas about what plant went where. This was my first year planting anything. We planted a small vegetable garden in the back yard and added roses and other plants to the front yard. I said that if this planting failed I was finished with gardening, but it didn't , so I guess I'll do it again. I plan to plant a memorial site for Mom.

The front porch was Mom's favorite place to be. She would take walks up and down the sidewalks . I live in an older neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and she quickly became part of the neighborhood. They knew her routine and if she wasn't seen for a day or too, someone would always ask if she was OK. Even though she had planned to return to Kentucky after her treatments, she grew to consider my home as hers, loved where we lived and would always say she felt "safe and secure" here in Iowa and wanted to be here. I was very happy that she wanted to be here. I was worried about her being alone in Kentucky.

Rikka is the larger dog , and Australian shepherd. This was Mom's protector and best friend. The little one is Katie, my dachshund who deserted me for Mom.. She loved Rikka so much. Would play with her, brush her twice a day, fed her only a specific type of food and gave her specific types of treats. Luckily it was a very easy transition adding Rikka to my family of dogs. Rikka now has adopted me.

The cat on Mom's lap is Toby the most spoilt cat in the world. Mom loved her probably more than us ! Toby will only drink water that she sees being filled into a glass. It has to be fresh. Her nap time was 3 pm and Mom had to lay down too ( that was a good thing, at least Mom would rest then). Toby had to be brushed twice a day and would indignately meow if that did not happen. I am not a cat person and had planned to find another home for her. Toby had other plans, I swear there is a little of Mom in Toby. So I am now Toby's adopted mom, whether I like it or not!

Elizabeth is from Panama. So we all traveled there for the wedding. It was such a beautiful ceremony and reception. It was interesting combining the traditions of 2 cultures and sitting thru 2 high masses, one in English and the second in Spanish. Mom looked so beautiful.

When Leah (michael's wife) went into labor, we went to great lengths to get Mom to come to the hospital too. Mom lived 2 hours away. Olivia took her sweet time getting here. We had not told Mom that Olivia would carry Mom's name too. When she went into the room to see the new family , she did not notice the monogrammed blanket draped over the chair, but when she did she was speechless, overwhelmed , and so happy. You can see that as she carefully touches her. I was especially blesses to have delivered Olivia just as I did Dakotah. I had to be two people those days, first Leah's doctor, making sure I took good care of her and then I got to be grandmother.

This is my favorite picture. She was happy. She looked beautiful, like an angel. Although she would argue with me about that.

Once she decided that going natural was ok. She really got into it. She has several different sunglasses, depending on her mood. She had several hats and scarves

Mom spent 6 months with me after her back surgery. She injured her back climbing up into the hay loft to throw bales of hay down to the horses. Remember she was in her late 70's, the loft is on the second floor accessable only by a ladder. She fell thru a loose board onto the concrete floor below. Did she tell any one. No!!!!! Not for several weeks when the pain was intolerable. Stubborn. During her recovery, she used her walker and taught the little dogs to climb into the baskets for a ride each day.

We tried on what seemed to be a hundred wigs (probably) only 4 or 5 but each several times. She initially did not want to try any but soon got into the swing of it and became a diva. We laughed and laughed. It was a good day. We even had Sonya try on a gray one to see what she would look like. She looked great and decided to stop coloring. I had made that decision several months before.

Mom wasn't sleeping well during this time. Fear of the unknown. Adjusting to her new home and my routines which was very different from hers. She is a morning person and I am an insomniac who slept later. We gradually came to a truce.

Mom's main worry was the loss of her hair and whether it would come back. When it started coming out in handfuls she asked me to cut it short so her wig would fit better and it wouldn't be such a mess. I began in the back and then started on the right side. She got upset saying I was cutting it too short. I explained that it would soon be gone. But it didn't matter, so I carefully cut the left side leaving it longer, but I wasn't allowed to touch the top. I thought she looked beautiful. It was to my glee that the side I cut the shortest was the side that was coming back the fastest and thickest !