I don't know the exact age Mom was in this photo. I found it in her photo box. Awwww--baby Mom! So cute! ;-)

Mom and Aunt Sharon went on a cruise together when they were in their 60's. I don't have any photos from their trip, but this is a great trip of the two of them. They had LOTS of good stories from the cruise! It was one of Mom's dreams to go on a cruise and I'm so glad she was able to go. 

My Grandparents--Harold and Pauline "Connie" Mouser and Mom with siblings, Sharon, and Spike

My Mom used to tell me stories that she was a pretty boring teenager overall. LOL. I think she made up for that later in adulthood! I'm glad she did. She used to tell me she was very shy in middle school and into high school. She later came out of her shell. I know she played the bells in the band and she was fond of practicing baton. I found this photo in her album. It says age 13 on the back. 

I found this photo in Mom's albums from when she graduated Belmont High School. She was a super smart lady. She had a lot of common sense smarts too. She worked hard to achieve her goals and when she worked jobs, they usually ended up hiring two people to replace her after she left. She attended Sinclair Community College after she got married.

I love this photo of my grandparents (Harold and Pauline Mouser) and my Mom's siblings--Sharon, Spike, (Mom) and Deby. 

Sande Staub married Vincent M Staub Jr. They didn't stay married, but they did have some good times in the beginning. They were married for 13 years and had two children. Even though they didn't stay together, they are each a chapter in each other's life story. 

My brother and I were only a year and 4 days apart. I'm sure my Mom had her hands full with two of us so close in age running around the house. We were mostly perfect angels though as I recall (I think). hahaha

I found this photo in Mom's album. I believe it's from her work trip to San Antonio. I wish I had the back story, but I think the photos tells enough on it's own. Some pictures are a thousand words...

Mom was in the delivery room when her first grandchild, Sierra, was born. It was love at first sight. Mom babysat a lot and had a lot of fun in her newest role as a Grannie!

Mom was very excited when her 2nd grandchild was born. She decided to move from Ohio to Vermont soon after to watch her grandkids grow up and spoil them!

My mom watched her two grandkids on weekends a lot when we had to work. One of her favorite things to do was bake with them. When I came home, the kitchen was often covered in flour, along with the kids. They had a blast. I wish I had a photo of my Mom baking with them, but instead I have this photo she took of them. They have the best memories with her baking in the kitchen. I wanted to post this because it shows how much joy she brought them.

We had lots of fun vacations with Mom. We went to the Jersey Shore, Florida, California, Alabama, Sugarbush, and more. This photo is from a great time we had in Clearwater, FL. We were there for New Year's Eve. We played cards, soaked up the sunshine, ate seafood and drank margaritas. Good times!

Mom had a notebook next to her favorite recliner. I found some memories she had written down. At the top of every page had these words: "Regret nothing. Be safe. Celebrate life." It seemed fitting to use her own words on her plaque on her memorial bench.

I wanted a place to visit Mom so we had a memorial bench dedicated to her on the Lake Champlain waterfront. The plaque is a dedication to her--a celebration of her life. When I miss her, I know I can always go down to the lake and sit on her bench on a beautiful day. We had many good times boating on Lake Champlain. She loved the sunshine, so I made sure the bench was in a scenic, sunny spot. This is the view when you're sitting on the bench. XOXO