50 Today

Today is my Mom's Birthday.
I haven't put together a Tribute to her yet for a few reasons, one being I didn't have all the pictures on my computer yet, another being that I am at a loss of words. I have sat down and tried to write a Tribute to my Mom since starting this blog. Each time I start I end up deleting it...thinking it just isn't enough, not quite right. As I sat down this morning to write about my Mom, I grew frustrated. Why is it so hard to creatively write about my Mom? Why?

It is now almost 10pm. I took the kids over to my Mom's for pie tonight. And you know what I did? I gave her a card that I have been saving for about a year now. I gave her the card, wrote a little ditty inside, from me to her...all about having 4 children and truly appreciating and admiring her more and more everyday. That I am thankful for the friendship that we have. You know what she did? She smiled then she laughed...then she told me I already gave her that card! I knew it was a good card, I mean it had to be if I gave it to her twice...but how did I not know that? With the kids running around giggling, my Mom holding her 2nd really cool card and chuckling, it hit me. I don't need to write some big elaborate letter to my Mom. She gets it, she knows how much I love her without a single word. We have this connection that only those really close can possibly have. I can look at her and know what her eyes mean, what mood she is in. I can be explaining something and she knows what I mean. We call each other constantly, with some of the dumbest, simplest things~ usually answering the phone with a "Miss me already?" or "Me Again" and sometimes it simply "What now?" We have moved on from the teen years of Mom being "so uncool" to the grownup years of raising a glass of Captain and Coke. We agree and we agree to disagree. We can say what wants to be heard and then also we can be very blunt and honest as well. In high school, when I had trouble with friends, my Mom told me that friends would come and go, friends would be nice one day and turn on you the next, but family was different. Your family is always your family, no matter what. At the time I didn't truly get this. My friends were my life, my sisters were younger and we were at different stages of our lives. I get it now. I know what she was telling me and I have experienced it firsthand. BUT, there was one thing she never explained to me when telling me this. I never expected my best friends to be IN my family. I didn't expect that my Mom would be my Best Friend. I am grateful to have grown older, to figure it out and finally after all these years I will FINALLY admit it...

Mom You Were Right!

HaPpY 50th BiRtHdAy MoM!

On a side note... when leaving my parents house tonight, my Dad asked if I would be kind when sharing pictures of the Speedo scenario...Ha ha ha...Yeah right! Pay backs!!

To my Mom's request...Yes I will post a picture of Dad in his regular swim suit as well, so everyone doesn't think you married a Nut. But watch out, because the Speedo shots will blind ya! I'll bet you are all just so anxious to see these pics and know what the big fuss is about...

maybe tomorrow!