Family Foto Friday The Lady of Many Hats......my Sweet sister

It's Family Foto Friday again Deborah over at http://picturespotspens.blogspot.com/ is hosting Favorite Family Foto. You get to see lots of family photos, hop on over and check them out
This week seeing how Sunday is Mother's Day my post today is about a Lady who though she isn't my Mother is the next best thing....


The title for my post today came about from an unhappy experience I had at a Dr's office, now when you see what I post you'll say "How did this get to this" but I will explain. On my last visit to Hattiesburg, I was confronted by the office manager a very bossy lady, and she was telling me what I needed for my Insurance and then turned around and told me what my report showed, should have let the Nurse do this, of course I asked her was she the Nurse, the Insurance Clerk, the appointment maker or what, she told me well, I'm the "Lady of Many Hats", I do it all, even though they had staff for all of these jobs. It seems like she just had to be in charge......

Now this post is about my Sweet Sister and believe me she is NOT the kind that has to be in charge at all. But she is a Lady of Many Hats. She is Momma, of 3, Granny of 4, Great-Granny of 1, Wife and friend to Her DH Donald. MIL to 3

She was born Mary Dean Barlow on Sept 20, 1941, named after both Grandmothers, she married at an early age, just turned 17, and I missed her terrible when we moved to OK and she wasn't with us. She had 2 little girls within a year and a son came several years later. She is still married to her childhood sweetheart for 51 yrs. 4 Generations GD Sara, Dean DD Lorraine and GGD Lexi Dean, her Baby girl Lisa, her youngest Child and only Son Randy, her oldest Child Lorraine and Dean's DH Donald.

oldest DD and husband Calvin

DD Lisa's family Husband Wilford, kids Cory and Paige, Randy and DGD Lindsey Dean and her Beautiful DD Lorraine on her Wedding Day
Also with her Beautiful DD Lisa

This is how we see her most of the time....

After the birth of her Son she finally went back to school to do what she loved best, being a Beautician, I was her model...yea that's right, me, little ole Molly was a model...LOL..I had every hair style and color in the book, but I trusted her cause she had always done my hair. She is always doing someones hair, even Shirley's and mine when we were little. ...I laughingly tell her she's going to have to get up and do her own hair when she dies....she is so particular about her hair and make-up, unlike me who never wore makeup until age 50, I don't believe anyone sees her in the morning till that make up is on and hair in place. She owned her own business for 40 yrs and made many friends, and a good living...one little lady was such a dear friend that when she was found to have Parkinson, she wouldn't let anyone but Dean help her so for 10 yrs Dean was also a care giver to a dear friend, until her friend went to be with her Lord last year. She is always the caregiver learned at an early age,.....She is a survivor, she was so fair but love working in her yard, she had to have Surgery to remove Skin Cancer from face...not a minor one either.... she laughing said the Dr gave her a mini face lift.

But to me...she is more, alot more...she is my Sis, my best friend, my 2d Mom, my adviser , my protector, my shoulder to cry on, my ear when I just need to talk, my co-conspirator, my co-trouble make, my travel mate, my Beautician..my advisor on home decor, my Nurse when I was sick....this lady is remarkable. .

In our 65 years together we fought like cats and dogs growing up, but don't let anyone else mess with one of us or you will suffer the wrath of the Barlow girls, but we have never had a fight since we grow up..

One such time was when we were still in New Orleans I was about 4 and Dean 6, she was out side playing with a little friend and the way our apartment was you had to come down the back ally to get to the door, well she came running down that ally screaming and the little girl right behind her, Mom said I flew out that door and jumped on the little girl because I thought she had done something to my "Sisser" the poor little girl trying to tell me Dean fell down the whole time I was on top of her hitting away...she went home with a bloody nose....opp's sorry...but that's the way it was, you didn't mess with us.... We always tried to dress alike and sometimes still do, when we are planning a little junket she will call and say "what you wearing".......

We even wore our hair alike...lol...

Growing up in the Country on the Farm we were depended on each other for friendship, love, protection against the anger of our Granny. And that dependence made our bond and love for each other extra strong... And we still protect each other against the world...

We are still depended on each other for comfort and companionship, we ask each others advice, but, I can never remember a time when we ever got mad with each other, upset sure, I know there have been times I wanted to wring her neck and I'm sure she feels the same, but we never get mad and have a fuss, we never tell each other what to do, it is advice only, take it or leave it.

Her life is her life and her choice same with me..what ever we decide we support each other .

We share a love for our big Brother, who has Parkinson and it really hurts Dean because she sees the signs of different stages before others because of her friendJim lived in many places he has aways been a wonderer.......and this was made in 1980 When he came through Brookhaven to visit.

This was made 2 yrs ago when we went to Fl. to visit him at his son's home,...she cried all the way home because of how far he had advanced. He lives in TX with his DD, now and is no longer able to walk on his own.

LOL....our trip to FL was one of those wring your neck moments, but that's another story...lol..I just might tell one day....

Any how I could go on and on about her, but you have heard some of our tales in my other blogs...we love traveling together cause we can become those 2 little scrappy girls from the farm again and it's us against the world and do we have fun, yes we do, we put on our 50's music and laugh and talk and just act silly and reminisce all day. We're doing what we always dreamed we'd do..traveling together.