Friday's Featured Friend: My Mom (Romeo Whiskey)

As promised, I'll post an interview/article with a friend once a week on the blog. These will be people that have a role in my life in some way, shape, or form. I may find this more interesting than you (learning more about people close to me), so if you're bored with my friends you can always interview your own.

So today's friend is my ma, who I've known longer than any human being on earth. At age 64, she is busier than most 32 year olds I know, and I challenge any of you to spend a day with her and not feel exhausted by the end. For those who think my motor doesn't stop, Romeo's motor is on turbo boost, and has been in that setting for as long as I can remember. The picture of above is my mom, pregnant with my little sister walking my brother and I somewhere in Savannah, Georgia. The one below is my ma with the four of us sometime in 1981.

I'll let her explain a bit about her, but the two things I love most about my mom are her ability to see the bright side in every situation, and her uncanny knack for clever one-liners. My favorite one-liner (passed on from her father) is: "you get more flies with honey than you do vinegar." There are countless others, and my family even has a running list of them...someday I'll hunt them down and post 'em up here.

Anyhow, here goes (my comments are in parenthesis when I felt the need to chime in):

Date and City of Birth: September 24, 1945; Louisville, KY

Siblings: 1, younger sister born two years later

Father's occupation: Dentist

Mother's occupation: Bookmaker at a Tobacco company, homemmaker

Best friend: Linda (who she still sees at least once a week)

First unsupervised vacation with Linda: Mexico City, Tasco, and Acoulpoco Mexico

Memory (good or bad) from that trip: One of us got bilked out of money by a local guy named Gerard Marey (don't ask me how she remembers the name)

Favorite Chicago movie theater growing up: Northtown

High School: Mather

First Kiss: Dennis (last name omitted to protect his anonymity)

Location of first kiss: In front of Elder Hall on the campus of Northwestern University

Length of time between first date and kiss: "Years"

College(s): 1964/65 at UW Madison, 1966/67 at Boston University (she transferred to BU to be closer to Dennis)

Favorite class in college: Art History

First job out of college: Working in claims for Blue Cross Blue Shield

Next job: Teacher in Chicago inner city grade school

Favorite drive in the Chicago area (past or present): Sheridan Road along the lake when the leaves are changing in the fall

If a tourist came to Chicago and asked for three activities, she would suggest: Driving on Lake Shore Drive, Millenium Park, and the Art Institute

Favorite Breakfast spot in Chicago: M Henry on Clark Street

Lunch: Al's Italian Beef with sweet peppers on Taylor Street (I think Portillo's is better, but we can agree to disagree)

Dinner: Spiaggia, very elegant, great location and great food

How did she meet my father?: My aunt Muriel (her mom’s sister) and Barry’s father’s sister (Dorothy) were childhood friends. And my aunt attended Dorothy’s son’s bar mitzvah and fixed us up. He called me in November of 1967 and we talked on the phone for like 3 hours. I got off the phone and said to my parents and said, “he’s an amazing person.” He cared about the inner city kids as much as I did, and he asked me out for a Saturday night date.

What was that first date like? He took me to a party at his apartment near the Medical Center with a bunch of other people. I wore a gold dress with black shoes and a white fluffy fake rabbit jacket. My mother helped me pick it out. I had long hair at the time. He did NOT kiss me good night.

Ten "Coolest" Days in her life (in no particular order)

1. Getting engaged

2. Getting married

3. Having baby # 1

4. Having baby #2

5. Having baby #3 (that'd be me)

6. Finding out she's pregnant with baby # 4

7. Having baby #4

8. Moving in to house in Highland Park (this was 1977)
9. Watching baby #2 deliver grandbaby (first time)

10. Watching baby #2 delivery grandbaby (second time)

(Note: A Close call to the top 10 was the pride she felt the day my little sister graduated from Northwestern and flipped off the camera. See above, a proud moment for the Whiskey family)
Top three favorite vacations: Australia, Grand Canyon, Hilton Head, SC

Vacation destination she'd like to go to: Nepal

A great day today is: Today was a great day. I woke up, did my crossword puzzle. My husband went with me to the grocery store and helped me make dinner. I took a walk in the Botanic Garden, came home and had a cup of coffee, and my children and grandchildren here for dinner was peaceful. I talked to four children, which isn’t easy.

I never seem to have enough time for ____________: myself. But I’m learning how to allow time for myself. I just have to say the most important thing for the day is something for me, and I just have to do it, but when I do it my day is so much better.

Favorite Hobby: My Pets

Total Pets (with names) she's owned in her lifetime: 19. Candy, Heidi, Phoebe, Ivan, Sinclair, Millicent, Bernice, Sadie, Minerva, Lillian, Rudy, Pasty, Victor, Nathan, Ben, Velvet, Mitzi, Paco, Gene

Meanest of the bunch: Lillian

Smartest of the bunch: Velvet

Best lesson her oldest son taught her: He went through some tough years with school/social things and came out a winner in the end. It taught me even though you go through life with challenges positive things can come from it.

Best lesson from daugher #1: Her ability to fight back and feistiness and to stand up for what she believes is important in her life.

Best lesson from her 2nd son (me): Ya just don’t give up. Even though things look terrible today they will be better tomorrow and they always have been with you.

Best lesson from daugher #4 (see above for middle finger): Letting go of my kids and letting them be who they are and accept them for who they are no matter where they live.

Best lesson from husband: His tenacity and his ability to work hard and stick with it to achieve what he wants.

Favorite summer destination in the Chicago area: I think the Botanic Gardens. I find serenity in there, achievement, peace, social ties, I love the music I listen to. Nobody bothers me in there, its just peace. And you get to know the people you see walking and its wonderful. But when the weather’s bad I can't be out as much as I should.

Random Photos: