Family & friends are so very important to me; without them, I would live a very sad & lonely life. I count myself lucky that I treasure the memories I have of growing up & spending time with my grandparents & relatives as a child.

I had a special bond with one of my grandparents in particular – my grandmother on my Dad’s side; her name was Mozelle & we called her “Mema” & it always seemed to suit her! She & my granddaddy were married almost 64 years, when she passed away three years ago this month. I think of her often & can’t say enough good things about her.

To list just a few things about her, she was a beautician in Abilene, TX for 30 years, she loved word search puzzles, she made a mean homemade pie, & she was full of spunk her whole life – which I could never get enough of! One word that I love to use to describe my Mema is sassy & I just loved that about her; she was always so much fun & never made me feel anything short of infinitely loved.

Mema would drive us (my cousin Trina, my little brother Clint, & I) through town & when she went under the overpasses she would honk the horn as loud as she could, we’d roll down the windows & scream as loud as we could, & then we’d all giggle. She bought me my first Cabbage Patch Kid doll, & you probably remember what a big deal those were! Our school art projects would hang on her bedroom wall or be proudly displayed on her dresser for years; she was always so proud of us. She had no qualms telling me, in the sincerest way possible, that if someone were really mean to me or hurt my feelings then they were being “a horse’s rear”. When I went off to college, she knit me a throw blanket & would send me on my way with care packages full of goodies & sweets every time I stopped by their house.

When she passed away, I found a pile of letters she’d saved in a sewing basket & one of them was from me when I was 5 years old. She was my cheerleader, my friend, my family – she was the best grandmother a girl could have & not a day goes by that I don’t miss her & count myself lucky to have had her in my life!

Val and spent last weekend working with a group of friends to make a short film for the 48hr Film Project. We were given the genre of comedy, the character Leeanne or Liam Butler, a painter, the prop of a book, and the line “why don’t you explain it to me.” After a long day Saturday and some time spent Sunday morning, this was the final result. Val sings on the track and is in the movie, I was one of the camera and lighting techs, and I make a brief appearance as a barista in the coffee shop. Enjoy the film!