Happy Birthday to my mama!

Happy Birthday to the best mom on the planet!

This lady is the type of person that I aspire to be. She is beautiful, kind, hilarious, and thoughtful.

She has always been there for me and is the most patient and loving mother that I could ever imagine.

She walked all over New York in the rain with me on our 2009 trip to the city. She is one tough lady.

She rocked me to sleep every night when I was a baby because she couldn't bear to hear me cry.

She drove an hour to take me to McDonald's for a happy meal when I was small.

She bought me a car when I was 16.
(She never went out for lunch. She always ate at home to save money).

She never spanked me. Not once.
Not even when I bit her at 3 years old. Not even when she found chewing gum under the coffee table. I'm an only child so there was no one else to blame. Not when I kicked a hole in the wall during a temper tantrum after they moved into their new house. Not when I screamed at her because she couldn't get my bangs ratted high enough to be cool in the 5th grade. Not once. She quietly and patiently explained why she was disappointed in my behavior and how I could be better in the future.

I hope someday when I have children that I can be even half as good of a mother as she is.

She went to college when not that many woman were going to college. She is smart. She received several college scholarships along the way. She worked hard to pay for the rest. She made my dad finish college when he wanted to drop out to work at a construction job.

She worked at the same job helping people and children for over 30 years and retired as a supervisor.

So... happy birthday mama. I am so proud of you and so thankful for you.