bffs

This post is dedicated to Rebecca Suzanne Koop Rackley.

Bec and I have been best friends our entire lives. Like, quite literally our entire lives. Our moms worked at the same hospital, we were in diapers together, Daisy Girl Scouts together, elementary school, middle school, high school, and in 2009, I was a bridesmaid in her wedding.

We’ve been through everything together. Through thick and thin… and let me tell you, there’s been a whole lot of thick. Or is it thin that’s the bad stuff? You know what I mean. Other people have come and gone, but Bec has always been there. We can (and often do) go a few months without talking on the phone, but it’s not for any bad reason… we are just busy, but we both know that the moment we pick up the phone and call each other, we’re right back where we left off. My friendship with Bec is one that will last a lifetime.

We’re different in a lot of ways. She’s so adventurous, outdoorsy, and beautiful. I, too, love being outside, I am just not a fan of bugs, or darkness, or things that might eat me… and I’m rather awkward. She snowboards. I can make a snowball. She rides an ATV and mountain bikes, I have a 1970-something flippin’ sweet Huffy with a flat tire that has sat on my porch for a minute. But none of that matters. We both laugh a whole lot, we love life, and we love each other.

When my mom got sick, Bec was there. When my grandfather died, Bec was there. When my mom’s family turned their back on us, Bec was there. When my mom was going through treatment after treatment, Bec was there. When boyfriends came and went, Bec was there. And when my mom died, Bec was there. Not only was Bec there, but so was her little brother (and by little brother, I mean the giant man that just graduated from college) Nick, and her mom Suzi. They have always made me feel like I’m a part of their family. And, of course, I’ve been there for Bec.

I say all of this because last Spring, Bec and her new awesome hubby Charlie, moved to Colorado. SO FAR AWAY. But she’s “in town” this weekend! And by “in town” – I mean she’s on the same coast. So this afternoon, I’m driving four hours to the Outer Banks for the day to see my Best Friend. I haven’t seen her in over a year, but I know it will be just like it was when she left.

I am so incredibly grateful, thankful, and blessed for my best friend. I can’t wait till we’re like, 95 years old and still listening to mix CD’s we made in the 5th grade, and reading our journal we shared, and calling each other Pheby and Buckaroo, and saying things in weird voices, and quoting “Airplane” because we’ve seen it over 10,000 times at that point.

Think about the person in your life that’s always been there, and tell them how much you love them.

Sleepover in 7th grade. Oh, the horrors of our awkwardness.

Our High School Senior Prom

Toby Keith Concert in High School

College

Bec's Wedding - October 2009

All for now.

I take a lot of pictures. For example, currently on Facebook I have 161 ALBUMS. Each album has at least 60 pictures, but most of my albums are nearing the 200 limit. And, in addition, there are over 2,600 pictures tagged of me. This is not a brag fest. I have a point…

Sometimes people will make comments about the fact that I have too many pictures, or so many pictures, or “holy-crap-you-have-a-sh*t-ton-of-pictures.” People will comment that I should just sit back and relax instead of trying to document whatever event I’m experiencing through pictures.

my mom after she bought the house i grew up in

I say no.

Not only do I just love the art of photography and the whole notion of “pictures really CAN be worth 1000 words,” I take pictures now because prior to the age of 17, I didn’t really take very many. And it’s getting hard to remember.

[I'm about to get just a wee personal.]

Most of you reading this know that my mom died when I was 17. I was a senior in high school, she was 55 years old. Yesterday I spent close to 3 hours going through old photo albums that I found trying to remember. The fact is, although this was 8 years ago, there’s a part of me that feels like I’m starting to forget things… the little things. Sure, I remember big events, overarching themes, and large characteristics of her, but I’m forgetting her laugh and her smile, and the little times spent together.

I have very few regrets in life. In fact, I don’t really believe in “regrets” – I believe in “things not done.” The one thing I could possibly classify as a regret would be this: In all of my pictures from age BIRTH to 17, I have very, very, VERY few photos of my mom and me in my teenage years. Such a simple thing, yet I never captured any of those moments. What I would do for a picture of my mom and me the night we went to the N*SYNC concert and she crimped her hair and wore pleather pants. Sure the pictures are “in my head,” but for me, it isn’t the same.

Today is my mom’s birthday. She would have been 63. She loved Diet Coke in a giant 44oz. jug (like mother like daughter), sugar free Dole Popsicles,  Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, and chocolate cake. Oh, she also loved those fruit and yogurt parfaits from McDonalds. I can’t tell you how many times I had to go get her one of those at like 3AM because she needed it right then and there.

She also loved pictures. She never wanted to forget anything. She remembered everything. And well, like mother like daughter, I want to remember everything. So I’m going to keep taking a ton of pictures.

my mom and i Christmas 1999. and yes, i loved that sweater.

So, in honor of the “coolest mom who ever lived’s” birthday, I finally scanned some of the greats.

It’s okay to miss those we have loved and lost – as long as we remember.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Word.