Since I started story telling on my blog last summer,

I knew I wanted to blog my Mom for Mother's Day.

This is not only a celebration of who she is,

but also a celebration of who her Mom is in her life,

as well as a celebration of all Mom's.

Meet my Mom.

Childhood:

She says,

"I can say that my Mom tried to provide me with everything I wanted.

It was fun, cool, simple, good to be a kid.

We enjoyed life more I think, you know, before all of the technology.

Everyone would go to the pool, we knew where everybody was at, it was nice. 

It was just like you see in the movies, we would ride bikes all around town.

Over all I had a good childhood, I think.

Except when we were going through what Mom went through being in

an abusive relationship that we all had to live through.

-That only lasted until I was five and then we were done with that.

After that it was just peaceful.. 

and it was just Mom.

She was both Mom and Dad. She always had birthday parties for us. 

She worked all the time and every Friday she would bring home McDonalds for me

-a quarter pounder with cheese, a hot fudge sundae with nuts, and a large french fry." She laughs.

"Grandpa lived with us, so I got to experience time with him.

He was in a wheelchair and so Mom would take care of him all of the time.

Elizabeth was there till she was 15, and had to grow up kind of fast, so it was just me.

Jose came in the picture when I was 7.

I was a tom boy. Dirt bikes, skateboards, all of it.

You never found me in dresses.

I wasn't scared of anything; I would do anything probably."

High school:

"I was a really good student up until high school. When I was a teenager I got a little rebellious..

well not a little rebellious, probably a lot." She laughs.

 "I think because I had a lot freedom (since Mom had to work, obviously) during the summer time,

when I was 8th grade, that's when it all started.. I also hung out with older kids.

My experiences I guess have led my to who I am, though.

Maybe that's why I like working with kids and juveniles 

-because I was a handful and put my Mom through a lot."

Teen Mom:

"In high school, I messed up one whole school year and had to graduate one year late.

And with all of the freedom I had is when I got pregnant at 17.

I kept it hidden to myself and then I was at your Dad's house one day

and she called me telling me that she thought I was pregnant. 

She took me to the doctors and found out I was 7 months pregnant and she was devastated.

She wondered how as a Mom she could have missed that, but then again I didn't look like I was pregnant.

It was hard because everyone was more traditional back then so that's why I kept it hidden.

When I got pregnant with you, seriously, that pretty much switched my life around and got me back on track.

Before I was always in trouble, always out late running around and Mom would have to come find me,

but then I got pregnant, had you, and re-did the 12th grade and it was the first time being on the honor roll again.

Then I decided to go to college and graduated on the dean's list. Just sayin'." She laughs.

Lieutenant Garza:

My mom has worked in Juvenile Corrections

 for 16 years and became a Lieutenant in 2014. 

"In college, I started off thinking of going into human services, 

but I didn't care for it that much.

Then corrections caught my attention. 

Work is interesting.

It's sad, but I have been there for a long time so it must be for a reason.

It's satisfying helping kids and then you get kids who call and say: 

'Hey Garza, just wanted to let you know I'm doing good.' 

He hadn't been there for two years, but still thinks about us, you know.

Because I think we have a lot to do in their lives

trying to help them get through their hard times, and that makes it worth being there."

I asked her what the hardest part about the job and

"it's getting attached and then them leaving

or them leaving and they fail and aren't doing good.

The overall hardest thing working in that environment is seeing the kids struggle.

Some of them don't have parents who care and they are being let down or their parent don't visit.

Also, when you see the kids who like us and would rather be with us then at home and that's sad.

I try not to bring it home, but there are moments where I have to run up front and collect myself because

its hard to see those kids when they are hurting and crying and missing their family. 

Overall I like the job and knowing that we have helped."

I asked what she thinks makes her a good fit.

She says, "because I've lived it.

I once had to spend the weekend there and I hated it.

I also have a strong personality, so when I go in there I am pretty confident in myself.

When I first started, the kids said I was intimidating. I don't see it in myself, because

I know what kind of person I am, but people have always said that about me.

Even back when I worked at the factory, they put me with a group of people and they were all scared of me,

and they didn't even know me.

Then they love me and they say, 'I was so scared of you at first',

and I'm like why? You guys are ridiculous.

The kids at the jail always say to me:

'Officer Garza, I'm scared of you',

 but they have a lot of respect for me.

I have earned it, it built up over time; I think it's being firm with them and keeping them in line,

but also understanding them.

They want structure. They may act like they don't, but they do because they don't have that at home. 

Also, I talk really well with people. 

I'm a people person, very sociable and I am a leader."

 Heritage:

Anyone who knows my Mom knows that she is super proud of her heritage.

I asked what makes her so proud.

She said that it's because she's experienced her culture.

"My grandfather who was from Mexico lived in my house when I was growing up.

Mom's cooking and Mom's music and also going to Mexico with Jose and Mom every year when I was young.

 I just loved it. I don't know what it was.

I loved the rancho lifestyle, the dirt roads, the horses and the roosters crowing in the morning, to this day.

I even got baptized in Mexico. 

I never was able to speak Spanish, but when I turned 13 and 14 I learned it.

Grandma and Jose would throw me out to play with other kids my age in Mexico

who only spoke Spanish, so I picked it up that way.

You learn from being in the environment.

One time Jose and his brother got a donkey and they took Mom and I to the mountains. 

 I rode it, Jose pulled it, and we went to look at the Indian ruins and cut down cacti, ate sugar cane

and went to the little festivals they had in town. I got to experience that life and live humble.

I just love Mexico. It's a beautiful, beautiful place and I'm glad I got to experience that."

A celebration of moms:

My mom say's,

"I remember when Mom got cancer 

-her hair was falling out and that was the only time I saw her cry.

I was a teenager.. she was in her robe combing her hair

and she just put her head down and shook her head.

When Grandpa died, she was strong. When Aunt Mary died she was so strong.

I don't ever, ever remember her being weak.

I think the strength that she has, made us who we all are too.

I am also glad I got my Mom's work ethic.

I always saw her busting her butt for the things that we had. I always worked, then I went to college.

Working as a single mom I worry a lot.

I worry that I can't spend enough time with your brothers.

I also get scared because they are getting older now.

It's just hard being a single Mom because you feel like you can never win.

I can try to be there and get off work for certain things, but others things I just can't be there.

I think I manage it pretty well because once I put my mind to something I stick with it,

like if I want to be able to travel and do things for the kids."

Mom, I hope you enjoyed your blog.

I know you will have a great Mother's Day as

we will all be together in Florida!!

I admire your strength and natural beauty,

boldness and confidence,

  willpower and ambition.

The thing I am most grateful for you as a mother

is for you loving me unconditionally

in every season of my life.

Through the good and the bad,

and the ugly teenage years. Lol.

Love you Mom.

This maternity session was the 

perfect example as to 

why I LOVE maternity sessions so much.

 Baby bumps, 

spring vibes,

and silhouettes.

What else could you want?

Thanks Alexis and Gonzalo for all the fun

in capturing your special memories!

Adored all your guy's images. 

xOxO

She absolutely hates pictures,

she's also a very private person,

and even though she's looked the same my whole life,

she hates talking about anything to do with age. 

So I'm sure you can imagine why her agreeing to let me write about

her on my blog is kind of a big deal.

She even dug out some old pictures for me.

We talked about how it was growing up and what made

 her the person she is today.

Meet my Grandma.

Growing Up:

"For us, it wasn't as easy as it is for everybody else these days.

We had to watch out for ourselves.

I don't think we ever had a Christmas tree.

Father and Mother were from Mexico,

and back then Los Gringos, you know.

We were poor people and most everybody here owned all of the stores

and their kids were the kids whose fathers owned the stores.

Of course we didn't have the clothes, the shoes, or the hairdos they did.

Back then there were only a few other Mexican families and none of us were rich families;

we worked in the fields.

At times we went to pick tomatoes because we weren't old enough to work.

Mother and Father:

Father was a great man -he was very considerate.

He came across the border, from Michoacán, in 1929 and never went back.

Mother was born there, but raised here,

 and she was really something, man.

She learned how to do things herself -she even taught herself to drive in the fields. 

They didn't know English, but Mother started to speak it.

Father understood it, and even read the paper, but he just didn't understand everything 

and he just never spoke it."

I asked what she meant by them having to watch out for themselves.

Their mother died when she was thirteen and she says:

"You know when the train killed Mother, it's so weird,

but we never talked about it.

Nobody got together to talk about anything.

Everyone just kept to themselves.

 Isn't that awful?

I don't know why, but we just did.

I guess we just tried to block it out.

You know what's funny though? 

We always lived pay check to pay check

but we never asked for welfare, nor did we even think about it.

We kept to ourselves. We didn't associate with anyone. We were kind of like cavemen or hillbillies,

she laughs, but I don't want to compare myself to no dang hillbilly.

 There was nobody to tell us anything. We didn't ask no questions.

In school I was a quiet person, I would not talk. I would rather take a zero than talk.

I only had 2 or 3 friends that I might call friends because they were poor like we were.

All of the other kids were the kids of the people who owned all of the stores,

and of course we were looked down on us because we were poor.

I dropped out in the 10th grade to work; I kind of had to.

The twins even dropped out in the 11th grade to work.

The only one who graduated was, Rafael."

Work:

"I started working in the fields here and there when I was young, 

then the potato farm before I went to the factory.

Then in my twenties, when Elizabeth was born

I worked in the factory and I worked there in the same place

for 40+ years until I retired."

The Stories:

"You know what Mother would do?

They used to sell big flour bags for tortillas that were made out of cotton material, 

and when she got done with the sacks she would wash them all up and make dresses for us.

Either that or she would make sheets, even if she had to put them together.

They were always clean, but they were all patched up. She would make different designs with them.

Can you imagine us going to school with a dress made out of a flour sack?

And we wondered why people from the stores didn't talk to us", she laughs. 

"But we didn't think anything about it.

We were clean, but poor.

We never had a rug so Maria and I would get down on the floor with our hands and knees and wax it.

Mother was that way. We were clean people.

It wasn't even wax, but that shiny oil, she laughs.

I don't know why? We could slip and fall and break our dang necks just so the floors could be shiny.

We couldn't even walk good on it, but at least the floors were clean!

Also, you will never guess

what we use to love to do on Saturdays.

We use to love to go to the dump.

It used to be above ground and we would go through all of the junk.

We would find dolls, purses, and one time I found a ring that had a blue stone.

I had it forever, I don't know what happened to it.

We looked forward to going there on Saturdays", she laughs.

"And when we went swimming...

 we had a long driveway that was about a half a block long

and on the right side there was a field that had a little dip so when it rained

we would go swimming in that muddy water in the cornfield,

she laughs. Isn't that something? 

We would go swimming in that dirty little water in the cornfield?"

She pauses and add's shortly after, "and we didn't know how TO SWIM.

AND, when we had an ice cream cone,

you will never believe how we had an ice cream cone.. 

When it snowed one time, we went out and found the clean part of the snow, 

put it in a glass and put sugar over it. That was our ice cream cone.

 We probably never knew what an ice cream cone was.

That's why I say, you do what you can,

and that was good enough for us." 

Her Strength:

I asked her where she got her strength from.

She said she just got it from the life they had.

"Not being spoiled with everything and having to do with what we had

or what we didn't have. Put it that way. 

One time we lived in a house that didn't even have a bathroom,

but because of the way mother and father were, the farmers really liked mother and father.

The farmers built us a brand new outhouse.

The farmers, they were good people.

Everyone liked Mother and Father because of they way 

they were, they cleaned up really well,

cleaned up all of the weeds."

The cultures:

"It's so funny because the gringos would say; 'well we are going to eat steaks',

and everyone would get their steaks you know,

but us Mexicans, we would buy one and cut it up." 

She laughs, "and we were lucky if we even got one steak.

Then we would fry it up, add onions and tomatoes sauce or mix it up with potatoes

and make it Mexican style, you know?"

Her Advice:

I asked what advice she would give readers.

" You do what you are able to do in every situation.

You do what you can with what you got.

...And you can't miss what you never had, you know? "