I want to share just a little about my Misty and why I love her so much.

April 15, 2001

From the first kick she gave to my bladder, I knew Misty would be the one to give me gray hairs. Misty is my entrepreneur. When she was 8, she bought a ton of baseball cards at a garage sale, saying they would be worth a lot of money one day. She's always been sharp witted. I've often wished I could think that fast on my feet, instead of thinking of the perfect thing to say, the day after! Besides being a fast thinker, Misty is incredibly smart. She always saw the world in an entirely different perspective. Once, when I had poured Calgon into my bath water, Misty observed the blue color and asked, "Whaddya do, Mom? Drown a Smurf?" Yes, Misty marches to the beat of a different drummer. She's my non-traditionalist, from the word go.

Misty is a tiny little wisp. Barely 5' 2" and maybe 100 pounds, she's never taken any guff from anyone. She's a fighter when she needs to be. When she was 14, her 'friend' slapped her because she thought Misty had told her a lie. Misty punched the much bigger girl back. In the process, she broke her hand. That girl, nor any other kids at school, ever tried to bully Misty after that.

Misty is as loyal as the day is long. She'd stand up for her family and friends, no matter what the circumstances. If they had done something wrong, she's still stand by them. She would also, however, let them know her thoughts on what they had done.

Risk taking seems to come easily for Misty. When she was just 22 months, she kept coming into the kitchen where I was cooking. Even though I had chased her out several times, there was one time she sneaked in without my knowing it. She ended up with second-degree burns on her leg and foot. Before she had her bandages removed from that incident, she nearly stopped my heart when she climbed to the back of the couch. From there, she proceeded to jump onto the floor. She got up laughing. She would have jumped from roof if she could have figured a way to get up there.

Misty loves her children as fiercely. My most memorable moment is one day when I took her to Wal-Mart. I got Cameron out of the car. At the time, he was barely two. She got Cody, who was a newborn. I watched her and saw the smile and love on her face as she looked down at her sons and said, "I love my boys!" It's an image I'll never forget.

Misty has always been an extreme animal lover. On a nature hike through the woods, she became very mad because I wouldn't let her pick up a snake she saw. On a visit to the zoo. She was so mad, she wouldn't even speak to me for the rest of the afternoon, because we wouldn't (couldn't) rescue a monkey being picked on by another. Right now, she has three outdoor turtles who are very happy to be indoors with Misty. She takes care of them as if they were her children. She has always been that way with animals. They seem to gravitate towards her.

Misty could do anything she wanted to. But, her wants are simple. She could have been a model. She could have been a lawyer. In fact, she's thinking seriously about doing just that. It's a lot of work, but she's a hard worker. There have been times when she walked to work when she needed to. I think Misty would make an excellent lawyer. I know there were plenty of times as she grew up, that she would argue with me and make me stop and re-think my position, even if she was in the wrong!
On January 25, 1975, I gave birth to twin daughters, April and Melanie. Three hours after their birth, they died. Jen and I believed Misty and Cassy were April & Melanie re-born. Misty and Cassy looked so much alike, it was eerie. When Cassy died, Misty said, "I've lost my twin. Part of me died." Misty and Cassy were so close. They knew what the other was thinking. They could literally finish each other's sentences. When I look back and remember how Misty and Cassy were towards each other, it amazed me that I couldn't remember a single time when they fought or even disagreed. They always loved each other and weren't afraid to show it. They were so alike, it was uncanny.

I swear, Misty could get away with stuff most people would probably go to jail for. J She has a disarming smile. There is something waif-like about her appearance. She looks so vulnerable and fragile. Total strangers would do anything they could, just to help Misty. She's a people magnetic. People fall in love with her from the very start and they never stop. They'll protect and defend her, love and treasure her, for the rest of their life. They see Misty's gentleness. They know that no matter what they did for her, she'd do the same for them in a heartbeat. Misty is always surrounded by friends. She always will be. That's my Misty.


I'm glad she's mine. She made my life totally change with her arrival. It was a wonderful change. I love my Misty Renee`. She's my free spirit. She's my soul. She's my love. I love you, Misty, for all that you are and will be.