Gibraltar- Regina and Bryan

I heard Ali Wentworth make a joke once that if she and her husband were drowning in a lake, her mother would jump in to save him then the two of them would figure out who to call to save her.  Well that would be also true for Regina, Bryan, and myself.  She loved him that much and I am pretty sure that feeling was mutual. 

I once made the mistake of telling mom that I went to my 8am classes in sweats.  She was horrified.  How would boys ever want to pursue me looking like that?  She told me the least I could do was put on some lipstick.  I rolled my eyes and told her that in finding a boy, I wanted them to appreciate my inner-self first.  She flatly said they'll never have the chance to appreciate that part when they see me looking like that.

See Regina was hilarious, even though she wasn't trying to be.  She saw things in black and white, because the gray just didn't make sense to her.  When she made comments about the gray parts of life, it was plain hysterical.  I think that's one of the reasons Bryan loved her so much.  He loved to be around her and wait for her one liners to come out.  Bryan is a big joker and pushing her buttons made for many-many laughs and fun wine nights by the fire pit.

The relationship Bryan and Regina had was one that you don't see often between a son-in-law and mother-in-law.  They would always gang up on me and I would typically be on the losing end of that stick.  Bryan thought my mom was the best cook and she took such pride in that.  Every time we would come for dinner she would make sure she had his favorite dishes on the menu.  Rosemary potatoes, mushroom rice, Thanksgiving turkey and gravy were just a few of his favorites.  

I always knew that I was lucky when it came to the husband I snagged, but didn't 100% realize that until Mom got sick.  He never once complained that I was never home, that the laundry was a mile high, that our place was a wreck, or that I wasn't "working".  And he wasn't being this understanding because of me---he wanted her to have the best care.  What really "got me" was one Saturday when he came to see her at the hospital.  I think I stepped out for a few moments to get something to eat.  When I got back I saw him at the foot of her bed with his hands all lotioned up giving her the ultimate foot massage.  No one asked him.  He just did it because he loved her and he had no doubt she felt the same way.

Regina and Bryan---Turkey Day 2008