Miss you Mom...

Sept 10, 2001 (yes, the day before the terrorist attacks) my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
Sept 10, 2002 (one year to the day later) my Mom lost that hard-fought battle.

Here we are 6 years later... Since that date I have: graduated from college, gotten married, had 2 kids (Tuck's middle name, McKean, is the same as mine and is my Mom's maiden name) and lived in 2 different states, many miles from family. We've missed you terribly throughout all this but find comfort in our testimonies of the Lord's gospel. Thank you for your great faith and wonderful example. At your funeral it was said a few times that you wanted to give everyone with whom you came in contact a positive self-image and fun memories. Thank you for both.

There are signs of you everywhere we turn: Finley's resemblance to you in that childhood picture with Aunt Karen below, the "whimzical" furniture that decorates our house, when we lived in CA we constantly passed the "Blue Lagoon" in Laguna Beach where we vacationed as a family and where you had your last vacation with Dad, running into your childhood friends who now live in OR. Your bigger-than-life personality continues to impact our lives today. We miss not being able to pick up the phone and talk or have our kids get squished by one of Grandma Dixie's bear hugs but I do hope that your influence on me will be passed on to them. We butted heads back when I was a teenager but you stuck with me though I probably didn't deserve it... actually, I'm pretty sure I deserved a swift kick in butt. Thank you for believing in me and seeing through the ridiculous teenage attitude. I love you Mom and miss you.