shoppin' mama

My sister and I were fortunate enough to go through life with an extra mother. Ms. Vickey would frequently join us on various shopping/lunching adventures giving us the extra feminine view that sometimes my mother lacked (no offense mom!!) As the Lord blessed Ms. Vickey with only boys and therefore was never able to shop for wedding stuff, she joined us on our excursions to try on and purchase our wedding dresses. She even bought each of us the tiara we wore on our wedding day. Being 'the queen' herself it was only appropriate that she give us our very own crowns!

As I sit, write, and reminisce, Ms. Vickey and her family are going through a difficult situation that is unfortunately all too familiar to some. I am not sure if I can correctly explain everything that has happened the last few weeks/months so to know specific details please visit her blog that is being updated by her sons. I can tell you that this week she was diagnosed with stomach cancer and has recently learned that it has already spread to various parts of her body. Only one person knows what the future holds for her and it's the only person you would want. Her life/illness/future is in the hands of our God! She has a faith beyond faith and has been a constant encouragement to so many throughout her life because of her trust in the Lord and His will for ALL our lives. It's no secret what we are all praying for...a complete healing that will enable her to be with us for a long time to come, however, no matter what the outcome, be assured that God will be glorified in it.

I wanted to share my personal top ten fav things about her in hopes that it will give you a glimpse of her personality and help you as you pray for her and her family!

10. Clothes, clothes, clothes...she is able to find the CUTEST stuff to wear for every situation. She's one of those people that could have just finished doing yard work yet still look perfect. (you know what I'm talking about!)

9. Little piggies...Ms. Vickey ALWAYS has her nails, both hands and feet, painted. It would always crack me up when she saw my mother's unpainted toenails and look to Jen and I in distress to do something about her piggies!

8. Back scratching...because of the great care of fingernails, she can give the best back scratches! Even if only for a second as she walks by it just hits the spot.

7. Pictures...she has everyones, and i mean everyones, pictures somewhere in her house. Either on the refrigerator, bulletin board, frame or album. I can go and find pictures of my family and other friends from 15 or 20 years ago!

6. Hostess with the Mostest...both her and my mom love hosting people, having gatherings, sharing the love. She gave plenty of showers, teas, luncheons, etc for plenty of people. Not to mention the occasional pool party!

5. Snack Cabinet!! Picture 4 children under the age of 10 stopping by before they head to Enterprise from Dothan and being told they can have anything from 4 cabinets worth of yumminess...not to mention a refrigerator always fully stocked with drinks...heaven right!

4. Poodles...Ms. Vickey has a love affair with poodle dogs which is hilarious because my dad hates them (except for hers of course).

3. Raisin Bran...ok now I know this is going to sound odd but I really like raisin bran, but hate raisins. One time when I was doggie sitting Ms. Vickey asked what I wanted for her to get me to eat and I said Raisin Bran without the raisins. She preceded to buy a box of cereal, remove EVERY raisin from it and then put it in the cabinet with a big X over the raisin part! It was amazing! Don't say I could just eat plain bran flakes because it's totally not the same, the raisins are coated in sugar crystals which gets on the cereal in the box which is why it's just way better.

2. Zebra collection...for some reason I was obsessed with Zebras when I was little. I now have a massive collection of ornaments, figurines, etc with Zebras on them courtesy of mom and Mrs. Vickey. A long time ago I had to spend the night at their house while I was visiting a friend in the hospital. On my bed was a white nightgown with a zebra head that was wearing a real pink bow!! LOVED THEM!

1. HER! marriage, faith, personality, love, friendship, everything! I am blessed to know her and blessed that she knows and loves me too!

Ms. Vickey and my mother outside of NCCF