Plot Monkeys

All the Plotmonkeys are Moms. We know how hard and yet rewarding a job it is. So we thought we’d do a tribute to our moms …

CARLY - My mom is my best friend. She raised me to be the strong, capable, loving woman I am. My mom is my shopping buddy. We have diametrically opposite taste and yet we respect what the other likes, can give our opinions, and still be friends at the end of the day. We can get angry or upset with each other without fear that we’ll lose our relationship - that is why we have the special friendship that we do. And by example, she taught me how to be a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, and even a good daughter in law! I’m lucky to have her in my life. For all you’ve done, for all you do, I LOVE YOU, MOM!

JANELLE - I chose this picture of my mother and I because it shows you who my mother really is: a wild, crazy, fun-loving person. This picture was taken at her grandson’s college football game, and as you can see by the war paint on her face, she is also one very supportive mother/grandmother. She’s the life of the party (which does sometime clash with my more quiet nature ), but she has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. Right now she’s working on a cruise ship sailing the Hawaiian Islands (tough job, huh?), and I won’t be seeing her this year for Mother’s Day. But she’ll definitely be in my thoughts. I you, Mom!!!

JULIE - Bummer, but I don’t have a picture of me and my mother handy! I’m going to fix that today. But here is a recent picture of my mother. Isn’t she pretty? I did not inherit her beautiful blue eyes (none of us did!) but I did get her go-getter personality. My mother has always worked (she still does!) in our family business and showed me that women not only COULD be in charge, but she SHOULD. (Shhh, don’t tell my dad and oldest brother…they think THEY’RE in charge. As if.) For the longest time, she had a license plate on her car that read, “Boss Lady.” And when you put this on an Italian woman’s car, you know she means business. She’s also very kind and loving, of course. I’m her only daughter and we’ve always had a very special bond. Because we’re both strong personalities, we disagree a lot, and sometimes do it very loudly. But it’s never with any malice and it’s never personal. We enjoy sparring. We also enjoy laughing and cooking and chatting on the phone. She has always been there for me and even though I’m in my forties, I can’t imagine not asking her advice on everything important in my life. She’s my rock. I love you, Mom!

LESLIE
I lost my Mom at far too young an age. Lost sounds like such a weak word–she wasn’t lost, she was taken in a senseless accident that I still find difficult to comprehend. And it breaks my heart that my children never knew her…and that she never saw how happy I’ve been with the life I’ve chosen.

Her name was Betty, and she was the most important person in my world growing up. Her strength, resilience, kindness and that streak of wicked, irreverent humor are all gifts I am very thankful to have received from her. And from her death, I also learned one of the greatest lessons which guides my every interaction with those I love: Take nothing for granted. Don’t count on there being a tomorrow–or even a later today–because you never know which moment you share with someone you love will be the last moment. I shared a laughing conversation with my energetic, healthy young mother on the phone one Monday night and less than twelve hours later got a call that she was gone forever.

I tell you this not to be morose, though Mother’s Day is always very emotional and poignant for me. But I truly think it’s an important message to pass along: Treat the ones you love as if you might not ever see them again. Tender words shouldn’t remain unsaid. Love should never be withheld. And laughter is never a waste of time. The last words I ever said to most wonderful woman I’ve ever known were “I love you” and those were also the last words she ever said to me.

What an absolute blessing.

The above picture was taken on my wedding day, only two years before she died. She was beautiful and happy and vibrant. And when I close my eyes, this is how I see her.

I love you Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE!
And now on to our regularly scheduled post:
The winner of Carly’s Jungle Madness is:

# 123, Leslie Thompson

PS: Leslie still hasn’t heard from TAMMY (message # 27 from LAST Friday, May 2) who won her Disney madness contest. Write asap to: author@lesliekelly.com or she’ll choose another winner.

And again for Mother’s day, the joke:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

1. NAMES

If Rebecca, Linda, Anna and Jeanne go out for lunch, they will call each other Rebecca, Linda, Anna and Jeanne.

If Mark, Harold, Dave and Rob go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head and Scrappy.

2. EATING OUT

When the bill arrives, Mark, Harold, Dave and Rob will each throw in a $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

When the women get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

3. MONEY

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need, but it’s on sale.

4. BATHROOMS

A man has five items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Marriott.

The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

5. ARGUMENTS

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that… is the beginning of a new argument.

6. CATS

Women love cats.

Men say they love cats, but when women aren’t looking, men kick cats.

7. FUTURE

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

8. SUCCESS

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

9. MARRIAGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change , and she does.

10. DRESSING UP

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage,answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

11. NATURAL

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

12. OFFSPRING

Ah,children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Carly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.