Guest Post: Mom--"Reflections on the Spring of 1981."

So, our next guest blogger is my awesome mom.  A few awesome things about her:

1. Sometimes she tells me I "need to get crackin'" or that we "need to bounce".

2.  She pounds on the keyboard when she types because she wants to relive the glory days of the typeswriter.

3. She was a math major--that's where we all "get it from".

4.  It doesn't even phase her when I pick up the phone to answer her call and say, "What up. It's ya boy, T-Pain."

5. Not only is she a huge fan of the annual (Younger) LeCheminant Kids Christmas Music Video, she sometimes films bits of them ("Look at the awesome angles I shot it from!"), and as seen in last year's film, she cameos in them! (Let's be honest--it's the best scene of the whole video)  For your viewing pleasure--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQPh31oVeeU.

6. She totally supported me when I changed my major in the middle of my junior year.

7.  She helped me do my algebra homework almost every day 8th grade (that had to have been the most dramatic, tear-filled year of my life).

8.  She had (has?) a crush on Zac Efron.

9.  In her own words, this would be the life of a rapper: "First I gotta have me a good breakfast—you know sista’, grits an’ anythin’ an’ everythin’ fried up real nice.  Then I’m off to see me hommies girl!—woo-wee, I just love me hommies (don’t worry sista…we safe in they’ part o’ town)!  Afta we spend the day jammin’, I gotta stop in an’ visit ma’ main girl…sorry sista’, it ain’t you…that be T-Swizzle yo!  That be about it sista’—besides ma’ dinna’ and ma’ nice warm bed callin’ to me at the end of the day!  Peace out, hommie--yo!!!"

10.. She's coming to visit my and the Jelly Bean this weekend!

Basically, she's the best.  And now, for her post, which is made up entirely of the words that came out of her mouth and the thoughts that went through her brain:

"Reflections on the Spring of 1981"

End of April, 1981:



“Sorry, Sister Carr is not available, can I take a message?” [hmmm…this guy has a nice voice…I wonder how old he is…]



“Oh, you want John Redd’s phone number?  I can find that for you in our stake directory” [huh…Bro. Redd is the guy in our stake that was Suzy’s contact at Ford Aerospace, where I am working this summer…]

“No problem!” [hmmm…nice guy…probably married….]

Renée—April 1981

A few weeks later (a Saturday in May)—Tuolumne River put in, near Yosemite National Park:

“Quick John!!!  Into Brother L’s boat…I can trust that he can safely get us down the river….What?   His boat is full???  [Uhhh…decisions, decisions…hurry, hurry…no, I can’t go with THAT guy—he looks scary…”]



“John, quick, let’s hop into that other man’s boat…if we can’t be on Bro. L’s boat, that other older guy is probably our safest bet!  [yikes…I want to stay as far away as possible from that rough, bearded, “party” looking guy…I doubt I can trust him to keep me and my typing fingers {i.e. source of income for the summer} safe as we travel down the river today…]

Greg—May 1981 (what he looked like)

Later that morning on the river:



“Yes Brent, I work at Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto. Oh…your [scary] looking boatman does too?  [keep smiling Renée, it’s only polite].  Wow! [Oh brother…I wonder what kind of job Ford could have for him!].  AND he goes to BYU???  Wow, again!  [impressive…NOT!!! …when did you start growing your scruffy beard?  On the last day of finals, or before? ...rebel !  Keep smiling Renée, be polite….]

Lunchtime, same day:

“Uhh, yeah, you can sit next to me while we eat lunch…” [great…what am I going to talk to this guy about?  Just be nice Renée…you know you always find out interesting things about people when you chat with them…give him a chance…at least you don’t have to sit alone for lunch.  Where did John go anyway?]

“You’re growing that beard because you bet your brother you could do it between the time the semester ended, and his wedding next week?  [okay…that’s a strange thing to do…]”

“Oh, yeah…I guess I can see how a beard might make you look older than, and to the MIT summer student employees that you work with…and make you stand out [I’m sure it certainly does that!...okay…whatever…I guess it’s a guy thing…]

Later that afternoon…packed up and ready to head home:



“Which building do I work in?  26.  Oh…you’re in building 2?  Nice.  Yeah…maybe I’ll see you around [yeah…most likely not, since the Ford Aerospace “campus” is as big as BYU’s campus—and our buildings are about a mile apart!



But…wait… what a cute smile he just flashed me before when he pulled his head out of the van and said good bye!!! Hmmm…I wouldn’t mind seeing him around at work.  Not likely though—oh well….He really is kind of a nice guy…despite that beard….]



That night at home:



“Yeah mom, the trip was fun.  Sherrie Jarman got some people from San Leandro or somewhere around there to take us.  Jim Hobbs and a Brother La-shem…I can’t remember…some French last name…and his son.”

“…LeCheminant?  Yeah, I think that was it.”

“Wait…you know this family?  You were in their ward when you lived in San Leandro 20 years ago? [hmmm…interesting…sound like they made a positive impression on my mom…and that this guy comes from a nice family]. “

“What?  You think you used to trade babysitting with his mom when I was a baby?  Like, his mom used to babysit me?”  [okay, that’s weird…but interesting…]

The following Monday, at work:



“Oh…, uh…Hi!  What?  Your boss is transferring you over here this week to work in this building for the next couple of weeks?  And you are just going to be a few feet away from my desk (behind a few partitions) working?  [How strange—what are the odds?!  Meet a guy on Saturday, and the next week he is working in the same building as you are.  Well…now I will know someone in my building other than the people I work with directly.]

On the telephone, the next day:



“Lunch…ohh,…ya know,…I really don’t have anything planned…”[wow…is this guy really asking me to go out with him for lunch???  I’ve never had a guy do that before—how fun [even if he isn’t a guy that I would ever date—but if he wants to take me to lunch, I’m okay with that!!!!  I wonder where he will take me!].

“What’s that?  Well, yeah, I did sort of pack a lunch—but that’s okay...”

“Pick you up and go to a park to eat our lunches?  Oh, yeah…sure!  [so much for my first lunch date with a guy!].  I’ll tell my brother John—he works here too,…we’ll meet you outside of building 2 [the three of us together for lunch…this should be interesting…especially since I think John was just about as impressed as I was with this guy when we first met him on Saturday…maybe I’ll wait until John picks me up for lunch before telling him about our “guest”].”

The next week, with sack lunches, at the same park:



“Yeah, my brother John quit working at Ford and went to live with my sister in Fresno. [How nice for just the two of us to be able to eat lunch alone.  He really is an interesting guy, and I like to ask him lots of questions about himself—it’s nice not to have John around to try and pull into the conversation!]”

Yet another day (end of June), at lunch, same park:

“I’m so glad we’ve gotten to know each other and have become friends!”  [I really like how he is so interesting, but also curious about me!  He listens to and is interested in what I have to say.  He is really a nice guy, and such a gentleman!]

“Go ice skating with you and your friend and his wife?  That sounds fun!” [Wow, I love how he smiles like that!  That beard doesn’t actually look so bad on him….]



First date—meeting my parents (and younger brother):

“Oh yeah…I guess I didn’t mention that my brother has a beard too [I saw the relief on your face when you saw David!  I’m glad I didn’t tell you…I thought you might enjoy finding out for yourself!]”



End of July:

“Wow, you shaved your beard [what a ‘baby face’ he has without it]!  Oh…for a family pix? [hmmm…why didn’t he shave it for his brother’s wedding…there were lots of family pix then?…]



BYU Homecoming Weekend—October 1981:

“Marry you?  YE… [whoa there…maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to respond—are you sure this is right?].”

“Uh…I need to think about it…oh…but I’ll tell you soon!”  [but I really, really just want to say ‘yes’!]

Next day:



“Yes, yes, yes!!!”

Announcing the engagement to the roommies!

[caption id="attachment_652" align="aligncenter" width="533" caption="An engagement photo"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_653" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The wedding announcement"][/caption]

December 18, 1981—in response to the Oakland Temple officiator’s question:



“YES!!! […you are definitely the one that I want to be with forever and ever.  I can’t wait to begin our life together, and be together for eternity—I love you “beard face” (a.k.a. Greg)!]

[caption id="attachment_654" align="aligncenter" width="552" caption="Arriving at the reception"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_655" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Getting ready for the reception"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_656" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="With our parents"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_657" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="With my BYU roomies: Beth, Beth, Laurel, Val and Beth"][/caption]

25 years later—



28 years later, and still growing!

best.mom.ever.