Thanks, Mom!

Did you all have a nice Mother's Day? I had my family over for dinner, and it was wonderful. We enjoyed homemade pea and potato enchiladas and margaritas. Then we hung out on the porch - hooray for patio furniture!

I just wanted to take a moment to send thanks to my Mom. She is so wonderful, and is just full of love for everyone, but especially her family. She (along with my Dad) raised 5 children, constantly teaching us and encouraging us to be the unique individuals that we are. And I am eternally grateful for that.

But I'm also thankful for all of the small things she has done for me. So here is a fun little (and not too sappy) thank you list for my Mom.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for:

• making me wear my seat belt
• using funny voices when you read stories
• buying me my very own roll of tropical Lifesavers when I had the chicken pox
• French braiding my hair
• baking Mike & I each our own birthday cake when we were little
• taking me to get my face painted when I was too scared to ride roller coasters
• encouraging me to learn to play the piano and read music
• taking us tent camping
• encouraging us to try new foods
• letting me go to summer camp
• sharing your love of good stationary
• teaching me how to do % math in my head
• teaching me that some seemingly tough decisions can be resolved with a simple "gut check"
• that fun little weekend college trip to Chicago
• teaching me that, every once in awhile, everyone needs a "mental health day"
• decorating my car when I got accepted to NYU
• trusting me to enough to let me move to New York when I was 18
• that perfect evening where we sat on the patio of that NYC restaurant, drank wine, and talked like old friends

You are an inspiring woman, an amazing mother, and a dear friend. I love you!