Happy Birthday Pretty Momma!

Happy Birthday to you Pretty Momma! Today, May 7th 2011 my mother would have been 65 ... a bona fide Senior Citizen. Go love her, she was so ready to retire when she passed away. She told me many times that she was going to do all the things she wanted to do but never had the guts to do when she retired. She was so spunky, so full of life and pretty darn hilarious!

When she turned 35, I had a surprise Birthday Party for her. I was only 9 years old but determined to throw her a party. I had my cousin drive me to Happy Joe's Pizza off of Forder Road to make arrangements for the party. I invited some of her friends from work, all my family and I made sure to invite the man she liked at the time.

It was a Sunday evening and I had told her all week that we were going to Happy Joe's to meet up with a friend of mine and her mother. When it came time to go, my mother tried very hard to look happy about going. I could tell that she would rather stay home and watch Trapper John, MD but she was also happy to see how excited I was to meet my friend. I was very quite as we drove to the Happy Place, I was so afraid I would blurt out that I was throwing her a party. It seemed that our Volkswagen Bug was moving so slow that night, like Orange Julius (That was the car's name, again my mother's humor!) needed to get rid of some sludge or something. Finally we pulled into the parking lot and we landed in a slot that was right next to my Aunt's car. OH NO! I thought, my mother will know that her sister is here. But she did not even notice the Cutlass Supreme as we exited the car. I could hardly contain myself as we walked to the door. My mother was preoccupied with her purse so she did not see the people inside. When I opened the door for her, she looked up and walked in. Then I heard her say ... "Wait a minute..."


"SURPRISE!!" They all yelled.

She put her hands up to her face and began to cry. I thought I had upset her, that I had made her feel bad. But it turns out that she was crying because I was throwing her a party. She told me later that it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for her and that she was impressed that at my young age I was able to pull it all off.

Only for you mom, only for you! If you were here, I would be having another big surprise party for you this year! Since you are not, I will bake a cake and tell wonderful stories about you all day long! And I am sure I will feel you as we all watch my youngest play his game today.

I love you, I miss you and I will never say goodbye. Only that I will see you later ... ;)