Tag: family

feelings

trick or TREAT

abby mumford

given the fact that every single tooth in my mouth is a sweet tooth, i’m partial to the whole TREAT aspect of halloween.

i don’t care much for tricks.

so, with that in mind, here are a couple of treats from me to you. (well, specifically, they’re from my sister/BIL and brother/SIL to me, but i’m passing along the cuteness.)

may i present you with the ladybug…

and her cousins in the form of luigi, the TV with Super Mario Bros game on it, and mario.

and while i’m doling out the treats, here’s another one.

and the last one…this one courtesy of one carrie harris.

feelings

mama dearest

abby mumford

today is my mom’s birthday.

she is cruising around alaska with my dad and a bunch of other couples, so since i can’t talk to her directly on her big day, i got to thinking about what i would have said to her had we been in the same state at the same dinner table raising our wine glasses in a toast to the lady that raised our family so successfully.

first, i would have sang to her. incredibly pitchy and off-key and horrible sounding. but with the best intentions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOM.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

then, i would have apologized.

after that, i would have told her thank you. thanks for being there on days when i needed her. thanks for being there on days when i all i wanted to be was alone. thanks for not being there so i was forced to learn and grow on my own. thanks for pushing me to be better. thanks for allowing me to fail. thanks for putting up with my teenage anger. thanks for being my role model. thanks for laughing with me. thanks for yelling at me. thanks for her respect. thanks for listening to my opinion. thanks for asking for it. thanks for knowing when to call, when to write, when to visit. thanks for opening her wallet. thanks for supporting my dreams. thanks for letting me sleep in. thanks for cooking even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. thanks for being my drinking buddy (once i turned 21). thanks for her understanding. thanks for her intelligence. thanks for passing along her blonde hair and blue eyes. thanks for teaching me how to read. thanks for complimenting me. thanks for sticking around. thanks for putting up with me. thanks for loving me always even if she didn’t always like me at the moment. thanks for teaching me. thanks for learning with me. thanks for being in my corner. thanks for making me roll my eyes at her. thanks for making me want to hug her. thanks for encouraging my individuality with words in a family of numbers. thanks for making me go it on my own. thanks for letting me come home. thanks for being proud of me and informing me of such. thanks for being my friend. thanks for being my mom.

then, i’d go into the kitchen and do the dishes because no birthday girl is supposed to do that.

happy day, mom. cheers to a fabulous year and the start of an even better one.

feelings

happy blogiversary, self

abby mumford

it’s been a FULL year since i transformed my OLD to a live blog with real readers (you, and you, and you, thank you!) and grown up thoughts and immature ramblings. what a ride it’s been. thanks for listening and commenting and reading. cheers to another year of writing deadlines and whimsical musings and wondering how to get more of you to speak up. cause i heart you, readers, talk to me.

hey, what’s an anniversary without presents?

boring.

i got permission from his parents…and so, without further ado (dear readers), my present to you, live on-stage, performing for the first time as a solo artist (with a little help off-screen from his older brother):

LIAM AND HIS AIR GUITAR.

but first, turn on your speakers. ok, GO.

p.s. sorry about the quality. it’s from my sis-in-law’s phone to my phone to my email to youtube. i’m not so sure this little video was supposed to traverse the interwebs. but how could i not share this guy with you?

p.p.s. thanks to brother G for all the tech help. i couldn’t have done it without your help. on many levels.

general

graduation, family reunion, wedding: a photo essay.

abby mumford

let’s rewind a bit, shall we? the week of june 21-27 was a whirlwind. first, there was the family reunion in NJ. we reunined (fun, new word!) because sister E was graduating from high school. and if that’s not a reason to get together and CELEBRATE…well, it is a perfectly good reason. so that’s what we did.

the FAMILY REUNION. where kids and toys and games and parents and grandparents and and great grandparents and aunts and uncles and siblings and cousins were in every nook and cranny.

the cousins, who now live on opposite coasts were introduced.

the girls were excited to meet.

the boys, not so much.

once kids are introduced into the mix, it’s so fun to compare traits. genetics and personality. some of us have the same toes. some have similar color eyes. some have their dad’s nose, their mom’s  smile and the sweat glands of their aunt. some are shy like their dad. some are studious like their uncle. some are tall like this side of the family. some are stocky like that side of the family. some are still waiting to develop.  but you can’t deny the family resemblance here. it is uncanny. which one’s the graduate? which one’s the aunt? which one’s the niece?

then came the GRADUATION. which was as hot and stuffy and as full of cliched speeches as you might imagine. but we attend because we’re there to applaud sister E’s efforts over the past 4 years. her efforts in learning, in living, in playing, in growing. she’s finished one chapter and it’s immediately time for a new one to begin. a chapter that is slightly scary and exciting and full of independence. so we gather now to let her know we’re here. always here. supporting. and doing the things families do best. loving. so, here’s the graduate herself. looking all spiffed up and ready for college. or perhaps, more celebrating.

speaking of MORE celebrating, i had just that in store for me at the end of the week. this time, it was friends (and their families) gathering to cheer for the culmination of a love affair. you might recall my adventures in white washing a barn? well, it was time for that barn to take center stage at lauren and  nate’s wedding. but more importantly, it was time for LOVE to put on its cap and gown and stand up on stage and accept its diploma of marriage. congrats, you two!

general

fathers and daughters

abby mumford

i have a father who is very patient. i mean, he waited through the terrible teenage years. he endured the raging hormones. he waded through the arguments about math. he bore the whims, whispers, and wisecracks of his third borne. he understood our brains worked on different levels but he never thought i wouldn’t succeed. he didn’t take it personally when i signed up with a tutor. when i decided to go to college far away from home.

sometimes, the best thing a father can do is let his daughter go.

he welcomed the lack of raised voices and tears and tension. he embraced the solitude. because he knew he had taught me how to be independent. while living under their roof. while away at college. he knew he’d be able to fund my reality. my dreams. he knew how to fuel my appetite for life. he knew he gave me what i needed to fly.

sometimes, the best thing a daughter can do is return home.

with gratitude, grace, acceptance, and clear eyes to see the value he brings to her life.

thank you, dad.