My parents were CUTE!

June 8, 1957

O.M.Gee...aren't they cute?!?! Their marriage lasted 53 years and in that time they raised three children (both of my brothers were natural, I was adopted at birth - they were foster parents and Mom said it was too hard to give the babies back...I assume my adoption was all legal like and everything!), who went on to raise their own babies. Well, except for me, but furbabies count too!

Mom still has the dress, and I remember looking at it years ago (it's a Ballerina cut, mid-calf length and still gorgeous) and cursing how tiny my Mom was. I could not get the waist around one of my thighs!!!! Probably still can't.

I cannot pull off hats...I would not have done well in the 50's it seems. Getting ready to head out for the honeymoon. I think they drove to Vancouver, but I also seem to remember Dad saying the car broke down, it was pouring rain and basically the trip was a comedy of errors. Still managed to hold on to each other all those years, through thick and thin and sickness and health.

Who knew my parents were "hip"?? And again...could my mother be thinner?!? Wowsers!

I was searching for some documents for the funeral home and came across the big suitcase of photos and such. I will have to go back, with Rubbermaid totes in hand, and sort through the stuff and make certain it is all packaged with care. And I will try to get Mom to remember at least some of the faces in the photos, before it's too late. As an adopted person, I admit that I don't feel the "hole in the heart", "who's my family?", blah, blah rhetoric that many aspire to. I know who my family is, and that is that. But as a member of a very small, rather disjointed clan, I would love to be able to trace a tree or at least know who some of the people of my youth were. For example, I always thought Mom's father passed from tuberculosis in the war, but some paperwork I came across today seemed to indicate it was mustard gas poisoning. This kind of history intrigues me and now I want to know more. It will definitely be a weekend(s) project - probably wait till after Toronto, so that I can head down and settle in for the day(s) without worrying about a run or training.

Didn't do much today, but did decide that I will return to work on Monday. Have some bank appointments tomorrow and am starting to get all the paperwork flowing in from everywhere. But this is right up my alley...reminiscent of my banking days, although things have changed (for the better). I did walk down for Weight Watchers, and it felt good just to go outside and move the legs, even if it was all of 8C out there. At least the rain had stopped by this time. The meeting was about getting back on track, and that's what I'm feeling right now. Get back on track. See the light at the end of the tunnel, and pray that it's not another train! I didn't gain or lose this week, which is a bit of a pleasant surprise, given the week I've had. After all, until H-woman took me for dinner Monday, I had forgotten to eat. That does not make for a healthy Carol.

Mom has received some of the most beautiful floral arrangements this week, including one from their financial advisor that had lilies in it the size of dinner plates. Ironic that such beauty has to come at such a sad time, and just reminded me that I want to start "gifting" myself flowers, at least once a month. Nothing big, maybe even just a single bloom, but why wait for something bad to happen before enjoying something so lovely? I do have to keep a close eye on the arrangement that I received, as it has some grasses and such that both children were eye-balling quite closely. I do put the vase back into the box every night, to aid in keeping it "pull down free", but so far we've survived okay. It's a horrible sound to wake up to (trust me...I've heard it before!) and you're stuck cleaning up water, broken glass and flowers at 3am, with an innocent faced cat looking at you with the expression of "What?? I was just smelling them..." It's a good thing they're cute!

Think that's it for me.

Later,