For the Birthday Girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Yep.  Today is the big day for my mom.

It is also 11/11/11 meaning my mom's birthday is way cooler than anyone else's birthday.

First off, a disclaimer. I understand that this is not the best picture the world has ever seen of a girl with her mom. But it ain't as easy as you'd think to get a good picture of just a girl and that girl's mom when that girl is one of eight children. There's always some other sibling trying to weasel their way in.

This picture was taken up in the Himalayas, however. So that automatically brings it's coolness up, right?

When I was a little girl and I had a bellyache, my mom would bring me sprite and saltine crackers all day long.  Then she'd sit next to me on the couch and rub my tummy under my shirt until it felt better. 
That's when I learned that my mom was caring.

We used to go up to Provo every August and attempt to get all of the school shopping for all the kids done in one day.  One day after hours upon hours of shopping, I was complaining that I hadn't gotten as much stuff as Dennis.  My mom said, "Well, you know what, I didn't get anything.  So stop."

That's when I realized that my mom was selfless.

When I was a teenager, my mom was the Young Women's president.  We went to girls camp and my mom would wake all the girls up by blasting the song "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..."

That's when I knew my mom was fun.

And a little crazy.

When I was on my mission I complained home every letter for the first six months.  I couldn't figure out why people didn't give a rip about the most important message ever.  My mom sent me back letters with the exact words and advice that I needed, encouraging me on and telling me how great I was doing.

That's when I knew my mom was a comforter.

One day my dad came home from work and turned the radio on.  "Unchained Melody" was playing and that's my mom and dad's song.  Dad grabbed my mom, who was cooking, and danced with her and kissed her while us kids just sat there watching the whole sappy mushy mess.  And my mom smiled and giggled and held on tight.

That's when I knew my mom loved my dad.

I used to come home from school and wander into my mom's room to ask her what was for a snack.  More often than not, she would be sitting in her room, in the big recliner reading her scriptures. 

That's when I knew my mom was a spiritual rock.

When I was eight my mom read the entire book To Kill a Mockingbird to me, Reed, and Dennis. 

That's when I fell in love with reading.

When I would drive with my mom she'd cruise through stop signs, go anywhere from 10-20 miles over the speed limit, make phone calls, put on make up, and get to her destination within record time.

That's when I learned how to drive.

"You're not wearing that out.  It's too low/tight/short/provocative.  Go change right now."  My mom would often say to me when I was trying to go out for the night.  Mom had many a "modesty" talk with me growing up.

That's when I knew my mom cared about the message I sent out about myself.

We used to play a lot of fast scrabble as a family.  My mom always won.  She did crosswords in record time.  Anytime I needed to know what a word meant, I just asked my mom and she'd tell me, like some kind of freakish walking dictionary.

That's when I knew that my mom was smart.

One day we were at the mall and we got Sbarro's pizza.  Mine looked kind of old and gross and it was cold as night.  My mom stormed right up to the man working at the pizza place and demanded her money back and another piece of pizza.  And she got it. 

That's when I learned how to not get ripped off.

Sometimes my friends would come over for dinner.  My mom fed everybody without blinking an eye.  And my friends would talk for days after about how delicious the food was.

That's when I knew my mom was a good cook.

My mom never missed a piano recital, she bought Christmas presents and threw Birthday parties for me every year, she praised me for my good grades, she cleaned my room when I was too busy studying for the ACT, she planned and paid for my whole wedding, she helped me buy my first car, she supports me in every decision I make, she taught me how to be independent and responsible, she washed my clothes until the day I moved out, she was the first person I called when I got my first "real" job, she always returns my phone calls the same day, she tells me how pretty I look, she asks me questions about my life.

And that's how I know my mom loves me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!