It's Your Birthday....Nunununu

Ok, maybe it isn't your birthday....but it is my Mom's! My mom and I haven't always gotten along. We are too much alike! When I was younger, it always seemed to be World War III in our household. It's amazing how much smarter my Mom got after I had a child of my own :) (Ok maybe it was me who got a little smarter!). Now all those crazy rules, like no dating until your 16, doing homework as soon as you get home from school, No phone calls after 8pm, no singing at the dinner table, and no fighting with your brother in the car, make so much more sense to me! My Mom is an amazing mother, and thanks to her, I am who I am today. She taught me so many important things about being a good mom, a good wife, and a good person!


1. She was always willing to let us participate in as many after school activities as we wanted, even though it meant she had to play taxi for years. Her willingness to sacrifice her time to drive me to events taught me how important it is to be well rounded.

2. Her constant correction of my grammer and puctuation errors (she used to be an English teacher) made it possible for me to write and speak correctly. I wouldn't have the career I have if she hadn't taken the time to teach me.

3. Her love of church, and her belief in Christianity taught me right from wrong and that there is a reason for everything. These beliefs have gotten me through some really tough times.

4. Her volunteerism and support of the local community taught me that some of the most important jobs in life don't involve a paycheck.

5. Her willingness to help her friends, no matter what the circumstance, taught me the importance of having them, and have helped me deal with move after move in the military community.

6. Her strength, especially after dealing with cancer twice, has taught me how to cope with adversity.

7. Her marriage to my dad, for almost 50 years, has shown me that true love is worth fighting for, no matter what!

8. Her love of reading, and her willingness to share that love with me, has provided me with the opportunity to share that love with my kids, both of which are just as likely to be upstairs with their noses in a book as to be playing a video game or watching tv.

9. Her acceptance of me, no matter what stupid stunt I had pulled, showed me that parents have to have unconditional love for the kids. A lesson that I am still learning with my own.

10. Her involvment in my life, even now that we are an Ocean apart has shown me what the true meaning of family is. I can pick up the phone just about anytime and have a friendly (or sometimes stern if I need it) ear to listen to my problems and dispense advice.

My Mom is an absolutely amazing woman. When I was a teenager, I swore I wouldn't be anything like her. Now, I will consider myself fortunate if I can be half the woman that my Mom is!

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!!!

Oh yeah, one lesson that Mom tried to teach me and I still haven't quite gotten is to mail birthday cards and thank you notes. Sorry Mom, as usual I forgot. But, here is the card I meant to send you :)