my best girlfriend

my niece is an amazing person.

she was born on my 6th birthday & i've been crazy about her ever since.

she has been there for me through rain & shine - many times being the solid rock that kept me stable. i can remember playing dress-up & school :) with her when we were little, coaching her summer league basketball team when she was in junior high, and seeing her walk across the stage at her high school & college graduations. she stood beside me as my maid-of-honor & was the first to offer encouragement when things didn't go the way they should. she was there for me when i mourned the death of my marriage & again when i mourned the death of a friend -

through the years, i've watched her become a beautiful, strong, independent, faithful, intelligent person with a heart as big as the ocean. her love knows no end.

she was right outside my hospital room the day jett was born. and she has loved him deeply from the moment they met.

what a lucky boy to have such a loving 'niecey'-
what a lucky aunt to have her for a best friend.

today jett is 3 months, 1 week & 5 days-
and in 3 months, 1 week & 6 days my niece will walk down the aisle to the man of her dreams.

i know how quickly the time with jett has gone, and i know it will only be a short while until my dear friend marries & moves away.

i will miss her severely.
and i know jett will too-

i pray we both 'soak' up the moments we have left to spend with her.
and i pray she knows she is precious to our souls.

'photos' in my mind

i have been a 'photographer' for a while now. i happen to think i'm one of the best. but, you won't find my work in a studio - or on the front page of a newspaper. you won't even see it in a photo album in my home. the pictures i'm most proud of are taken with my mind - and stored away in my heart. i've collected these 'shots' for years. when i'm alone on a run, or mindlessly folding clothes, i thumb through these 'albums'. this is what i see-

a bright yellow school bus in the distance on a long dirt road, a blue 'precious moments' sachel with my book order completed, & a 'care bears' metal lunch box - the long ago days of kindergarten :)

a strawberry shortcake purse with a long red strap & a brand new beautiful niecey ( & wondering why my sister couldn't leave her hospital bed) to celebrate my 6th birthday

my dad's wet eyes at my granddad's funeral - & again the day my grandmother died -

a white spray plane landing on that same long dirt road - my brother walking toward the house -

a yellow (much faster) airplane turning into the sunrise & lining up for another pass through the corn field -

my first 3-point shot as a starter in the kenneth cleveland gymnasium -

my mom, dad & sister driving off - leaving me 900 miles away from home at college -

my dad stepping out of my uncle's airplane to pick me up at san marcos- man was i glad to see him - :)

the runway numbers as i turned 'final' on my first solo flight -

the finish line banner blowing in the wind at oklahoma city -

my niecey sitting on the front porch of fannin waiting to get snow cones -

my husband's face in the warm sun as he said his vows & held my hands on the beach at st. john -

j holding jett minutes after he came into this world- jett seeing his dad for the first time -

my sister looking away from my son with tears in her eyes to tell me 'he's perfect' -

looking into jett's eyes after his surgery and seeing a boy with amazing strength-

and my latest - just today - jett taking a break from feeding to softly smile and whisper 'ah gu' -

the 'pages' of my albums are worn, no doubt, i look at them often. and the contents are more precious than words.
i pray i never lose my memory of certain days gone by - & i pray i get to take them with me when i go.

3 months old today