today is the birthday of my mother. it’s really challenging to put into words what my mom means to me OR who she is as a person to so many others. my mom is one of a kind as most of my friends know! she is funny and quirky and has her entire own sense of humor that gets everyone else laughing around her. she is the mom who made hand crafted notes to place in our lunchbox through elementary school. she is the mom who left me special notes in my room for milestones in my life…proms, graduation, dance recitals and competitions. she is the mom who decorates the kitchen table for breakfast on all holidays…st. patty’s day, easter, valentine’s day. my mom is the care taker and nurse not just for my sister and i or dad, but for anyone she knows who is not feeling well. she makes care packages and pours on the prayer like no one i’ve ever met. my mom not only sent care packages of baked goods and toys to my sister and i in college, but also all of our cousins and our friends. my mom is beautiful inside and out. strangers approach us and ask if she is a sister (she loves it).
today we celebrate you, mom. thank you for being the most amazing mom and one of the most incredible people in my life. not everyone can say that. and i’m so thankful you are someone i could never live without. thank you for all you do that seems to go unnoticed. it doesn’t. we would be lost without you.
HAPPY birthday mom. i love you.
today we celebrate the most incredible father. ever. i am truly blessed to have a dad who i enjoy bragging about whenever i have the opportunity.
i realize that i can never take for granted who my dad is in my life and what he means to me. i realize not everyone gets a dad like i did. and for some reason, God has blessed me with a man so many others admire and look up to. including my sis and i of course.
he has been my biggest cheerleader every day of my life. he has been there when it counts. he has been there when it was easier not to be. he has loved me through my worst and my best. there is nothing this man wouldn’t do for me (or my sis).
he has been a second father to my friends. he has loved my closest friends as if they were his own children. he has loved strangers with the compassion that Jesus did. he has left footprints in so many lives that will go unrecognized, but not unfelt by those that were changed by his spirit of giving. caring. generosity. and deep unconditional love.
my dad can build a sandbox for my sister and i that is lined with benches for our friends and mud pies and has a custom-made lid for night time to keep the cats out. and a roof over it to keep the rain out. he can build a custom designed deck around our pool. he can create the designs that i come up with in my head for scrunchy holders and purse stands. he can take a broken piece of furniture and make it like new again. nothing is truly broken until dad tries to fix it one more time.
my dad is the dad who prays with me when i’m upset. who gives me money to get a massage when i’m feeling at the end of my “stress rope”. the man who has loved my mom unconditionally through sickness and health and ups and downs since May 17, 1980. my dad scrapes my car off when it snows. and teaches me how to share his love of waterskiing when i was just a kid. and to cast a fishing pole and get a fish. my dad taught me to drive stick on my first car - a 1990 jetta GL. and as a result, instilled my love obsession of Volkswagens to this day.
my dad, my hero. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, daddy. i love you so very much.
one of the most naturally beautiful people i’ve ever seen. and she HAPPENS to be related to me! i’m so lucky to have family i choose to have as my best friends. and i know i’ve said that before, but sometimes i just feel so overwhelmingly blessed.
i remember waiting for katlin to arrive. the NEW baby cousin. the hard part? she lived 6 hours away in Ohio. i was devastated that when she was born, we couldn’t drop everything, get in the car, and drive 6 hours to go meet her. i had to wait until Easter that year and it just about killed me.
her beauty speaks for itself. but the best part is that she is JUST as gorgeous on the inside. sweet, caring, genuine, real. love you so much cousin. cheers to you.
here we are sharing our favorite beer i introduced her to!
today is Groundhog’s day. but it’s also one of my childhood friend’s birthdays. one of the very first friends i’ve ever had. playing in the backyard on swing sets. pretending we were Nancy Drew. imagining adventures together. creating real adventures. and just being kids.
HAPPY birthday, danielle marie. cheers to lifetime friends.
and here we are first day of kindergarten. yep…! i’m the one with the awesome purple socks. notice my matching accessories. bracelet and necklace.
