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Running

November 22, 2014

Melissa was a dedicated runner for much of her life.  Including when her kids were young.  She got up very early in the morning to run before she had to make breakfast and get her kids off to school. 

In the northwest, it is very dark in the morning for much of the year.  Melissa would head out in the pitch black darkness and hit the pavement to run.  Her son Pete, started to get worried about his mom's safety out in the dark each morning.  He was about 8 or 10 years old when he decided that he would run with her!  Pete loved his mom dearly.  There are not many young kids who would wake up early to run miles and miles in the darkness before school!  

Pete, inspired by his mom and sister Elizabeth, became an amazing athlete.  Melissa, Elizabeth and Pete would even do running races together.  

Life is made up of special memories

November 19, 2014

Melissa always had a smile, a kind word, a compliment and a hug for me whenever I saw her.  She also never failed to have fun and laugh - this I will miss the most.  Some of my favorite memories...

- Meeting Melissa for the first time.  She asked me when Pete and I would be getting married.  She was eager for some more grandbabies :)

-  Introducing her to her grandbabies.  She held and rocked her grandsons with such tenderness and love. 

- Hiking up a mountain trail with Melissa near Mount Vernon - and struggling to keep up with her!    

- Sharing good books with Melissa.  She was a fellow reader and book-lover.

- Hearing her infectious laughter.  Usually after a slightly inappropriate joke or comment :)

- Watching her talk intently with her grandsons about "Candy Crush" video game strategies.

- Listening to her tell stories about when she was a girl. Once she and a friend forged notes from their mothers and skipped school for the day :)

- Seeing her smile and laugh as her grandsons jumped on the bed in the morning - wanting her to wake up and play with them. The boys loved their grandma for her wonderful playfulness and sense of humor.  They will miss her dearly.  

Lost hamster

November 18, 2014

     I am writing this one to lighten the mood.  My dad and I always loved animals but because my mom was allergic to animal fur, she didn't really appreciate a house and yard full of them.  But slowly and surely we wore mom down.  We had 3 ducks in the back yard, our dog Heather with puppies, my hamster, and maybe cats too.
     I loved to play with my hamster as a kid and neglected to latch the trap door one day after letting him out.  We were sleeping peacefully when we heard this blood curdling scream.  Mom had stepped on little Hairy on the way to the bathroom in the dark hallway.  She was more than just a little upset.  
     I think after that she made us get rid of all the pets but it was pretty great while it lasted.

A special Christmas

November 18, 2014

One Christmas, my mother and father had an especially big box for me under the tree.  Inside I found all of my old dolls with new outfits sewn for each one.  Their hair had all been restyled by mom's good friend, Maureen and all of my dolls looked new again.  This was so exciting for me and I felt great that I was given such a thoughtful gift.  A few years later, my cousin Deena sent me all of her Barbie collection.  Later she told me that she noticed that we didn't have very many toys and she wanted me to have hers.  Little did she know that mom could hardly ever get us to play inside because we were always sitting on the top of the Brook's apple tree, building forts in the Withey's woods, or rollerskating at top speed around the cul-de-sac.  We never ever wanted to come in for meals and poor mom was always trying to coral us.

Green Lake

November 18, 2014

     For the last few years I have been flying back and forth to Seattle to see mom, my brothers, friends and nephews.  I always get so excited to see everyone and also to see Washington state which is an amazing and beautiful state.  It has so many mountains, forests, and lakes.  
     Mom and I had so many great adventures together on these visits.  We always loved playing with my nephews, Nathaniel and Zachary.  Then we would take long walks around Green Lake.  One year, we even collected leaves for my second graders back in Round Rock so that we could melt crayon pieces inside of the wax paper.  I just wanted the kids to see how beautiful the leaves looked when they changed colors.  My mom took this endeavor very seriously.  By the time we got around that lake, we had so many leaves and although she had trouble keeping her balance, she found the best leaves for my kids.
     We were so cold by the time we made it around the lake that we stopped at Starbucks for some hot cocoa.  Mom was so happy to warm up.  We also tried to watch all of the "Girl" movies together.  These were the movies that made us cry and we had a lot of favorites.  This was really important to me because I live in a house full of boys and all we ever watch at home are action films.
     My sister in law, Kristin,  not only offered her parent's condo to us numerous times, but was always drawing me maps so I wouldn't get lost driving around Seattle.  Plus, she cooked for us and lent me all of her winter coats to keep me warm because I never seem to remember how cold Washington really is until I show up at the airport.  Aunt Kris always made mom and I feel so important and loved.  
     These are memories I will treasure for the rest of my life.
     

Mom's brownies

November 18, 2014

     One of my most favorite memories of my mom is how she loved to bake.  We attended a private Christian school from preschool all the way through third grade and that involved a 30 minute busride home every day.  I would open the front door, and the smell of my mom's homemade brownies would greet me.  Boy did I love my mom's brownies.  
     Mom would tell me how much she loved to have kids and to get to stay home to take care of us.  She was always baking bread or other treats for us.  She also loved to make clothes for me and although some of the outfits were kind of embarrassing like the dress that said "Jesus loves me" on the pocket, I know that I was lucky to have a mother that wanted to sew things for me.  She even used to sew a shirt every year for my Grandpa Bernard, and he was always making a big deal out of it to make her feel loved.
     When I sew baby quilts and things at home, I always get this most comforting feeling.  I love to be creative but most of the comfort comes from happy memories of the hum of my mom's sewing machine when I was a child. 

Burke Gilman Trail-Lake Forest Park

November 18, 2014

     Mom and I used to run 5 miles together after school and work on the trail bordering Lake Washington.  We would talk and talk.  This is such a soothing memory for me.  She ran a little slower than me so it was always an easy run for me and we could solve all of the problems of the world on those runs together.  With all of the rain in Washington state, it was usualy raining and the weather never mattered to us.  We would just bundle up and go every day.  The trail had many beautiful views of the lake and the trees grew over the top of the trail protecting it.  It was like running in this beautiful wonderland.  
     Sometimes the entire family would bike all the way to Gasworks park and it was a long ride from Lake Forest Park.  I loved those bike rides so much.  I remember it was cold enough to wear scarves, hats and gloves.  I guess we were a family on the go.  I don't really know how my parents raised 3 such active children but I'm sure it wasn't easy.

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