Whether you know her as Mother, Nona, Chatty Kathy or Crazy Carla…to know her is to love her and envy her endless energy. From the start mom has had more energy than her 10 kids combined. That’s right 10 children and over 85 months of pregnancy. By the age of 37, she had a 17 year old, a newborn, and 8 others in between. So naturally she spent most of her days making meals, sweeping floors, doing laundry, crafting team banners, cheering at games, helping with homework and tucking children into bed. Mom was also a flight attendant. We were so lucky to be taken in tow as she traveled the World. How that ever worked, just like trips to the grocery store, I will never know. All I can think of now as a tired mom of three, is she must have been exhausted and blessed with super hero like patience. Mom always somehow managed to be put together and even competed in the Mrs. California pageant. Though she did not win a crown, she did win the most fitting title of Ms. Congeniality. I guess you have to have a sense of humor to take on an army of little people. I can still see the picture of “the little old lady in a shoe” she had hanging in the hallway. As we grew up, mom found other ways to keep herself busy. Cleaning houses in the neighborhood, making sure the church was spick and span, volunteering time and advice at the local jail and women’s shelter and traveling great distances to see her kids. Nothing ever slowed her down. By the time she was 51, her first grand baby boy was born. Amazingly, she made it to every birth of her now 20 grandchildren. At the end of 2013, mom was ready to retire and decided to spend her days with her little ones. She picked up and moved to Texas. Just three short months later, 2 stage 4 GBMs were found taking over her clever and selfless mind. We were heartbroken. The one we thought would outlive us all, was given a year. We are blessed to still be fighting, celebrating, deeply cherishing and loving our Nona. Thank you mom, for everything.