New Stage in My Life

I can't help but think about you mom as my college life is coming to a close. There are so many things that I could never tell you, and I wish we could just be silly and chat as we did when I was younger. My life back then was so boring compared to what I have experienced since you've been away. So many good things have come into my life and I hope to share them with you some day.

Graduation is approaching in just 6 weeks, can you believe it?!? It's been such a roller coaster and I have enjoyed every second. Can you believe I made it out alive? It's actually hard for me to wrap my mind around. I feel like I still do things in my life to make you proud even if you aren't there to see them first hand. Your presence is still with me every step of the way and I wanted to say thank you. I couldn't ask for a better life and it's full of people I love and care about.

I was just telling my friend the other day how we used to get dressed up and go to hockey games, and how you used to let me wear make up when I was ten or eleven years old. I will always remember you as a natural beauty :) I remember how you always used to start up a conversation with a complete stranger just because you saw them as a friend. I notice myself doing the same thing and I always smile and think of you. Even though my memories fade, I try to cherish the moments that enter my mind and hope that every day brings something new that makes you rush back into my thoughts.

I wish you could be there to see me throw my cap and carry a big smile on my face, but I can just imagine what your face would look like after I walk across that stage, and that will be enough for me! I am going to miss your antics at graduation because I know you would be the loudest one there.

I wonder what your image of me is now when I come into your mind? Is it the image of me as a little girl with my wild hair or it me now? I guess however you think of me, always remember that I will think of you with a smile on your face, your mom jean shorts and old Kentucky Derby t-shirts, gorgeous tanned skin and your bleached blonde hair :) because that's you, mom.

I miss you everyday and love you.

-Baby Whit

Kool-Aid Smile

Every time I make Kool-Aid, I do the same thing, and tonight was no exception. I opened the packet and poured it into the pitcher. Then, I took the empty packet and filled it with water and emptied it into the pitcher as well. I mixed in the sugar and filled with water the rest of the way. This funny thing with the packet was all my mom. We always had Kool-Aid in the house, and she filled the empty packet with water and dumped it in every single time. I think I asked her one time why she did it, and she stated that it was so all the mix came out. It's these funny little random things that I really miss, so I am glad I am able to chronicle them so I never forget.

C-A-T-S, Cats! Cats! Cats!

Following Kentucky's loss to Tennessee in men's NCAA basketball last weekend, I was completely depressed and swore I would never recover. I was so sick over it, I turned it off and shushed everyone who mentioned it in my presence. My mother, however, would have probably drawn the curtains and worn black for a week! She once actually CRIED when UK lost to Indiana! Seriously though, no one bled bluer than Mom. She had so much Kentucky gear, and I actually still have a couple of her shirts. She watched every game, win or lose.

The funniest part of this whole love affair with UK is that she isn't even from Kentucky! But you could never tell her that. She was a horse person through and through, and she was the biggest UK fan I have ever known. It was like she should have been from Kentucky. I remember countless battles between my mom and her mother because Mamaw was a die-hard Indiana fan. She loved Bob Knight, and he could do no wrong. How did her only daughter end up being a traitor?! On top of all this, Mom endured many a Kentucky joke from Uncle Rex.

The first UK basketball game I ever attended was an exhibition game at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati. It was just the two of us, and I was SO excited. There was this guy who kept standing up and doing the C-A-T-S Cats, Cats, Cats! cheer. Mom got right up with him and did it every time! We had so much fun, and I still think of that every time I go to a game. And I scream and yell at the TV just like she did!

Mom was in love with Rick Pitino, and was devastated when he left to go back to the NBA. But she was still pretty excited when we were at a cafe on campus and in walked the current coach, Tubby Smith! I thought she was going to fall over! She had her favorite players like Jamal Mashburn and Derrick Anderson. I wish she would have known that I dated a guy who used to play with Derrick! I have been a UK fan since I came out of the womb, and I even ended up going there for college which only further solidified my fanaticism! My mom is the person responsible for all of that. C-A-T-S, Cats! Cats! Cats!