March 2010

March was spent packing and unpacking. We moved into our new house March 9th. It’s a 4 bedroom 2100 sq ft house. We fell in LOVE with it. It has a HUGE backyard that the dogs just LOVE. It was so cute seeing them run around. They have never had a yard. We have always lived in apartments since we had them. They were used to leashes and not being able to run too far. We absolutely LOVE being in a house. It’s so quiet…no pesky neighbors beside or above that we can hear through the walls.

On March 10 momma # 2 Mary Jo Montgomery was called home and lost her battle to cancer. I cannot tell you how much that woman did for me. She was at EVERY big event and most of the small events we had growing up. She never missed a play, choir, or orchestra concert. She would always bring us flowers. She was our babysitter when Mom and Dad need a date night. She helped me get ready for EVERY formal I went to in high school and always had a dozen red roses for me. She cried as much as my mom if not more when I graduated high school. Her house was “home” when my parents moved to Midland after I graduated and I would come back to Abilene to visit while in college. SHE WAS SO EXCITED I MET DAVID! She loved him. She was so honored that we asked her son Stephen to be in our wedding. (WE were honored because he said YES) It still hurts so bad. She is family as far as I’m concerned. It is no different than losing a family member.


When we got to Abilene for her funeral we were embraced by her family. We had never met her mother or sisters (they all live in Chicago). They knew exactly who we were and told us she talked about us all the time and loved us like we were her own. We knew that. Mary Jo was a PRECIOUS woman. I am so blessed to have had her in my life for 23 years. She taught me SOOO much. The one thing I learned over the few days we were with her family is that the pillow I made for her was the ONLY pillow she would use. They struggled with wanting to lay her to rest with the pillow. Her son wanted to keep it because it meant so much to his Mother. I was HONORED and touched beyond belief at how much that pillow meant to her and her family. The service was beautiful just as she was.