Mamma

I presented a copy of the manuscript to "Laiden's Daughter" to my mother today.  As I predicted, she cried.  That of course made me cry. ;o)  I have a cool mom to begin with.  Until I met my husband Kevin, I do believe she was my only source of unconditional love. Yes, Dad loved me, but in a different way.

She's an awesome women with a tremendous amount of inner strength on many, many things.  I learned how to be creative from her.  I also learned how to be a fierce mamma bear from her as well!  Our motto?  Don't mess with our babies.  Usually tempered with Don't make me come in there!

My mom had always wanted to be a police officer.  In her day, girls/women just did not do things like become police officers. Long story short, probably one of the top five worst days of my mother's life was her fortieth birthday.  She woke up that day and realized that it was too late for her to realize her childhood dream.  I remember that day vividly, although at the time, I did not understand the significance of the moment.  It wasn't until I was in my early thirties (last week!) that I understood what that did to her.

I tell you this story so that you can get a better idea of where I get some of my intestinal fortitude from.  I think of that day often and I don't ever want to wake up on any birthday and realize it was too late to do something. I use it to propel me forward.  Its sort of where I get my it's now or never attitude.

I owe it to my mom.  I owe a lot of things to my mom.  From my mom I received the following:

1. Creativity
2. Imagination
3. Stubbornness
4. Wicked sense of humor
5. Intense sense of right and wrong
6. Our want of taking care of others.
7. We can pinch with our toes-can pick things up with them too. ;o)

Some of the things I didn't get from my mom:

1. Her ability to take three potatoes and an onion and feed ten people!
2. Her talent for baking pies.  (I've tried, believe me I've tried!)
3. Her love of gravy (her family considers gravy a drink to be served like a fine wine at each meal!) 
4. Her love of Oscar Mayer hotdogs and bologna  
5. Her seventh sense of coffee.  With one little taste she can tell you the brand and whether its decaf or regular! Some people have the tongue for wine, my mom has the tongue for coffee.
6. Her sports knowledge.  Name a sport, ANY sport from football to curling, and she can tell you the stats on any team and/or player.  It is weird. Really. One of her favorite things? Extreme sports. 

I love my mom, I really do.  ;o) Even when she drives me crazy, I still love her. ;o)

So when I gave her the manuscript today, she cried first, then read the prologue. I explained to her that my 'romance' novel wasn't graphic or anatomically correct in relation to 'physical' romance.  (Translated, I don't write love scenes like Maya Banks, although I do love her love scenes! lol)  Anyway...she said, "So I don't get to read about all that 'lustful thrusting'?"  Emilee (my oldest daughter) choked on her coffee and had to leave the room for a few minutes.  Mom looks at me and says, "I know what lustful thrusting is!  She thinks I don't, but I do!"  Keep in mind my mother is over 70.

There was far more to the conversation but I'm editing because I have a fine Christian woman for a mother-in-law (I LOVE YOU JUDY!!!)  I was raised by heathens-my husband by devout Lutherans.  We're still learning to co-exist. Don't get me wrong-I'm a believer! I consider myself a Christian.  I know Jesus is my savior.  I was just raised differently than some...my childhood stories are for another day, another blog.

So, I love my mom. She's cool.  And she is very proud of me.  She's always proud of me, even when I drive her crazy.