Promise-ary Note: Promise #5 Complete

This week the promise was about my mother, Vicki.  I committed myself to spending some quality time with her and I'm glad that I did.  It's easy for me to get wrapped up with the routines of work, family, personal projects, etc.  Because I have so much motivation in so many directions, I oftentimes sacrifice personal time with family and friends in order to accomplish things on my own agenda.  It's a "bad" habit in some ways, and that is why I made sure to include promises that brought me in touch with my family members.  You guys are coming soon, Kevin, Kerry, and Dad.

When I drew the promise, I knew I needed to schedule the time right away.  My mom can be busy with her volunteer work and things, so I wanted to make sure our schedules matched.  Low and behold, we found Monday day.  As the days passed, I wondered about what we should do with our time together.

What would my mom want to do?  How would she want to spend the day?

That's when it occurred to me that it didn't really matter as long as we could talk all day long and we just kept a little busy.   The perfect plan began to reveal itself to me.  The day would start with a walk.  My mom likes to keep moving and a walk along the logging road was perfect for us to simply catch up.

Photo courtesy of the City of Canby

 I got so caught up in the walk, I forgot to take pictures.  It wasn't that we necessarily talked about anything important, although we did talk about Shea, the family, and things that matter, but it was in a way that was casual, relaxed, without deadline or urgency.  We simply strolled.


After catching a bit of exercise, it was time for a bite to eat.  The Place To Be Cafe was calling our name.  Mom and I settled down to some hot coffee and an awesome piece of sausage quiche.  The conversation raged on as we ate.

With our bellies full, the time had come to head into Portland.  It's easy to hang in Canby and never really get out of town, so I wanted to take my mom somewhere fun, somewhere that was about her and her interests.  I decided on S.T.A.R.S. Antiques in the Sellwood neighborhood.  It wasn't about shopping, it was about browsing, and antiquing is a good way to simply wander around taking in the sights.  S.T.A.R.S. didn't disappoint.

These stores are eye candy.  If you need to find a writing prompt, go to an antique store, find an object and then write the story of the person who was the former owner.  Mission accomplished!  I had so much fun looking at old kid-sized cowboy boots, books, and knickknacks galore.  We didn't buy a thing, but we laughed, talked, and wiled away the afternoon.  My mom kept looking at her watch to make sure we were "on time" for my appointment that afternoon, but I told her to stop fussing.  She's always so concerned about us boys and not "being a burden" on our time, but the day was about her, her and time, her and one of her boys and time, time together, time together with one of her boys without anything else going on.  The moment even demanded a "selfie."

We wound in and out of all the booths in both S.T.A.R.S. locations and made our way down to Wallace Books, an independent bookseller in the neighborhood.  It's an eclectic place with floor to ceiling shelves of new and used books.  It's one of my favorite places to visit on that side of town, and I thought my mom would love it.

By the time we were done in the bookstore, it was time to call it a day.  We weren't but two steps out of the bookstore when I got a text that my daughter was sick.  Although her other grandmother was picking her up from school to bring her home, it was Noni and Dad to the rescue.  We hopped in the car and took off to check on the little one.

Although she didn't feel good, Shea wasn't too ill when we got to the house.  My mom and I got the chance to hang out with her for a while, cook up some Campbell's chicken noodle soup, and give her a quick cuddle before we were off.  I still had to make it to my appointment.

When I dropped mom off at home, I was sad to see the day end.  The whole day felt like a gift, a nice surprise I hadn't expected.  It reminded me of how close my mom and I really are.  She's always been the one I can talk to when I need her.  I know she doesn't have girls (she likes to remind me of this), but I like to think I'm the closest thing to a daughter she's got (another thing she likes to remind me of).  Hey, if it means I get to have all the benefits of having a mother and friend, then she can call me a girl any time.  I had a great day, Mom.  Thanks for hanging out.