Grandma's Girl

When we went on our trip this summer, we stopped in my hometown and spent a few days in my family home where my dad still lives. I pulled out photo albums of my mom's childhood/adolescence/early adulthood and brought them back to Victoria with us. I figured since 3 of the 4 of us siblings live here, it was better for them to be here than packed away in a trunk under my dad's basement steps.

Because my mom died when I was a teenager, I was left with so many unanswered questions about her life. I love seeing pictures of her and trying to piece everything together, seeing sides of her that I never would have imagined in the mom I knew. (Partying? Yes sometimes. Fishing? NEVER would have thought it!)

Anyway, looking at the photos, one thing became more and more apparent: She is Rio.

Betty - age 11? 12? Something like that?

Since shortly after her birth, I have always thought Rio looked like my mom. All anyone ever raved about was how much she looked like Jordan, and while I did see that, sometimes the resemblance to my mom would shock me. Even more so now, I'll look over at Rio sometimes and for a split second I may as well be looking at my mom. 

This summer, Rio met a lot of my high school friends along our trip. All of them had only met her as a baby, so seeing her as a 6 year old was a huge change. Upon laying eyes on her, two of my friends, miles and days apart, said the exact same thing: "She's your mom". 

Recently my sister from California was in town with her kids. They sat down with my sister and I and pored through the photos. Huddled together on the couch they opened the first page and with a hesitant, confused look on their faces, turned to me and said "She's Rio". Then when my nephew was asked how he repeatedly picked his grandma (as a child) out of pictures, he answered "I find the one that looks like Rio".

I love it. I love that other people are finally spotting what I have been seeing all along. Rio Elisabeth really is like her namesake.