Miss Mack

When I was 21, married for only a year, and doing my student teaching, I became an aunt. I was heartbroken that I did not get to meet Miss Mack when she was in the hospital, but when you're student teaching you don't really get to take personal days. So, when she was a week old or so Cowboy and I made the road trip from Stillwater (God's Country) to Dallas. I fell instantly in love!!!

I spoiled her to the best of my ability, even though she lived in Texas, then Iowa. I took her to Discovery Zone (just the 2 of us) when she was only 1. I climbed through every slide and tube with her. She stayed the night with us when she was 2. She locked herself into a bedroom and I went into complete panic! I couldn't, for the life of me, remember how to pick a bedroom door lock, and Cowboy was unavailable at work. (Apparently it had been too long since her mom and I were living at home together under our parents' roof, driving each other crazy). I actually had to call the local fire department and have some help. (Embarrassing, I know, but I just kept thinking of what she could be getting into by herself in that room and how her mother would just KILL me if I let anything happen to her baby girl).

Then, when Miss Mack was 3, I had Miss B. Well...things changed a little with our relationship. I still adored her, but was rather occupied with my own precocious little girl. Then she had a baby brother, then I had C-Man, then blah, blah, blah. You get the picture. Life happens. When her family lived in Iowa I was fortunate enough to get to have Miss Mack and her brother come stay with us sometimes while their parents were busy working church camps, etc. Then, when Miss Mack was in 4th grade, they moved back to Oklahoma. Fewer overnight trips to Aunt Jenn's house. Then she became a sister to a sister. Then we got Little I. Then her mom had her surprise baby. You get the picture again. When Mack was in middle school I was able to teach her a subject a year for a few years. Then she went to public school for high school. SIGH...

So...last night I was left at home with just the 2 little ones. I invited Miss Mack over for dinner and a movie. We had a great time. She is 15 and is an amazing girl! She is a Christ-follower, a world-changer, a wonderful photographer, student, friend, sister, cousing, daughter, niece, babysitter, etc. I was so happy to get to hang with her. It's fun in a happy-sad sort of way to see her getting so old and mature.