Happy Birthday Mom!

Today my mom is 58. I wanted to do a special tribute for her and so I decided to dig up some old pictures and share them with our family and friends. I could say a million wonderful things about my mom but I'd rather spend time with her today than sit here typing.

I will say, however, that as I mentioned below, she is in my fave five. In fact, she's at the top of my list. If she didn't call me every day, my phone would hardly ring. My siblings tease her about how much she calls us and it use to drive me crazy too. Then my parents spent 18 days in the Middle East and I kid you not, MY PHONE DID NOT RING. I realized how much I actually liked her calls when I quit getting them. It's not that she always has something to say, exactly, or that she calls at the best times. But it's nice to know someone is always thinking about me. Her kids and grandkids are always at the forefront of her thoughts.

I also have to say that my mom is very patient with me. It's sad, but true, that I always seem to take out my frustrations on her. Yet she always takes it in stride. In fact, she does whatever she can to cheer me up. She is always there for me no matter what. After a major heartbreak, she came home one day and found me lying on the couch staring into space. She knew what had happened because I was a wreck for several days. She asked me how I was doing and I could not respond except to start sobbing. She asked what she could do and through my tears I said I didn't know. So she simply went and got a box of Kleenex for me, knowing I would go through several before I could stop crying. For some reason, that really meant a lot to me and I have never forgotten it.

She took our family to Bermuda last year which was a huge treat. On the last day, I really wanted to see Fort Hamilton and no one would go with me. So my mom said she would so I wouldn’t have to go alone. We ended up running through a tropical rain storm at the end to catch our bus. We were absolutely drenched. Instead of being annoyed with me, she laughed it off as part of our adventure. Two months later, she was the one who attended my graduation from flight attendant training and pinned my wings on me.

She has bailed me out so many times when I have left something for the last minute (which is always! lol). She dropped everything to finish the quilt I made for a guy for Valentine's Day since he was picking me up in 30 minutes and I still hadn't showered. By the time he came, she had it finished and wrapped. She gave up a week of her new found freedom (after being laid off) to drive with me across the country even though (again) I KNOW she didn't really want to. And she has learned that if I am not fed at regular intervals (I have blood sugar issues) that I get very grumpy... so she makes sure I keep food in me when we are out (although it might be more for her benefit since I can really be a bear when I'm hungry.)

My mom taught me how to cook and sew. She taught me how to serve others. She taught me how to take crap without complaining. She taught me to be creative and to work hard. She is cheerful, talkative, optimistic, and just plain nice. And she is beautiful. My mom has the most amazing and flawless skin. She hardly has any wrinkles. I'd like to say I am my mother's daughter... but I have a long way to go in some areas, such as gardening. I did not inherit her green thumb, but I did learn from her how to pick out the best produce at the store.

Thank you, Mom, for all you do and for all you are. I love you! Happy birthday!!

These are shots my dad took of my mom when they were dating. I showed him today and he said he had forgotten "how hot she was" back then. Um, yeah... SMOKIN' hot!! (You can click on them to enlarge.)