Tribute to our Moms

I wanted to do this around Mother's day. Whew, so much has happened in the past month! Here's a quick update:

• Had an amazing experience doing a friend's engagement pictures, a friend's wedding couple pictures, and the great mentoring session.
• Our Ford explorer's transmission exploded. Did research. Not worth fixing. Traded in the Ford for a 2007 Nissan Armada. Dream boat. Out of all the dealerships, Nissan was the only one who REALLY wanted to sell a car. They changed the price, down payment, and interest for our budget. Now, that's good service!
• The garden is growing great! The tomato plants are massive, which will be my next picture post.
• A friend asked me to do a youth musical fireside in her ward. The next 4 Sundays are booked for teaching the kids my songs, great times. Binders, email reminders, writing music down, programs, sound guy, etc..

This is my tribute to the moms of Shaun and I. Emotional. They are both in the spirit world now, looking down on us. Shaun's mom had cancer, and passed away around thanksgiving of 2006. Just a little over a year later, my mom went home too. Quite the marriage bonding experience. So, we live now with their memories and their love held tightly in our hearts. Here's some sweet pictures I dug up from the garage:

This is about the only picture that I have of both moms, taken at my bridal shower back in March 2006. That's Dixie in the white, (Shaun's mom), my Mom Jeanette, in red, and Jeanette's daughter, Jacquie, in blue. (Nice hair, Jacquie:)

Here's the Hatch family at our wedding. It blows me away how Shaun looks exactly like his mom. I love it when Shaun tells me more about her. I had only a short year and a half of getting to know her. She's a wonderful woman, a loving mother, and funny. To wake Shaun up in the morning, she would turn on the vacuum, put it in his room and leave it running. I think that's hilarious.

She loved to be spontaneous. On about the 3rd week of dating Shaun, Dixie had the great idea of taking us and our little nephew down to San Diego to visit Sea World. Shaun was terrified, not knowing how I would react. I was overjoyed. Wonderful memory.

I still remember her hugging me a little after Shaun proposed, (at his home) and saying "Welcome to the family". She was the most loving mothers ever. I wish I could tell her just once more how thankful I am for her son, and how much I love him.

Its hard to understand why good people are taken home early in life. There is a quote that I've been searching for that is comforting. I heard it on a John Bytheway talk. It said something to the effect of "No righteous person is taken before their time" (If anyone knows the quote and the author, please comment! Been searching forever) That thought gives me comfort.

This is me:) This is how my Mom loved to dress me up, with her home-made hair clips.

Here is us at my wedding, Mom wearing more makeup than she normally does, but looking great. To say we were close is an understatement. She was my best friend, and we did everything together. As I went off to college and the mission in Florida, she would mail me twenty dollar bills here and there with sweet letters and cards. She always took great care of me. More recently, I would take her to every North Stake Choir Concert. She loved good music, and was a great dancer.

At the top here is one Christmas spent at my cousins. Wow, we were young, and the boys are tiny :D
She and I loved going to the dog parks here in Vegas, a weekly routine. The park ranger picture is from around 1994. We went to Hoover dam with my friend Kelli and accidentally locked the keys in our car. A ranger came to rescue us. Another great memory.

Mom, me and my cousins

at our wedding 2006

This is around 2005, when Mom and I were both living in Rexburg. I took her on a hike at Jenny Lake, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Gorgeous! She was such a trooper. The hike ended being longer than I thought, and we took a boat, crossing the lake to get back.

Mom loved the outdoors, a big time camper. She loved John Denver, 'Walker, Texas Ranger', and great old movies. Growing up, we watched many old movies. Sometimes, I see them on the Turner Classic Movies channel, and remember all the times we watched that one. When we lived in Kooskia, ID, we loved anything Indian and made dream catchers to sell at art fairs. "Dances with Wolves" was our favorite movie. There's a line that the old Indian chief would say at the end of a tribe council. He'd finish saying something important, and then say "That's all I have to say". Mom would tell me to do something, always followed with that line and a laugh:) I recently heard the "John Dunbar Theme" from that movie, and bawled like a baby. Yes, we miss our moms.

I show pictures of the grandmas to Ethan a lot. He knows them. Even though our grandmas are not here with us, I want the boys to know that they are special people and love us so much. Sometimes, I feel on my own learning this mothering stuff. I can't pick up the phone and call them, and ask how they did this years back. I am forever thankful to friends and family who keep in touch and tell me I'm being a good mom. Thank you so much for your love and kind words, especially Jacquie, who brings my boys goodies from time to time. My goal is to get more pictures of our moms on the family wall, to see them more, and keep their memories shining brightly in my heart. The things you learn from your mom stays with you forever.

I know that we will see our moms again. I know that they are in a much better place, and are doing just fine, while we are trying to continue our earthly lives without them. I know that somedays, its ok to cry. Whenever I cry missing mom, I feel the Lord's arms around me, trying to help me feel better. We are not alone. We are watched over from above. Isnt' that nice to know? That's all I have to say:)