number 80

today, my sweet lil' nanny turned 80. can you imagine, 80 years: lived in 3 different states, married to her best friend for 43 years, mother of 2 children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren all the while keeping the same phone number for almost 50 of those years. my nanny. i have some of my best childhood memories with her... going to the library in the summer, the grocery store on thursday and the beauty parlor on fridays. i probably know every short cut in haltom city and fort worth, because she never drove on the highway. i'll never forget her telling me that "boys like girls who curl their hair and wear make-up".. i lovingly told her that's why i don't. (i had recently broke up with "the stalker" for the... 2nd or 3rd time).

but i love her! i can still smell her pot roast on a sunday afternoon after church, her popcorn balls for halloween, and poppy's coffee cooking on the stove. and i love the way that she always left the light on in the bathroom. i remember being little and her waking me up to watch princess diana get married. her showing me who to jitterbug to old elvis records and sewing my first skirt that i wore everywhere proudly. i was her "pride and joy" and love it that she still calls me that today.

i could rattle on and on about my nanny.. i could honestly write a book about her. so here's one of my favorite photos of us. yes, it's our shoes but we were crossing our feet exactly the same. that's just one of the many things that her and i do alike. and i love that about us.