First off, I want to wish all of you mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day! I wanted to make the last mom-blog in the series to be about my mom, as she is one of the most influential people in my life. Without her, I don’t think that I would be the woman I am today.
When I started Rusty Creek Designs, I started it with my mom in mind. She absolutely loves turquoise, and I wanted the first piece that I ever made to be just for her. I kept it a secret for months on what I was teaching myself and sent her my first turquoise necklace for Mother’s Day last year. Since then, she has been one of my biggest support systems with my jewelry business.
While I was growing up, I was in a few extra-curricular activities including piano, basketball, volleyball and my favorite, softball. My parents even coached my softball team for a few seasons, and they are the best memories I have with any of my sports. My mom was at every single game cheering me on, and most likely, chewing her nails off, because she was scared I was going to get my teeth knocked out while on the pitching mound. If she was not able to be there, she had me call her after every game to let me know how the game went.
For my wedding, Cody and I eloped to Catalina Island, and we didn’t have any one but our 2 best friends go with us. The weekend before Cody and I were prepared to leave, I went camping with my parents, sister and nephew, on their land in the mountains. During this weekend, I was afraid that I would break my leg or get hurt (because I am one of the most graceful people I know), but instead, I got a little too close to the fire and burnt my hair! My family died of laughter, but through my mom’s laughter and tears, she reassured me that everything would be fine. I did have few crispies, but luckily, I had a hat on, so not too much of my hair caught on fire. Before it was time for me to head back to Colorado, we drove back to Douglas so I could go get the bouquets that my mom and dad put together for our wedding. As soon as I saw them, I started to cry – they were the most beautiful brooch bouquets that I had ever seen. My mom told me that during the 2-year long engagement, everywhere she would go, she would look to see if there were any sparkly brooches or jewelry that she could use for them. The fact that she had been working on these bouquets for 2 years touched me more than I could ever say.
One thing that I admire about my mom is her creativity, bluntness, and patience. I am always blown away with all of the creative ideas that she comes up with. She has amazing sugar cookies that she decorates all by hand and they are all done so beautiful – and taste amazing! The patience and time that it takes her to make these cookies is truly a skill not many people have.
In the last almost 6 years, I have also gotten to see my mom become a Nana – and I have loved every minute of it. I really can’t wait for Cody and I to have kids so she can have that same bond with them.
All in all, I got pretty lucky with the mom I was blessed with. She instilled in me to be strong, follow my dreams, have a great work ethic, treat everyone with respect and so much more. She has been an inspiration in my life, and I hope that I become at least half of the woman and mom that she is.
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Grandmas are one of the greatest things in the world – and I happen to have one of the best!
Grandma and Papa own a junk yard, which is one of her favorite places to be! She absolutely loves tearing small parts apart so that she can get the valuable metal inside. She also has a large garden, that she always seems to be weeding – but every year, she grows good sized veggies! Once year, she grew a Pumpkin that I believe weighed over 100 pounds.
I do have to say that Grandma has one of the best puzzle skills I have ever seen. She can put together any puzzle that you put in front of her. The hard ones may take a little bit longer, but she always gets them done.
Some of the best memories I have with my grandparents was while we were at the lake. We used to take yearly trips to Boysen Reservoir in Wyoming for my birthday. The whole family would join and they were usually about a week long. There was a ton of fishing, playing in the water, great food and so much laughter. Last year for the 4th of July, the entire family got together, and it was probably one of the best trips I have been on in a long time! We went on some adventures, did some good fishing, and always found ways to tease my Grandma. There are quite a few ornery people in the family, so it never fails that someone is getting scolded be her for playing mean, but hilarious, pranks on one another.
Ice fishing is also always a blast! One year, my sister and I asked my Grandma if she wanted a ride to shore on the sled behind the Four-Wheeler. For some odd reason, probably against her better judgement, she agreed, and we took her on quite the ride. Kim and I took her over every single hole that we could find with the biggest mounds around them. Needless to say, she looked like she was hanging on for dear life!
Grandma has been married for over 50 years, raised two amazing kids, was one of the best Grandma to my sister and I and is now a Great-Grandma - and absolutely loves it. She may spoil my nephew, Tryston, quite a bit but what else are Great-Grandma’s for?! My parents named me after my grandma, as her middle name is also “Marie”. I will always cherish my Grandma and look forward to making more memories together.
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This mom-featured blog is about my mother-in-law, Mandy!
When Cody and I first started dating almost 7 years ago, we were long distance, so we only saw each other on the weekends. Luckily, Mandy and Robert let me stay at their house on the weekend, so I got to know them even more. One thing I have learned about Mandy is she is thoughtful, caring and loves her family with everything she has. Ever since I started dating Cody, she has treated me as family and included me in just about everything.
A little over a year ago, Mandy had to have brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. It was one of the scariest times we have had. She was in surgery for over 6 hours and had to be in the hospital for quite a few days afterwards. During the months to come, even with a few bumps in the road, she recovered faster than expected and stayed in great spirits. Mandy is a strong woman and strives toward her goals.
One thing that I admire about Mandy is that she is a firm believer that you need to do what makes you happy. I think a lot of people stay in jobs or situations in their life because they feel like they have to or they don’t want to change careers because of the unknown. Mandy ensures that she and her family lives their lives to the fullest!
Mandy is always there for us, no matter the time of day or what we need. A great example is we had our hot water heater go out at 8pm on a Sunday night. Robert and Mandy were here that night to help us install the new one, so we had hot water the next day. This is just one example of so many thoughtful things that Mandy has done for both Cody and I.
Mandy has made me feel like a daughter and a part of the family, and I am so grateful I was able to gain her as a mother-in-law. She also raised Cody to be quite the gentleman and an amazing husband, if I do say so myself!
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The next mom I would like to feature is my sister, Kim!
I am about 4 years older than my sister, who never lets me forget that I am almost 30. We are completely opposite in almost every way possible, but she is still one of my best friends. While we were growing up, we were not as close as I wish we would have been, but the older we get, the closer we are.
Kim has a 5-year-old son named Tryston, who is the highlight of the family. Tryston is funny, ornery, may press Kim’s buttons at times, but he is one of the best things that has been added to the family.
My sister loves to hunt, fish, photography, cook, sew- and has so many more talents that I cannot even list them all. She is passing her passion for all these things down to her son and it is so fun to watch him do them. Not only is Kim a single mom, but she also works 40+ hours at Jerry’s Welding and helps our parents and grandparents every chance she gets. Kim may be ornery herself, but she is one of the most caring people I know. She will drop her hat in a second to help anyone who needs it, even if it is for the smallest thing. I may be 3 hours away from her, but I know if I needed her, she would do everything she could to help me out…even if it meant coming to the “Greenie” state.
I admire my sister more than words can say. With being a single mom, supporting Tryston and herself to have the best life possible, and with all the other things she has on her plate – she is still one of the strongest, caring woman that I know. While we still may bicker at times, I am proud to call her my sister.
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The first Mom that I would like to feature is my Best Friend Jenna Atteberry!
I have known Jenna for almost 7 years, and she has had a huge impact on my life. With all the good times and bad, Jenna has been there to support me in anyway needed.
I met Jenna through our now husbands, who used to work together. If any of you know my husband, you know that Cody is super shy and does not talk too much. Thankfully, Jenna’s husband, Josh, is the complete opposite and basically forced Cody to have lunch with him at work. From there, they (meaning Josh) planned a double date so we could all hang out and get together. From our movie date and dinner at Red Robin, the rest is history! For about 3 years, we also lived just down the street from each other – which was completely awesome!
When Cody and I told Jenna and Josh that we wanted to take them to Catalina Island where we were going to get married, there was no hesitation of agreeing to go! The months following up to our wedding were quite adventurous for the Atteberry family, but mainly, for Jenna! She was a new mother to a beautiful 3-month-old daughter named Norah. About 6 weeks before we were supposed to leave, Jenna cut her hand all the way down to the tendon and had to have surgery. She was in a cast the entire trip and had to limit her time swimming with us in the ocean. I felt so bad that she had only one hand she could really use and had to breast pump quite frequently. However, Jenna did not complain once, and was the best Maid of Honor I could have asked for.
While juggling the life of having a toddler, Jenna also is a working mom. She has a career as an esthetician and is amazing at what she does. With another little one on the way, Jenna continues to thrive, not only as an amazing mother, but as the woman she is! Jenna even puts up with me when I want to take pictures for Rusty Creek Designs and does it with a smile her face. I am ever so grateful for this wonderful woman and friend.
