Pinky is Friday's Fun Fearless Female

For those of you who don't know, Pinky is our nickname for my mom. It developed because she used to wear these ridiculous pink curlers which my dad called her "Pinkies."

Pinky's birthday is tomorrow and both me and my sister are going to be out of town, which I feel terrible about. But Pinky is the first to assure us it's okay, to go and have fun. She always puts others first and seems to truly draw happiness from seeing those around her happy.

Pinky is my hero. Whenever anything good happens, she is the first person I want to call. She is all the first person I want to talk to whenever anything bad happens. I know she will know the solution to the problem and will help me to feel better.

As I grow older, I find myself wondering how my parents seemed so confident. I never once doubted that they knew exactly what to do in every situation and that they would do anything to protect us from harm. Throughout all the rough times, the sickness, the fighting and hair-brush throwing, Pinky always seemed to know what to do with me and my sister.

Pinky has always done the right thing. I remember as a very small child, my mom took us to the mall. This was back in the day when the only malls around were Highland and one other which I can't remember the name of (it was in the building that now houses the Garden Ridge in Round Rock). Well, Pinky took me and Meredith to Highland, because she knew we loved the bubble gum ice cream with the actual gumballs in it as well as the tux-wearing pianist in the food court. Walking through the mall we ran into an older woman in a wheelchair who was confused and couldn't find her family. My mom stayed with her, pushed her wheelchair, and helped her find her family, all while dealing with her two whiny daughters whose only focus was gumball ice cream. But that moment has stayed with me and it taught me a lesson which can only be taught by example. She taught us to be kind to others.

My mom is a kind person who honestly cares about people around her and really listens when you tell her something. She doesn't just ask "How are you?" because it is customary, she asks because she really wants to know.

My mom has taught me so much it is impossible to even summarize it all.

But off the top of my head, here's a list of just a few of the things she taught me:

to love life

to love music

to love poetry

to love to read

to love to travel

to love to plan

to love my family

and a few other life lessons:

Pinky taught me by example how to be a good wife.

She taught me how to cook a few of her best recipes and she also encouraged me to just get in the kitchen and try.

She taught me that even if you don't like to clean, it has to be done, so just do it (she also taught me how to clean).

She taught me how to deal with the paperwork/insurance/taxes/customer service representatives in life.

But one of the best things about Pinky is that she is always there to catch me when I fall or when I need help remembering how long to cook Chicken and Rice or what to do in section 42e of my taxes.

On a final note, what I'm most grateful to Pinky for is her spirit and enthusiasm. I hope that she has passed a little of that down to me. From an early age, I remember getting so excited about little things, because my mom would make them so special. She taught me to take pleasure in simple things. Whether it was planning a party or trying to find a treasure that a radio station had hid, she always made it feel like an adventure. Most importantly she made me and Meredith feel involved and important.

One afternoon, after the rain had cleared, my mom took me on a drive in her Navy Buick LeSabre to try and find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I can only hope to one day be a mom, and if my kids are lucky, maybe I will be half as good at it as Pinky is.
But even if I'm not, I know they will be okay, because they can always go to Pinky's house and see how a pro does it.
Happy Birthday Pinky and Congrats on being Friday's Fun Fearless Female!

Love,

Elle Bunny