Since I can't be with my mom on her special day, I figured I'd post some of my favorite pictures and stories instead!
I happen to look a lot like my mom. (I also look a lot like my dad, but I'll save that post for another day). My dad always says we have the same smile. We have really similar personalities and have always gotten along really well.
Like when we're driving from Illinois to California together to move me into my new house while my new husband is still deployed in Japan. Spending days in a car together and a week in a house together doing all the tiring jobs of moving in and making it liveable would test anyone's patience, and we did pretty good at not blowing up at each other!
Even when we had to drive through miles of beef factories. Not the best part of the trip. We left Illinois on January 1st, and surprisingly and thankfully had amazing weather the entire trip. We hit snow in Flagstaff, AZ, but not enough to delay our travels. (Surprisingly, Jeff's and my return trip back from CA - IL was equally wonderful considering we drove home in December, despite some rain in MO and IL. I have no idea how that worked out both times).
My mom and I share a love for musicals. We also have birthdays less than a week apart, so one year it made for easy birthday plans for my dad! He surprised us both with tickets to Wicked. We had both read the book and had been dying to see the musical. We went to Giordano's Pizza (a must in Chicago) and then enjoyed a fantastic musical. Such a fun night in the city!
My mom is a natural with babies. She ran her own daycare for a while when my brother and I were little, and babysat any and every child as we grew up. It's why I'm so comfortable with babies and kids and everything in between, and I have no doubt when I do have kids I'll be calling her every other day for advice about something or other. She has a knack for calming crying babies down; she's one of the few people I know who wants a crying baby in her arms. At my wedding reception, my best friend had recently had her second son, Arik. My mom held him the entire reception, and loved every second of it.
My mom's also the one who fueled my love for animals. Animal Planet was always on our TV growing up, and every Mother's Day we'd go to the zoo. Chicago is blessed with two wonderful zoos, so we'd alternate each year. She and my dad still go to the zoo every year for Mother's day, because he knows how much she loves watching all the animals. She'd spend hours in the gorilla exhibit if she could, but would happily skip the reptile house that was my brother's favorite.
When she and my brother came out to visit me in California (another surprise from my dad for Mother's day! He's great with gifts), we checked out a nearby wildlife conservation center called Cat Haven. It was up in the foothills, about an hour and a half away, and we went right after I picked them up from the airport. We saw the most well-cared for big cats I've ever seen, and closer than any zoo will ever let you go. The animals were well cared for and had large and comfortable enclosures, and each had a relationship with the trainers that led us through the tour. It was an amazing place and I regret only going once while I lived nearby. But, it was a perfect afternoon with my mom and brother, and we loved seeing all the big cats. Like a zoo, but more up close and personal!
When I got married, my mom joked all day that I was joining the "Mrs. B's" in the family! (Both my maiden and married names begin with B) She helped me plan the quick courthouse wedding and laid back reception, she helped me find my dress, she helped make sure the big day was relaxed and wonderful. (I also have a pretty fabulous mother-in-law to my left in the picture!)
There have obviously been a lot more great moments than these few photos, but she's a wonderful mom and a really special person. She repeatedly calms me down when I get frustrated with all the little things in life, she celebrates the great things that happen, and she encourages me to explore and try all that life has to offer. I feel so lucky to have her in my life.
Hope you get a chance to recognize a wonderful mother, or be recognized as a wonderful mother today!
No comments:
Post a Comment