Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Today would have been my parents’ 43^rd wedding anniversary. May 6^th always started the present-palooza for my mother.  She made it clear that she didn't want just one present for her anniversary, birthday and mother’s day.  No.  She demanded a separate present for each occasion.

I never really saw my parents as a romantic couple.  Mostly because, eww. Gross.  They’re my parents.  That and they weren't overly mushy. They did spend a lot of time together and had shared interests like flea markets, garage sales and auctions.  They enjoyed going antiquing for fishing paraphernalia.

My mother never left my father’s side when he was dying. They didn’t need to be overly affectionate for me to know that they were in love. She had no intention of remarrying after he passed away.  He was the one man for her. He said he liked her because she wasn’t like any other woman he had ever met.  She was truly a one of a kind.

Sick

I'm sick. 

The sickest I have been since I was in rehab in 2011 and a terrible bug was making its way through the Manor. I am not pukng my guts out, but my head feels like it's going to explode due to the congestion. I also have a double ear infection. I caught Sandra's illness that had her out for most of last week. I missed two days of work. Then went back for a day. Today I was there for 30 minutes before I couldn't take the ear pain anymore and made an immediate care appointment at the place just off campus. After picking up the drugs at the pharmacy I went home to put a hot water bottle on my right ear to try and soothe the pain. It worked well enough for me to be able to sleep for a few hours. 

I always want my mommy when I'm sick and the past 11 years have been so hard without my mommy. 

The first time I went to the hospital for a MS relapse, I just wanted her with me. I was scared because they didn't have any answers right away. Although a stroke was in the table as a possible diagnosis, I had a feeling it wasn't that. I had seen the symptoms before. Numbness. Weakness. Dizziness. Fatigue. My mother battled those on a daily basis. I knew it was MS. I could handle that because I watched my strong, amazing mother handle it. I wouldn't say she handled it with grace. That wasn't the type of person she was. She handled it with strength and humor. 

Most people would want their mommy to hold them and snuggle them. My mommy would have done that if I were say, five years old. I'm a grown woman though. She probably would have told me to suck it up and quit whining. Then she'd take me to get a hot fudge cake and diet coke. 

Unless this was like the last time I remember her taking care of me when I was sick. I was home from college for winter break. I had lunch with my mommy at one of our go to spots, the Cooker by the Dayton Mall. I had a salad with ranch dressing. Rancid ranch dressing. The genius that I am, I kept tasting it to see if it was in fact rancid. It most definitely was. (I don't know why we went there so much. We were always sending good back for some reason or another. Maybe that's why they closed down.)

Thanks to food poisoning, stuff was coming out of...wells, I spare you the details. 

Just like when I was a kid, I got to stay in my parents' bedroom because it was closest to the bathroom and easier for my mom to keep an eye on me. She brought me water to keep me hydrated and tried to get me to eat even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. It didn't matter that I was 20 years old. My mommy took care of me. 

Mama Memories – Diet Coke and Hot Fudge Cakes

Since the Corvallis, OR MS Walk is on what would have been my mother’s 67th birthday, I am going to celebrate her this year.

Leading up to the event I am going to do my best to share a memory of her.  I am craving a soda right now, so I am reminded of my mother and her love of Diet Coke.

She was a fan of the diet coke, as well as hot fudge cakes from Frisch’s Big Boy. She would often go through the drive through of the Frisch’s on old Route 4 in Middleton and order a Hot Fudge Cake with a Diet Coke. She knew the two didn’t really make sense served together, but she didn’t care. That’s what she wanted. There were several occasions where I would join her and get a HFC myself, but pass on the Diet Coke.  I would always give her my maraschino cherry since I wasn’t the biggest of fans.  (Sorry Oregon State.)

Having read an article about Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis, she stopped drinking her Diet Coke. That theory that Aspartame causes MS has since been disproven.

The next time I am in Ohio, I will go to Frisch’s for a Hot Fudge Sundae and a Diet Coke. I’ll leave the maraschino cherry for my mom.

Hot Fudge Cake