Family, obvi.

I was going through one of my boxes yesterday before church looking for another set of checks so I could pay my tithing and stumbled across this gem of a picture:

I cried about it all morning and I'm tearing up about it again right now as I type.

You probably just laughed and thought, "Oh Jenn, always so emotional."  But let me break it down for you:

First, just look at Jamie's missing front teeth!  I feel like that's the best.  I'm pretty sure this picture was taken Christmas day in Glen's Ferry at Grandma and Grandpa Stump's house.  We always went there on Christmas day after we'd opened our presents.  Also, one of the few family videos we have of us growing up was of this day because we got a trampoline for Christmas and my dad's bff Danny came over and recorded us jumping on it.  I remember that because Jamie had the same hair and missing teeth in the video, and whinny Cole had that same cute face when he didn't want to jump on the trampoline anymore because he was cold and miserable and mom and dad just let him go back inside by himself.  True story.  That was a great Christmas!  Just like this is a great picture.  

Look at our hair?! Man, the 90's rocked.  Or maybe we rocked the 90's? either way.

I wasn't really emotional about any of those things, though.  I just looked at this picture yesterday and couldn't get over how happy my mom is. Look at her! That's what I loved the most.  Without going into detail, my mom has been through a lot in her life and even now when she feels sick she still somehow tries to always remains happy and is always the most amazing and supportive mother.  She won't say it's so, but she is.  She loves her kids more than anything in this world. She'll admit that one.  I guess I also love the way I'm holding her hand in this picture too.  I don't get the chance to do that too often anymore but I do it whenever I get to go home and visit.. usually when I'm sitting with her at church.. you know, since I'm bigger than her now and I can't sit on her lap anymore.  I cherish those moments now.

I've clearly grown up a lot since this picture but I feel like this just really shows the great bond my mom and I have.  I've been able to be by her side through a lot of sticky times and she's been right by mine through everything thing I've been through too. It can sometimes get hard like life tends to get but those are the moments we grow and benefit from the most. I'm glad I have a mom who never gives up no matter how crappy she's feeling, who loves me, and is truly my best friend.  [My best friend who found a great man to marry who gave me my two best sibling friends I could ever ask for.  Oh and a best friend whom I will forgive publicly right now for all the boy hair cuts growing up.  hahaha But really.] 

I'm just grateful for happy times  and little moments like stumbling across this picture that help remind me how blessed I really am.  Oh and the whole Columbia, MD mall shooting that happened this Saturday leaving 3 people dead?!.. Yeah, Jamie, Mason and Regan were at the mall when it happened.  Luckily, they were on the other side of the mall, didn't have to hear the gun shots, and made it out safe.  Moments like that I take in a deep breath (maybe tear up a little) and think: We're lucky. 

I have a great family and a great life.