Snapshots of My Mom

   Meet my Mom, Cheri.  I have always been close to my mom.  Since becoming a mom I have a whole new appreciation for mine.  So I want to let everyone know about mine. 
   Cheri was born in Mountain Lake, MN.   Fourth child in a family of 10 kids!  She has a ton of fun stories which we are encouraging her to write down.  When she was just 3 years old she was trying to cross the street with her older sisters & brother.  They ran across & told her to stay back because she was too little.  She thought, "Well if they can make it, I can make it!"  She looked at the car & looked across the street & ran for it.   The car hit her!  Right over her hips & stomache, think of how big cars were back then!  She spent months on the couch of her livingroom & made a full recorvery, God had plans for her life!

Here she is, hair & all.  This is her with her family. 

She is front & center with the big hair.  It's cute mom!

   Growing up she moved around to a few small towns in Minnesota.  She went to High School in Randall, MN & then went off to the big city of Minneapolis, to live with some girlfriends, while working at Sears & a nursing assistant at a doctor's office.  She had a long relationship with her roommates brother until my dad came along & stole her heart.  (He was an army man himself).  So the other guy got a "Dear John" letter & my dad got her heart.  It is actually kind of confusing, my dad's sister & my mom's brother got married.  My mom was babysitting their kids.  My dad ened up giving her a ride home, they stopped for a White Castle on Lake Street & the rest is history!

They were married in May 17th, 1969.

Bought a home & started a family.

This is the day they brought me home from the hospital.  Back then they had to stay 4 days!  They had 3 girls, Katie, Libbie & Rachael.

   I have sooo many memories of her taking care of us girls.  She stayed home until we were all in Jr. High & then got at job at Northwest Airlines.  She got great airline deals & often traveled with us girls alone.  We would go to NY for a weekend to see a play or go Christmas shopping.  My favorite memory is when she took us all to Boston.  There we were on a trolley ride that gave you a historical view of Boston.  Then they pointed a ways off & said, "& there is the Old North Church."  She asked if the trolley would get any closer, when they said no she said, "Then we iwll be getting off here"  She got off.  Katie, Rachael & I didn't move.  She turnewd around & called to us.  we looked at each other & shook our heads no.  We were not budging.  She told us to get off again, we sat there & shook our little heads.  I can't remeber how long it took, but we got off.  As she always did, she won. We walked up the hill & saw the Old North Church.  It is fun to look back now but I am often haunted by that with my own daughter.

   She always was doing fun things with us.  She sat through countless, soccer, softball, & basketball games, trackmeets, & tennis matches, figure skating lessons, swimming lessons, Christmas concerts & piano recitals.  She got us involved at the local arts center.  She taught us how to entertain & cook.  She taught us compassion & giving.  She taught us to live for Jesus Christ. 
   Prom dress shopping, first dates, wedding planning, the births of all our children...all of lifes big moments, she was a part of them.  She was the mom we all strive to be now.

We are still best friends & we still travel together & hang-out.  We even have a standing Friday Night date with my parents.  On Sundays & Wednesdays she cooks dinner for the whole family.  And I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't talk to her.

4 Generations

Elseda, Cheri, Libbie, Annie

   And now she is usually holding a Grandbaby or two as she helps us raise our families.  She has 10 grandkids who visit her close to everyday.  Weekends usually mean somebody is sleeping at Nanna's.  I know she enjoys watching us girls raise our families all in our own very different ways.

   She still has a ton of fun traveling with my dad & her friends, going to the theater, quilting, volunteering at church, working with ESL students, and much much more.  I often get crazy phone calls like, "Let's run down to the Republican National Convention." at 10pm.  Anything fun that comes to town...she does it.  She even jets skis & goes 4 wheeling!  She gives our kids experiences they would never have other wise.

   She organizes & plays the piano for our Christmas Eve Nativity.  She even learned how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the violin in a week for this years Family Talent Show!

   I often think of the Country song  line.  "All because two people fell in love."  It is amazing how her life has shaped all these lives (plus 2 more who have been born since).

This doesn't even scratch the surface...but you can't know me...if you don't know her.  Thanks mom!