Happy Birthday, Mama!

Here are 20 things that you should know about my mom:

1. Her name is Vilas.  That's VILAS.  Do not call her Vi or Violet or Vil-ASS or Vill-as.  Trying to find a mug with her name on it is especially difficult.
   
2. She teaches water aerobics to 100 women (and men) in the Villages 3 times a week.  She wears a whistle in the pool and exchanges recipes while exercising.  It's a two for one deal!
   
3. If you are in front of her at the checkout in Wal-Mart and look like you may be down on your luck she will: a) pay for part of your purchase  b) slip you a $20 c) share a recipe that you can make featuring items in your cart or d) all of the above.
4. She steals all the little bottles of everything in hotel rooms and on cruise ships to send to the soldiers in Iraq.  It is important to her that the really nice smelling ones go to the women.
5. There are several songs that remind me of her singing while cleaning the house when I was little:  Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Leaving on a Jet Plane, Song Sung Blue, Behind Closed Doors, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Having My Baby just to name a few.
   
6. She's been married to my Daddy for 42 years and I can't remember a single fight or angry silence.  I'm sure they were there, all marriages have ups and downs, but I cannot remember hearing an argument.  I waited for so long to get married because I wanted to be sure I would have a marriage like theirs, and I do.
7. One of my earliest memories of my mom is of living in an apartment in Canada.  She bought me a waitress order pad, with the carbon paper and everything.  We spent hours playing waitress and customer!
8. When I was in 1st grade my mom came to my class to teach macrame.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  She also taught us Chisenbop, but I don't know why.
   
   
9.  She took me to vacation bible schools all over town in summer not because I was particularly religious, but because I liked the crafts.
10. When I was pregnant, on bed rest and scared, she asked me if I wanted her to come.  The next day she was here.  We sat in bed and watched cooking shows together.  She cleaned my house and fed my husband and kids.  She was in the delivery room when Hannah was born.  Then she spent weeks in Nashville with me at the Ronald McDonald House.  She stayed with Hannah so that I could come home and spend time with Paul.  Did I mention that I was postpartum depressed up to my eyeballs?
11. Her closet is organized by color and looks like a crayon box of golfing outfits.
12. She is afraid of cats.  She does not like dislike them, she is FRIGHTENED by the little fluffy things.
13. If you say the word "lice" she will scratch her head for the next 24 hours.  This made it difficult for her to perform her duties as an elementary school secretary for all those years.
14. She makes the best: roast beef, mashed potatoes, chicken potpie, turkey & gravy, fudge, peach pie, "egg in toast", tuna casserole, "angel biscuits", in the WORLD!
15. When she drinks a third of a glass of wine her nose turns bright red.
16. She made me the most beautiful Barbie birthday cakes!
17. She's a great traveling companion!  We had just as great a time in Europe as we did at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.  Actually Europe was better, a LOT better!
18. She laid my clothes out for me in the living room and let me watch Speed Racer every morning while getting dressed for school.
19. She made my baby clothes and my baby food.    
20. I have never, for one single moment, doubted her unconditional love for me!

This is how I remember my childhood:

A little fuzzy but happy!

For your listening pleasure!