Go back 9 years. It was a sunny day in Arizona. A Friday to be exact. I was wearing overall shorts with a blue shirt underneath. With hair pulled back in a pony tail and back pack strapped on, I walked into Mrs. Daniel's class to begin another day in 6th grade. We took our Friday spelling test and began the lesson for the rest of the day. At approximately 9 AM, the phone rang. Now anyone who went to school knows how it feels when a teacher gets a call. Since it was usually about a student who would be leaving early, all heads turned and waited with great anticipation the announcement of the name of the lucky student who's parent loved them enough to come get them. Not that my parents didn't love me, but pulling me out of school was not their style, so I tried not to get my hopes up too much. Contrary to what I believed, my name was called and I was elated! Each kid in the classroom let out a sigh of disappointment as I was told to gather my things because my mom was waiting for me in the office. Upon walking into the office, I was greeted by my mom and waved goodbye to the office ladies as she escorted me to our car. Being the curious mind that I was, I asked her why she pulled me out. She told me she had a surprise. We hopped in the car and began driving. Finally after about twenty minutes, my mom told me that we were going to Mexico for the day and were going to stop in Tuscon on the way. Mexico was a normal spot for us to visit since we live so close, but instead of the usual Rocky Point, my mom was taking me to Nogales and I had never been before. We drove for a couple of hours talking about anything and everything under the sun. We reached Tuscon about Noon and stopped and got lunch at my mom's favorite sand which shop, Eegees. I had never been there before and it was as delicious as my mom claimed it to be. After lunch, she drove me around and showed me where she grew up, where she met my dad, where I was born, and the house we lived in. Our last stop was to visit and old friend, Sylvia, and head on into Mexico. I love Mexico. Some of my happiest memories happened there, so it was only natural that I became excited as we waited as border control checked us out and let us cross. There was only one thing to do where we were going: SHOP. Normally, I don't really enjoy shopping, but there is something about doing it in a foreign country that is so exciting. It was beautiful! With the sun shining and music playing in the streets, we walked through the markets looking at jewelery, clothing, and other miscellaneous items and bought a few things here and there. There were so many colors and so many things to look at! The great thing about Mexican vendors is that the prices are not set. If you know how to sweet talk them just right, you can haggle the price down pretty low. My mom is an expert at it, so we never paid full price for anything. We even had a man follow us around because my mom said no to his price and kept wagering. Eventually, he gave in, and my mom got the sandals she wanted and he threw in a necklace I had my eye on too! I wish I could say I still had this necklace, but it broke; it was a tragedy and I cried for days. Once it started to get dark, we head back to our car to drive home to Mesa. I was so sleepy, but stayed awake the whole time. I didn't want to miss one single moment of this Mother/Daughter time I was getting. We talked about anything and everything under the stars.
It was a perfect day, a dream come true! I was (and still am) the luckiest girl in the whole wide world. How many moms take their daughters on spur of the moment trips to Mexico? Not yours? Gratefully, my mom did. It is a trip I will never forget and hopefully, I will be able to do something like this with my daughters some day.
Congratulations if you held on this long. I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I did! I really just wanted to get this memory down somewhere so it would never be forgotten. It is such a special memory to me and my mom. She truly is a one-of-a-kind lady and I am so lucky to call her "mom." She is there when I need her and has taught me so much. Life would truly be boring without her :)
I love you Momma!
I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Terri Guillemets
