Wonder Woman Wednesday... A Day Late

It's come to my attention that many bloggers seem to have themes throughout the week. I'm starting out slowly with one, Wonder Woman Wednesday! There are so many important women in our lives that don't get enough recognition. Our mothers, aunts, grandmothers, teachers, friends, sisters, and the list goes on and on. Women whose impact we don't realize and take for granted. So I say it's time to start acknowledging these wonder women one week at a time, starting with my most wondrous woman,

My Aunt Joycie

When I was eight years old, my dad and I vacationed with my Aunt and Uncle to North Carolina. My parents were divorced so my mom stayed behind. While on the trip, my dad pulled me aside, telling me we had to go for a walk. The "walk" actually turned into my dad telling me my mom had passed away. 

It was all so foggy for my eight-year-old mind. This couldn't be happening. 

I didn't have a mom? Who would help me get ready for prom? Who would help me pick out my wedding dress? Who would be there for the birth of my first child?

Okay, maybe that didn't all go through my eight-year-old head, but you get the idea. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and just telling myself it wasn't true. This wasn't really happening. 

But it was. 

But what I also remember was my Aunt Joyce sitting in front of the fireplace holding me and running her fingers through my hair, like she still does to this day. 

I didn't know it at the time, but my Aunt Joyce has filled part of that void. True, it's not the same as having a mother, but it's pretty damn close. 

Over the years we have become more than family, we have become best friends. We've baked together, laughed together, cried together, and even fought together (but only a little fight :P). 

I know I can call her whenever I need her and she will be there. Whether I'm happy, sad or just excited about something happening in my life, she'll be there to listen and be excited right along with me. 

But it's not just me that she's there for. She and my dad are the babies of the family, as well as the only two siblings living in Florida. They have been together through the death of my grandparents, the death of my mother, the birth of my cousin, my birth, hurricanes, and just about every other event you can imagine. 

So many people are confused when I tell them how I like hanging out with my family. I guess they just don't understand the strength of my family, of my aunts and uncles, of my dad. Our family has such a strong bond that is pretty rare these days. We joke around and kid with each other, but at the end of the day, we all know how much we love each other. 

And my Aunt Joycie is a part of that glue that holds our family together. We have all had our fallouts. We have all had our fights. But Joycie is always there trying to fix it, trying to make us work it out. And it's not always easy, but she makes it seem easier. 

Though Aunt Joycie has made my life awesome in so many ways, I know she has really made life sweet for my Uncle Randy and my cousin Ryan. 

Joycie makes sure she and the boys always have something planned. Ryan has experienced so many awesome things that so many kids will never experience, whether it's playing the piano, the sax, traveling to Australia, joining a sailing club... he's done it. And it's all because of my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Randy. They have given him an awesome childhood that he will surely never forget. Just as Joycie has been an aunt that I will never, can never forget. 

So here's to you Aunt Joycie. You are so sweet, not only because of your amazing treats baked with love and care, but because of the woman that you are and the woman that you make me want to be. 

You are a classy, sassy, wise, creative, loving, helpful an the list goes on and on. I know that I would not be the woman that I am today were it not for you. 

So, who is it that will help me plan my wedding? Be there for my first child? Help me pick out my wedding dress? 

You guessed it. My Aunt Joycie. 

Thank you for just being you.

xoxo