Weekend with my Momma

 "Got any weekend plans?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna see my momma."

And it was about time too!  I had not seen her in a few weeks and I really have no excuse for it since she only lives about 15 minutes from my apartment.  

For years now we have an established routine of her calling me after work.  But lately it's been either a missed call due to poor timing or, when I have answered, it hasn't lasted long due to terrible cell reception.  I have never had great cell service on the roads between school and home. So while we speak on the phone often, I hadn't had a proper conversation with my mom in awhile.

On the positive side, this did mean we had plenty to discuss when I pulled up to her house on Saturday.  

As soon as I was in the driveway my dog was losing his mind: wagging his tail, barking his head off, and pressing his little wet nose to the window just begging to be released.  My mom was his original owner and I don't think he ever quite got over leaving her house to live with me -- he acts this way every time I bring him with me to visit.  As soon as I open the door he's gone, rushing up the steps to greet her at the porch and leaving me to follow more slowly.  I have to get the Starbucks drinks after all.

Just like weekday calls to check on me are part of the routine now, we also have a bit of a tradition that any weekend I come to visit is started by mom placing an order at the local Starbucks and then me driving by to pick it up.  Considering there is a Starbucks at the exit I take to get to her house anyway and she pays for my order -- I never begrudge this part of the trip.

The dogs settled and the drinks distributed, I settle onto the porch so we can pick up where our many phone conversations have cut off.  We talk about my sisters, my nieces, and what we've both been up to since my last visit.  While we chat, my dad leaves us to our "women talk" (his words) and goes inside to make us breakfast (scrambled western-style eggs, bacon, biscuits, and home-made gravy).  

I wind up spending most of the day with my mom and dad: breakfast, a game of dominos, and even a trip to the dog park with our small pack of animals.  It's a warm, beautiful Saturday in September and I am once again grateful that I can spend it "with my momma."