Sisters are fancy

The Riggs girls had a really bad day last week and for some reason it hit all of us pretty hard. I don't know how or why it happened but the universe turned upside down on all of us and it seems that the only thing that offered comfort was each other.

None of the events of the day were related to one another but they seemed to be lined up, waiting in the wings for the previous disaster to finish so the next could waltz up and blind side the appropriate victim.

The details of the day are not that important and none of them particularly tragic but the feeling that it was all out of our hands made it difficult to cope with. Just as a brief chronological overview, the day went something like this:

-All three girls are sick with some vicious head cold
-Crying, teething, congested baby with no husband to offer back-up
-Bad haircut
-More crying
-Grandma loses her keys in Costco and needs help. Can't remember who to call.
-Call from the in-laws who saw dad on the freeway. He had been in an accident.
-More crying (a sister and a baby)
-BYU's KMB is torn down (home to Heather and Adrian all through college)
-More crying (sister and baby)
-Big fights with loved ones
-Packing for first flight with baby
-Can't get to dad who is on the freeway in a pile-up and in need of assistance
-more crying, more fighting
-OHS theatre is torn down, no more Neal & Jerry & Syd's Theatre.
-Still fighting, still crying, need to be packing
-Crying in the grocery store, need kleenex, store manager confronts crying sister to tell her she can't open the box of kleenex
-Primary witness to 6 car accident (sister is in the only car that doesn't get smashed)
-More crying
-Car fire
-Crying
-Fleeing the scene of the accident to avoid car fire
-Confronted by angry loved one who has no idea what is going on
-Call from police to return to the scene of the accident
-Still not packed, baby still crying
-Midnight. Finally.

Through all of this there were uncannily (is that really a word?) timed phone calls to one another that caused tears or relief and release. I know I couldn't have made it through the day without them. Well, I would have made it through but the battle wounds would have been far more visible.

All this whining to say that the Riggs girls have been taught how to rally. When things are going rough, we are at our best. Our innate survival instinct and sisterly bond kick into full gear and we can turn the universe right again.

I have this little fantasy that my mom controls the weather. That night, after such an exhausting day I stood in the front yard @ 1:30am in my robe and watched the most incredible storm I have ever seen. I even pulled Elliott out of bed and made him stand there with me in his robe and slippers. The constant, powerful lighting that broke through the skies with booming thunder made way for a mighty rain/hail storm that washed away the events that were weighing my spirit down. It was perfect.

Thanks sisters. You are fancy, I love having both of you so close.

Moms are nice. Are you nice to yours?

Today is the official start to year 4 without my mom. Not having a mom is hard and I miss her.

There are so many strange things happening that are greatly effected by her absence and I can't help but think of how it would be different if she were here. I really do try not to be morbid or dwell on her death but the longer she is gone the harder it is to remember life as it was. I know one thing for certain, she is lounging in heavenly satisfaction watching us miss her.

A few major events and things that have changed in the past 3 years:

-We honored you in a memorial service at Sundance, on your mountain and we made great music. Everyone who should have been was there.


-I got married. Never thought it would happen and I am not sure she did either. She adored Elliott and it was a statement to his credit that he was listed as one of her children in the obituary. When I objected to this initially my dad insisted that even though there was nothing official, Elliott was one of us, like it or not.



-I got to go to the Oscars. I was working, but I was there.


-Our family fell apart and is still being put back together. These are not times I reflect on
fondly.



-Dad moved out of the family house and into a condo. Our own personal un-staged drama.

-We have sold the family home. It has been sold again and is being torn down next week. I have started a post about this twice but haven't been able to complete it because I am bitter about the situation but I am going to do it before the house is gone.















-Heather liquidated her horse inventory. For the first time in her life she does not own a horse and since was a deep connection she shared with my mom I feel it is well worth mentioning.











-Elliott and I started rafting, which has drastically changed our way of life.

-We bought a new house with a wrap around porch. Everything else I love about it is a bonus.




-Grandma Riggs died. A good, long life capped with a few rough years. This was harder on all of us than we expected. Knowing it is coming doesn't make it easier.




-I turned 30. That is old.

-I ran my first race.









-Grandma Johnson got a new knee and is here to tell about it. She took her aspirin.


-Natalie Hill made it to Broadway. Big news! Mom is so very proud.

-I had to learn how to cook a pot roast, the hard way. Through many tears I called all the women in my life one night when I realized I didn't know how to cook a pot roast and who do you call about something like that? Mom.


-Mom and Dad got their first Grandchild. How I love this little Sydney. His healing innocence and simplicity offers amazing life perspective. Good work, Adrian and TJ.

-We got Adrian back and against her will, we are keeping her.

-Timmy got certified as an EMT and is in the middle of becoming a fireman


-I got new eyeballs. The world is so much clearer now.

-The Hale Theater in Orem is moving to a new space.

-Amy graduated from college. TWICE. She now has her teaching degree and is looking for work in secondary education. Funny how the world works.

-I went to London for the first time.

-I gained a lot of padding. Hard to admit but very true. I was doing great on my diet when mom died and that screwed everything up.

-They have started tearing down Orem High. No more Neal & Jerry & Syd's Theater.

-California legalized Gay marriage.

For those of you who read this, I would love to know what I am leaving out of my list. I know there is a lot but I can't sit at my desk crying all day.