A baby shower...

These are little diapers that I made to hold the nuts and mints in. You can't see very well, but they are pink with little white polka dots on them.


Just setting up... preparing

What we served lemonade out of. It looked so nice and was perfect. I bought it for Amanda last year. It matched perfectly...



I loved this shot of the pearl colored pink balloons to mark our spot.

Pink roses for Mandie and Bella.

The spread, or part of it... Spencer's mom did a great job on a wonderful potato salad, and a pasta salad with a tray of fruit as well. I brought the veggie tray, a caramel apple salad, a curried rice salad, and a baked potato salad. We bought chicken as well. It was a nice picnic lunch for everyone. We had lemonade and Spencer's mom brough bottled water as well. There was the cutest cake that someone from Amanda's work made for her. It was amazingly cute.

The cake Amanda picked out was precious...

The book for Bella and what Amanda's dad wrote in it. His words are always wise.

A candid shot. I caught her looking at Bella again. Makes me well with tears at times.

After I had Carlie I really missed my tummy for this reason... I didn't know what to do with my hands anymore. That had gone there for so very long. I wonder if she will miss that as well.


Amanda and Carlie... Carlie loves to talk to Bella... it is precious...

Amanda and her friend Aime. Very kind lady and a good friend to Mandie.

Aime, Amanda and Carlie eating some lunch in the sunshine. A perfect day for the picnic.

Catherine, Amanda, Natalie and Rochelle. These are some of Amanda's friends as well. She lived with Catherine and her husband Garrett for about a year. That is how she knows the other young ladies as well.

Amanda and Jamie. Amanda met her while working at Wachovia and they have remained friends along the way.

Aime was cute and always touching Mandie's tummy. It was so precious to watch. Amanda is blessed with friendships and some people that really care.

Everyone wanting to touch Little Miss Bella (not to be confused with Little Mint, in which Carlie plans on naming her daughter when she is a mommy.)

Sometimes there are just things in life that there are no words to fit the way you really feel or what you see. Many times like this for me... which seems odd as I am very much a talker and people think that there are never a loss for words from me. However, they are wrong... I just don't let them know this secret.

The sunsets in Alaska. My parents lived in a home that overlooked cooks inlet. I could sit on their front porch and look at the sunsets over the water. They had these gorgeous colors that were so bright and vivid. I was young and didn't realize many things in life yet (do we ever really get there) and yet, at 19, I could appreciate that beauty. I would sit in silence and simply think. It sucked me in... I was at a loss for word by the beauty.

My son being diagnosed with autism. Another example. There are no words to describe how that feels. There are so many struggles with it. His milestones to some probably seem pretty small, yet to me, they mean so very much. I can't put my love or admiration for him down on paper or verbally say them as there simply are no words. He is my hero in every sense of the word seeing him work through his life challenges. I love him beyond words, as I do my girls.

Hearing that you have cancer... no words to tell one how that really feels... scared, alone, terrified... another one of those moments.

When my five year old grabs my face and says you are the best mommy ever and kisses my cheeks... then skips off and asks me if that filled my bucket... (bucket meaning feelings, did she make my feelings so happy it went to the top of the bucket...) and I know how loving and sweet she is. I just have no words.

Well this weekend is a time I had no words yet again.

My oldest daughter Amanda is having a baby. Her name is Bella. Bella Jo as a matter of fact. She is scheduled to make her arrival on September 19, and we all know how that goes... we aren't sure when she will get here.

Her baby shower was this weekend. We had a shower for her. Her soon to be mother in law helped out with bringing a couple of salads and fruit and water for those that didn't want lemonade... which is good as it was a hot day. All of the rsvps were in, and about a third of the people didn't show even after they rsvpd. It was sad, why do people do that? It is frustrating. However, the day went well anyhow. The people that truly love her and wanted to be there for her were and that is comforting to know.

She was beautiful, as she always is. She had this little mama glow to her. She was nervous. She doesn't like receiving so much. My kids are all givers. They don't receive the best and get shy when kindness is bestowed upon them. She blushed and was at a loss for words at the kindness shown to her. The gifts were one thing, but her knowing that she was loved and cared for by others really made her speechless and she started to cry at one point. It was touching and I am so proud of the young woman that she is. Kind, honest and true to her word. She is loving and giving. She is thoughtful and precious. She has built walls up but under the walls from hurt... is this brilliant diamond, that shines and has people attracted to her laughter and the way her eyes dance, and that gorgeous smile that had braces for 4 years... ha... she hated that.

As I watched my daughter with her friends and loved ones I sat back and thought. This is one of those moments that there are no words that will ever touch the way I feel or felt that day. We try all our lives to be these fantastic role models and we often question our parenting. Did we give 100% of ourselves to our kiddos? Did we make the right choices by not letting them have what everyone else had just to be cool? Did we have too many rules for them to abide by? Did we tell them we loved them enough? Did we laugh with them enough? Did we teach them that crying is okay and good for the soul? Did we tell them that our words are everything to pick them wisely? Did we teach them to keep their word? Did we teach them the meaning of true friendship by example and doing kind things for those around us? Did we teach them to help in the community and to not be racist or sexist? Did we teach them that loving and being loved is the most wonderful thing in the world and it is not to be taken lightly? Did we teach them that there is always time to sing and dance... even if we are cruddy at either of them... (thank Goodness we are good dancers...ha... and she has the voice that is so beautiful.)

I sat and looked at my daughter and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she will be the best mommy yet. I know she will be kind and gentle and give with her heart and soul to Little Miss Bella Jo. I knew I may have made mistakes on the way, but I taught my daughter the value of friendship and loving others and not abandoning them when they are needed. I know she will be the best she can be. This sounds like I am putting it all in words doesn't it... but truly I am not, as there are no words that can tell you just the way I feel. These words seem so small and so weak in comparison to how my heart feels.

So I am at a loss for words yet again, and yet, I know that the first time Amanda Michelle gets to hold her baby, she too will be sitting there, taking it all in, and not having words to tell anyone just how her heart feels. Here is a girl that never wanted kids for fear she would let them down, and in my heart I know she is going to be a wonderful mommy.

Cheers to parenthood... cheers to Mandie... and cheers to Ms Bella Jo. Another princess in my life, right up there with Miss Amanda and Miss Carlie...

My grandpa lived on a farm. A farmer all his life. He lived in the country... but the city grew rapidly (Spokane WA) so it was right next to him within miles... He lived up on a hill and he had a farm, (obviously if he was a farmer) and he had soooo much land out there. They were all wheat fields. We used to spend our summer days out there on the combines collecting wheat and working and playing on the farm. Mostly playing as the combines were so hot... but my dad and uncles would let us ride with them. I mostly liked to be in the kitchen cooking and that always stuck with me. He didn't have a lot of animals... just enough for him and my grandma as they got older. Enough to live off of and some to give to his kids and the neighbors. But, wheat... he always had wheat... fields and fields of it.

He was a collector of *junk*... mostly cars. He always felt he would have enough time to repair these cars so he would get them and they went in this empty part of land behind the barn. There, he had the gem that brings back the most memories to me... an old milk truck with the big drum cylinder on it... It was HUGE. At night in the summer, we used to climb to the top of that truck and it overlooked the huge city of Spokane. All the lights. I knew I had the best of both worlds at those moments... the beauty and activities of such a big city... but I was tucked away at their small farm home. We could see fields and fields of wheat from up there too... and smell the cow pasture. We used to sleep out on the front lawn as well... no tent... just in the open air. It actually got kind of scary at times, but I never let onto that. There would be coyotes howling at night...and I would wonder if they would find me and eat me for dinner.

My grandpa died of cancer. He was at my wedding, when he should not have been... as he was at deaths door. My first clear memory of my grandpa was dancing around the kitchen on his feet... we would dance and dance and he would let out big belly laughs... and we would giggle and I would beg for one more dance. My grandma was mean and didn't like me ever... not ever, but my grandpa loved me. She would try to rush him out the door and he would say not til I get one more dance with my girls. In later life it was with his girls as my little sister would be there as well, or my cousins... and we would dance again. My last memory of him was at the wedding. He insisted on going to the reception too. Again he should have been at home in bed. He had just had surgery on his neck where the wound was now bleeding. My grandma made a big deal of it and it made him feel bad. I told her to leave him alone... and let him just be... to just absorb the surroundings. My dad and uncles were never allowed to play music at home much... they were too busy with chores and what not... no time for music when you live on a farm with the fields and crops the size that they were. His farm then was large too... anyhow... my last memory that I treasure from him... is at my wedding. He was really really weak. He came up and asked me to dance. I asked if he really should... then I remembered my words... of course he should dance. The song was unforgettable by Nat King Cole. We danced... and we didn't talk. I just bawled. The music was done... and I released him from my grip... to pull away as the song ended... but he held on. The next song started up again... and it was the song I Got You Babe by Sony and Cher. He knew the words. He knew every word and he sang them as we danced. To stop myself from crying and ruining all my makeup... I started to tease him... he was listening to music when the boys didn't get to. He knew this song from when my dad was young. HE GAVE OUT THAT HUGE BELLY LAUGH and admitted to me that he had a radio in his shop that the boys would sneak in and listen to... and he listened to it regularly.

I spent one more visit with him after the wedding at his house. He slept most of the time I was there. It was okay... I was at peace knowing he needed that rest. He would dose in and out. I would rub his arm, and he would rub my hand. There were no belly laughs that day... When it came time to go... I just couldn't. I couldn't leave. It took two hours to get to my car. I would walk a few feet and he would tire. We would rest. He insisted on walking me out as he always had. He even asked how the oil was in my car... such my grandpa. We knew it would be our last goodbye. It was evident. How do you say good byes like that? I surely do not know to this day. We would walk and I would need to turn and just hug him. We would cry. I would walk a few feet and he couldn't go any further, so he would call me back. We would cry. This went on for, like I said... nearly two hours. I told him how much I loved him and thanks for being a great man in my life. He sobbed. He told me I was a country princess... loving the farm life in high heels and purses... and we tried to laugh, but simply couldn't. I lost him to cancer months later while I lived in Iowa. I couldn't make it to the funeral... yet... I knew we had already said our goodbyes.

I miss him and I know I am rambling. He has been on my heart a lot lately. I have been thinking of him a lot. I started a new job waiting tables during the graveyard shift. I get older people in there, so maybe that is what is weighing him very heavy on my heart. Each time I tell someone that a cup of coffee costs $1.99 I think of my grandpa and how he would spit nails before paying $1.99 for a cup of coffee. When someone orders cocoa, I think of how he would dunk his toast in it and eat it that way... and how I started to eat it that way as well.

I have been trying to avoid sweets... but as I sit here with tears rolling down my face, I feel tonight at work... I am going to have to do two things in honor of my grandpa....
1) Buy someones cup of coffee for them... just because.
2) Sit and eat my toast with a cup of cocoa.

I love you grandpa, and I often wonder how I survived cancer and it took you. You were so much stronger than me always.

I miss you... more than you know. Be ready to dance when I get there... you are going to owe me quite a few. And you will owe my daughter Carlie that you never got a chance to meet. And, you will owe your great-great granddaughter Bella a dance too... as Mandie is about to have a baby. I hope I can touch her life as much as you touched mine.

OMG Lemon Cheesecake Bars ... so good

So I am the lady... THAT LADY. I am not so sure if it fits my personality or not... I hope it does as I think of myself as a generous person... but I am THAT LADY on the block that loves to bake and take things to people. Not always to my block... lots of times at work... no matter where I work... etc. So... last week we had a meeting at work at 3:30p. Now, not that I so much mind missing out on sleep or anything, but when I rush to work for this meeting as I am told there is possibilities of people being fired or written up if they don't show up... and then the meeting lasts 8 minutes. Oh... the eight minutes is because he had to repeat things to people that showed up late. Now to me, that seems awfully silly. However, I got up early (remember, I work graveyards, so I don't go to bed til 9 or 10 am... to make these cheesecake bars. Now I had made them before, but it had been a year or so. I understand why.... they are so darned good.... they are addicting. One guy at work actually ate like seven of them... hahaha. Everyone asked for the recipe... so I shared. Anyhow. I debated about posting a photo of them as this is an ugly plate from work and if anyone knows me they know I am a plate and dish snob.... I like my dishes.... just the way I am built. (Perhaps it is a sickness and I am just in denial. YIKES...)

Anyhow... Lemon Cheesecake Bars... Enjoy them. I am going to make these to take to Amanda's baby shower this weekend as well I think....

2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1 cup Butter -- Softened
8 ounces Cream Cheese -- Softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup Evaporated milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Flour
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Lemon Peel -- grated
1 cup Sour Cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350F degrees.

In a bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar; cut in the butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles crumbs. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 13x9 baking pan. Bake crust for 25 minutes.

In a blender, combine the cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, 1 tbsp of flour, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel. Blend until smooth. Pour into baked crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until mixture is set. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread sour cream over the top and chill. Cut into bars.

A love, hate relationship for Friday and Saturday nights...

I am in my foxy black slacks... (they really do look cute with a nice blouse, and heals) and my foxy polo. I am about to pull all my hair back... it looks so pathetic that way... hate it.... putting on my apron... it is foxy too by the way. I, Wendy, get to go and wait on D*R*U*N*K* people for my weekend. Well HAWTDAWG!!!!!! In my younger days... I was one of the patrons eating an early morning breakfast after a night of dancing... and having a few refreshments... then I was a cocktail server serving the refreshments, and dancing, and going out for breakfast after I got off work... and to make it a full circle, now I am serving the breakfast to them. Ha.... Some of them really are a pain in my arse.... you know... very rude... very unkind... I blame it on the alcohol, just like Jamie Foxx does. I mean in life, do we really want to teach people so rude... nah... I doubt it... so, I try to be forgiving of their nastiness... The ones that really make my life hard are the pukers.... PLEASE GAWD.... for the next two nights, don't let anyone barf in my restaurant. PLEASSSSSSSE. If I hear it, see it, smell it... I get the gags going. I have to run in the back and beg my SA to go out front to clean the mess..... ewwwwwwwwwww. My eyes water... it is horrible. Also, peole that are older now have a new meaning for pda... they put the younger generation to shame and I often have to remind them we are a family restaurant... they get my gag going too.... GRINNING AT MYSELF. I mean really, do we want to watch anyone doing this sort of thing in life, let alone people our grandparents age? I think not. Now... I do get the drunks that are funny as heck. They make my night. They keep me in stitches. They think that I want to learn the latest dance moves. They don't get that I am the dancing queen and I most likely invented the move years ago and they just don't know it yet. I just don't know what to expect of any of them this weekend. It is up in the air.... it is going to be fun... none the less, I will make it fun. So as all of you sleep snug in your bed.... or go to some breakfast place to eat after a long night of drinking... I will be serving the drinkers. I have the mojo going to give me enough energy for the night....

Salmon patties

I don't like fish unless it is fresh salmon once in awhile... such as if I were dying and it was the last thing on earth to eat... or perhaps if someone threatened to shoot me in the leg... or if I was to get the winning number to the lottery if I ate it. You get the idea. Perhaps that is due to my dad working for an export business that delivered salmon to Japan, I think it was, from Alaska... so we had a chest type freezer full of it.... and ate it in many forms. If my mom could have started making salmon popsicles out of it she would have... or if my grandma could have replaced the corned beef out of her lemon jello with cheese (if you think I am kidding, think again... it was horrible... she thought it was good.... we gave all of ours to my dad... he liked it... ate it all... gross...) with the salmon I am sure she would have. Lord help me...

However, every now and again... I do like to eat this. Perhaps it is because I make it out of a can and it is not out of that chest freezer. I still have flashbacks however as I reach for the can of salmon and I almost want to not get it.

Carlie loves these and so does Taylor... so I make these for them. I actually do like them pretty well too.

So.... salmon patties...

2 cans of canned salmon (so the really gross thing is you have to pick the bones out and the skin off and since it is canned it is soft and slimy and gross.... but other than that, it's all good...)
5 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1 diced onion
2 cups crushed crackers. I use oyster crackers as they are cuter than regular saltines... lol... again not kidding.
4 T flour

Just mix it all with your hands as you do a meatloaf. Form into patties and fry in olive oil. I sometimes sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Other times I might add some liquid smoke before forming into patties. Fry til golden on each side. I like ours dark with a crispy coating... and they seem to like them as well....

NOW seafood that has a shell... I am good with that... totally different and I can't get enough of that.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Okay... I love to cook so much and not too many recipes make me go WOW.... I have been cooking since about first grade (where the obsession began I should say). HOWEVER, every now and again I do come across one of those recipes that I know I have to try and this is one of them.

First of all... if you have not been to the blog I am about to post you are silly, as she has fantastic recipes all the time. I scour her site as if these cookies are this good, I am sure her others are as well. Her photography is fantastic on the food and she needs to teach me how to do that. That is one thing I want to work on is the photography (and finding time to post...)

Her sites name is See Jane in the kitchen. I go there often. (insert, again when I find time... shoot). Just click on the purple lettering above. You need to stop by and give a look to the wonderful food she posts.

My son is autistic and lives in a home for disabled young men. He goes to school during the school year, but when school gets out... he is not able to and he gets bored easily. He only gets $10 a week after room and board etc that his SSI gives him. We are teaching him how to earn money as he will not be able to hold a job on his own. (Let's hope that changes someday with the living skills he is learning, but for now... he isn't able to.) So.... we have been making these cookies for him to sell by the dozens... etc. This will give him extra spending cash for events. He loves the cookies too... so it is hard to try to convince him not to eat them. I also usually bake for people instead of sending thank you cards... so I have been baking these as a thanks for those that helped while the kids dad went through surgery for his stomach cancer. Needless to say, I have been baking a lot.

You can find the recipe for lemon drop cookies here, but I am re-posting it as well. Again go see her blog. You will love it.

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon extract

4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Finely chopped zest of one lemon

1 (6-oz) package lemon drops (sometimes these are tricky to find, I usually keep two or three bags in my pantry) (I found mine at Winco in the bulk section but you can also get them at a local Target... love Target!!!! )

2 c. powdered sugar

juice of two lemons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, cream sugar, shortening, and eggs; add flavorings. Stir in dry ingredients, lemon zest, and crushed lemon drops (I crush them in my blender). Roll into balls, flatten slightly, and bake on parchment lined (if you don't use parchment, cookies will stick to pan) baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on pan for a couple of minutes. Make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice. Brush glaze over cookie tops. Let cookies cool completely.

makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

While on the subject of these cookies, I thought I would mention three of my favorite kitchen tools, since they are all used in this recipe. You can usually find each of these at TJ Maxx for a great price. The citrus press is my latest favorite, I use it for salsa and pico de gallo all the time. It gets a ton of juice out with practically no effort.

Conversations with Taylor....

Today, I woke up wanting to call my son. Ahhhhhhhh... it should be an odd feeling, yet, it is a feeling I have every single morning. It has been two years and it still doesn't feel natural that he is not in my home, his home; ALWAYS HIS HOME. I struggle to go past his empty room, the one he used to sit in for hours and play video games on one of his many systems... the one that he used to get so mad at himself when he would mess up in his games... (he is brilliant at games and can master the game through all levels within a couple of days. It feels like a waste of money as he masters them and then gets bored with them.) The room he used to sit in and examine his hundreds of match box cars and he would be in a different place when doing so. He was not in tuned with his surroundings, as he was so fixated on his cars.

Now, although I get to see him often and we talk by telephone, it feels odd. At this age many teens are out on their own. I am trying to wrap this brain of mine around that... he is 19... this should be eaiser. Then I go back to Amanda leaving home... moving out on her own... it wasn't eaiser either. It was a different situation though. I knew she is a woman that will not let people take advantage of. With Taylor, that isn't so.

Autism... there are so many different spectrums of it. My son is very high functioning autism. Hmmmmmmm.... what the hell does that mean? Really? What does that mean. I ponder this time to time.

I am blessed that my son is verbal. He is aspergers. That is high functioning. He doesn't walk in circles or talk to himself a lot. He doesn't rock back and forth... well at times if he is really nervous he will start to... but not like highly autistic people. The hardest part for me I think, and that I struggle with the very most in our relationship is how to treat him. I mean, always do we treat him with love... but... as in age or comprehension level. There are parts of him that are like a five year old child. He needs to be reminded to wear his glasses when reading... to take a shower, to brush his teeth. There are parts of him that are of about a ten year old. His maturity level is that of about a 10 year old as far as I am able to track or tell. I have to remember to talk to him like he is ten most of the time as his brain wires connect this pretty well. However, then he is like a 19 year old boy... wanting to listen to popular music, go to dances, drive. Sadly he will never drive, and he gets so very disappointed. He has several things going on... in addition to the autism, he also has oppositional defiant disorder, adhd, and a touch of ocd. That is common with people with autism... to have several things wrong.

It is funny... as often times people that know me want to know more about it... and their questions are sometimes shocking. I try to blow it off to I am approachable enough for them to feel comfortable in asking me. That is good to know.

I will never forget one time someone asked me... I wish it could have been different for you. I didn't know how to read that. I didn't know how to gage my emotions to that.

Here is my feelings on the matter. I don't wish it was different. I hope that Taylor picks up the needed living skills he needs to live a safe and healthy life. He starts to harm himself when he can't communicate well, and that is very upsetting for any parent to live through. That is why he needs 24 hour care. He is never out of site of a staff in the house he lives. He is never out of arms length reach from staff when he is out in the public. This is all for his safety. As his parent, I need to keep him safe. Autistic children have troubles forming bonds, so I needed to make sure he was doing social things and making bonds with others rather than just his family. I needed to know that he was getting life skills under his belt. He needs to know how to cook, do his laundry, shop, save money, make out bills. Due to his ODD, he takes me as his authority or as me bossing him around and that was a struggle for him. When he learns this through his staff, it is learning and not someone bossing him around. I need to know that when I die... he will have the keys to life that will help him succeed. (now that sentence just made me cry... I can't imagine not being here for my kids... but reality is that will happen someday. ewwwww....)

Since I so easily get distracted, back to the original subject... I don't wish things were different. I think that God gives these special needs to those He knows can love them without reserve. My son is my son. My son has taught me more about life than any other person ever. I am so very lucky to have him and I feel I am the person I am today though him strengthening me as a woman and as a mother. I can't imagine not having a special needs son. I can't imagine my life without my son.

The one thing that I hope he is able to learn or feel someday is love. He says the words. I love you mom. I love you sis. I love you dad. He says the words but he doesn't understand the devotion behind those words and that is hard for me. He gets a part of it I think. He has always been afraid of his dad or myself dying. That is a deep fear for him. He also is very protective of me and his sisters. If a man stares at me, he will tell them to stop... no boundries there, he will say what he thinks to them and sometimes at the grocery store it hasn't been pretty. If he thinks someone has hurt our feelings, he goes into distress mode... and it all goes to his autism. So I try to supress any sadness or stress around him. You know that love you feel towards your partner, or spouse. I hope for him one day, that he feels that. Not on a ten year old level... but as an adult. I hope he loves and will be loved in that way. The feeling of being cared for and that someone is our number one no matter what. I so want that for him and that is my biggest pill to swallow yet.

Our conversations are short and sweet. I try to drag them out as long as I can so I can just listen to how well he is able to communicate and see if there is improvement. He won't volunteer information, it is something that you have to drag out of him. So per our conversation last night...

Hi Tay, how are you?

Good mom, how are you?

I am good Tay. I can't talk long I am driving right now...
Mom that is against the law.

I am a rebel Taylor, what can I say?

Mom you are not... you will get a ticket...
What did you do today Tay?

Went to a movie.

What did you see... (insert, he said some name of a movie but I don't recall it)

Well what was it about son?

Too complicated for you to understand mom. Will you go to the office with me on Monday to show the ladies all your candle things?

Sure, but make arrangements as I have to sleep on Monday as I work Sunday night this week.

Ok...

I love you son...

I know you do mom, and I love you too... (I get a tear each time he says that, but he will never know)

I know you do son. Do you have anything you want to say to me or any questions to me?

Only that I love you mom...
I do too Tay... you have the best night... we'll talk tomorrow. I will see you on Sunday but call if you need me before then for anything...

I will mom... love you... bye.

I hang up... and I cry. It is a short cry... but I cry. I love my guy!