A Day With My Daughter

Yesterday I spent the day with my daughter, Mandy.

She lives about and hour and fifteen minutes south of my home. She recently purchased her own condo and yesterday was the first time I’d been down to see it. It’s really lovely, situated up on a hillside with beautiful views. It has over 1700 square feet, which gives my grand kitties (three of them!) plenty of room to frolic and play.
Maestro, Cleo and Ortez greeted me at the door and proceeded to curl up next to me, purr and then play with the Christmas present bows on the packages I brought and Mandy had for me.
I can’t express in words how really proud I am of Mandy. To see how successful she is, and what a good head she has on her shoulders and the home she has made for herself, makes me realize again and again something that I’ve always known, but suspected what just a mother’s bias! Mandy is one heck of a person! Definitely someone I would chose to know even if she wasn’t my daughter!
We sat drinking coffee with one of her friends, who was visiting from Maine. She was getting things together for her trip back when I arrived, but stayed and visited for a while.
After she left we opened our Christmas gifts. Mandy showed how well she knows me with gifts of two sweaters, (next to my purse fetish, I have a sweater thing going too!), and then a T-shirt with a cartoon drawing of dachshunds on them, a dachsie doormat, a dachsie ornament and a dachshund date book!
I gave her an LL Bean tote bag for her car, champagne, a wonderful fluffy scarf, a geode window hanging, and a hand made pottery tray with a salt and pepper, cream and sugar on it. Near my home is a shop that sells items hand made here in New Hampshire. I swear I am one of their best customers. This gift came from that shop. I also got her two Christmas tree ornaments.
Then we headed out to have lunch with her grandmother, (my former mother-in-law). If I had one wish it would have been to have kept her as my mother-in-law and just divorced my ex-husband. I have always loved Alice like a mother and I have missed her a great deal.
We just had the best time at lunch. We talked and talked and talked, sharing stories from the past and both Alice and I looking with pride at our girl Mandy. Before we knew it, 2 1/2 hours had flown by and we had to say good-bye. Alice told me not to be a stranger and to come see her and keep in touch. Something I plan to do. Life is too short not to love the people in your life.
Then I brought Amanda to a European Deli I found near her. They have so many of the wonderful German foods that we love. I bought a lot of things, cheeses, wursts, salami and wonderful Bauernbrot. (German Rye bread!)
Then, in the cold pouring rain, we headed back to her place where I picked up my car and headed home. It rained literally in sheets. There were times I couldn’t even see the road! It scared the heck out of me. It took me two hours to make the trip, but I got home safely and quite happily!