Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Mimi

I meant to have this ready for
October 12th- Your real birthday.
But we were traveling..
So..better late than never!
Happy Belated Birthday

We weren't much at picture taking back then.
We had a Polaroid camera..
everyone did..
we were no exception..
Took quick pictures..
But they were BAD..
And film was expensive
and we were oh-so-poor
when you were tiny.

Here you are-
with your Godmother..
newly born and being baptised.Your sister, TPot, thought you
were her own personal pet.
And you were so good-natured
that you let her pat you
whenever she felt like it.
You were her best audience..
Always a step behind her
because you were only
a year younger.
You seldom had the bathtub
all to yourself.
You usually had a bath with
your sister and sometimes
your baby brother.
However, you were a
water baby from the get-go.You loved your birthday parties
at Happy Joe's Pizza Place
and rode the carousel whether
it was turning or not..
and would stay on
until we took you off.
And, again, as usual..
a group picture with sissy
and MamasBoy...
who always stole the show.And Oh! How you loved
being a bride.
I lost count of how many Halloweens
that you dressed as a bride.YOU were always a bride
and your brother was ALWAYS
a rabbit.You had a pet named Sugar..
who had the worst dog breath
God ever gave a dog..
But you loved her anyway.And, then, one day I turned around
and you were a young woman.
A young woman with a passion for singing
and a passion for the Lord.
You made a missions trip to China..
and saw a different side of life..
and came home
older and wiser.You loved horseback riding..
and rode whenever you could.And were beautiful for your high school prom..
where you wore a dress
that looked a lot like
a bridal gown..
and gave us a hint
of how beautiful you would be
as a real bride someday.

And your hair...Oh! Your hair..

Complete strangers would come up to
you and ask you where you got
your perm..
Your answer was always the same.
From God.
When you were real little
you would toss those curls and say,
in your sweet, sing-songy little voice,
There are two kinds of people in the
world...those that have curly red hair..
and those that wish they did.
One time when you were about five
you told someone who
asked you where you got that red hair,
"I was running through Hell and my hair caught fire!"
We were mortified..and of course..
made the mistake of scolding you..
so that became your
Trademark Statement.
"I was running through Hell and my hair caught fire!"

You were our naughty mouth..
our door slammer...
our wall kicker..
but you also gave us the
least amount of trouble
as a teenager.
You were SUCH a good girl..
The girl that all the Aunts & Uncles loved.

You graduated high school..
left home for school..
came home..
and one day...one day...one day..
You were 21!
How could that be possible?
Your older brother got married
and gave you a niece..
who shares the same middle name...
Rose You ran the company business with your Dad
and bought him out..
and then...one day..
a man from the
Florida Keys
came along and swept you off your feet.
And, finally, you didn't need to
dress as a bride for Halloween anymore..
No indeedy..
You could dress as a bride for your wedding..
which was held outdoors..
and your Dad married you..
It was a dream wedding..
It was magical..But the magic didn't stop there.
Your magic continues..
Because 3 years later..
you were blessed
with this little
darling.
The best Birthday present
anyone could ever wish for.Happy Belated Birthday-Mimi...
You did good, honey...you did good!
your photo name

18 comments:

Tete said...

What a tribute to an awesome rugrat! She is adorable in all that red curly hair! She did good, but so did you, momma.
Hugs and Happy Belated Birthday to Mimi- Tete

Diana Ferguson said...

Happy Birthday to Mimi!! Loved all the pics.

Pam Kessler said...

Happy belated birthday Mimi! And I want your hair!!! Even if you had to run through Hell to get it.

Vanessa said...

Happy Birthday to your Mimi! What a loving post and oh my goodness she sounds like she might be as much of a character as you are with the same wicked sense of humor! :-)
Vanessa
P.S. I would say you "did good" too raising such wonderful children!

Donna said...

Great photos! Love the running thru Hell bit! Sounds like she inherited your spunky humor!!

Janean said...

no fair!!!! you made me CRY! sheesh.

the cutest thing i ever heard *i ran through hell and my hair caught on fire* LOL.

happy belated birthday, mimi!

Anonymous said...

Mimi, you are just beautiful, and I hope your birthday was a very special day. And, at least you didn't tell them what I did, when people asked where I got my red hair. "From the Milkman" was my response. And we didn't even have a milkman!
Anonymouse

Julie Harward said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful daughter with me..she is so lovely! I have a daughter with red hair too and she was always getting asked..where did you get that red hair? So I wrote her a poem about it! :D

Anonymous said...

sniff...sniff..

Happy Birthday Mimi :)

Simple Daisy said...

Awww...that's so sweet!!
Happy Birthday to your sweet girl:)

Gabriele Agustini said...

What a gorgeous young woman!! Happy Birthday from me too!!
Love the hair!!

Happy almost Halloween, my friend!

Hugs,
gabriele

AnonyaMouse said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leo said...

Very sweet. I love this post. And so nice her husband is from The Keys. And your grandchild - you've been holding out on this one....!! The face of an angel for sure.

maddie/cadesmimi said...

Another sweet (and funny) post! I have a lot of those stupid polaroid pictures, too--darn things! Loved the quote "I ran through hell and my hair caught on fire." LOL She has your sense of humor, Diana!

Debbie~ said...

Yeppers, you made me CRY too! Thanks so much for sharing your sweet daughter with us!!! Happy Birthday Mimi! Big Hugs, Debbie @ Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

Lindy said...

I can't believe someone so funny, who is always making me laugh, just make me cry. Shame on you!

Bella's Rose Cottage said...

Hi Diana.... OMG I laughed so hard... I ran through hell and my hair caught on fire!! I wonder where she gets such wit? your little apple didn't fall far from the tree:-))) Happy birthday to you Mimi, you and your hair are darling!!
Bella

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Beautiful Diana, just beautiful!

Happy Birthday Mimi!!