I do not understand how all of our adventurous House Moms go unnoticed. Momma Ruth, SAE's sweet yet daring House Mom, is about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. If you don't believe me, just stop by SAE and ask her yourself!
This time next year, Momma Ruth will be making her way to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro! No biggie, right? Just a mere 19,000-foot climb with her cousin. Momma Ruth just decided that she wanted to climb this mountain one day, and you better believe she's gonna do it. There will be a group of people that are there to carry her clothing, cook and pitch tents. I mean if I am gonna make an eight day hike up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro, that's the way I would do it.
To top it all off, Momma Ruth will celebrate her 70th birthday the day that they will reach the top of the mountain. Happy birthday to her! Unfortunately, the freezing weather at the top will cause them to make their way back down shortly after. She will also get to go on a safari while she is there. Sorry guys, but your impressive House Mom is going to be absent for a few weeks living out some unreal dreams.
If that isn't enough adventure for one person (it's not for her), then try some skydiving. Momma Ruth has been skydiving just under 100 times within a two-year period. I can't even bring myself to go once. She has done every kind of jump there is, from static line, tandem, and alone.
"I would run forever once I landed," she said. We laughed when she told me about one of her more "graceful" landings in trees, off paths, and too fast onto the ground that she got swept back up by the wind. Even though she was black and blue almost every time, she loved every single jump.
Momma Ruth took over being SAE's House Mom from her junior year college roommate. Two young men interviewed her from SAE and she enjoyed them and their conversation so much, she couldn't say no to the position.
Momma Ruth has been with SAE for 12 years. Of course, it was not without some crazy stories along the way. In her very first year (actually her very first week at SAE), Momma Ruth had some family stay with her in her part of the house. Her sister's 13-year-old step daughter was sleeping on the floor by the door, with a spot next to her for another family member who was coming in late.
So when the door opened, Momma Ruth didn't think twice about who it would be. In the morning she was surprised to find it wasn't a family member. It wasn't even an SAE. It was a random friend of an SAE who had stumbled in drunk and was just looking for a cozy place to crash for the night.
She caught herself frozen just looking at the sleeping guy on her floor, laughing yet not comfortable enough with her new job to kick him out right away. But now she knows how to handle any unwelcome guests, so don't try any funny business.
There have been good memories to go with the strange ones. For example, Momma Ruth loves homecoming a whole lot. She is amazed by the process of creating a design, building a deck, pomping for hours and putting the whole product together. She may or may not be excited for the front year to be cleaned up soon since her room shares the front of the house windows.
The good thing about being so close to front of the house is that she puts candy out for her guys to get a little treat. But they have to be careful of her two precious pups, Buddy and Sadie, guarding the door with some ferocious barks and growls. If you want to get on their good side, let them free at any meal of the day and step aside. They run straight to the kitchen for any scraps of yummy food.
One of my favorite parts about talking with Momma Ruth was hearing her words of wisdom. "You're never too old to do something. I started skydiving at 40," she encouraged. We have no excuse to live out our dreams and invest in our bucket lists!
