50 THINGS {I LOVE ABOUT MY MOM}

1. Her laugh is ridiculously contagious.

2. She is the strongest person I've ever known, but she's always the first to be in tears.

3. She forgives in the blink of an eye.

4. No other 40-something looks as good with the top down cruising down the 101.

5. That girl can shop till she drops... and I'm usually the one to benefit from it.

6. She knows and loves new, quality music.

7. She used to take me out of elementary school to go to the nordstrom half-yearly sale.

8. When I was first caught ditching school, i'm pretty sure I was much more upset than she was.

9. She'll go to Panera with me 10 times in a row while i'm home even if she's bored of it.

10. La Costa Resort and Spa, and our many delightful experiences there.

11. She finds the best in people.

12. Her smile could light up a room, and does multiple times a day.

13. Not only will she dance with my friends and I, but she will be the one to instigate the dancing... and she'll go get her scarves for added measure

14. She loves to travel and make the most of life. She has taught me to not let life pass me by, because she knows how to enjoy her own despite trials.

15. She will make dirty jokes with flawless timing... and when the timing is bad it's even funnier.

16. She says "I'm vewy vewy tiwed," every night once the lights are out.

17. She will force me to dance when I don't want to, and I always have more fun because of it.  

18. She'll call me screaming because she's taken the suburban to a beach and is driving it in donuts.

19.  Then she'll call me an hour later to say that young muscular men are helping her get the suburban unstuck from the sand.

20. I love that I could tap on her door any time of the night growing up and she'd come listen to me cry about insignificant things for an hour straight.

21. She could never tell a lie.

22. Stuffed shells, enchiladas, and artichokes.

23. The way the house smells when I go home... cinnamon, vanilla, or pumpkin spice... depends on the season.

24. She'll never be too old to stick her bare foot out the window of the car on a sunny day.

25. She let me wear that full purple velvet outfit that I loved so much regardless of how awful it was, day after day after day, just because I loved it so much.

26. She gives one heck of a spa treatment in her very own bathroom.

27. She tells me that I'm good at everything. (I'm not, in case you were wondering.)

28. The way she kisses both cheeks instead of just one, and how I know she loves that it's our thing.  So do I.

29. That she'd sacrifice everything for her kids' happiness, and how she pretty much did.

30. The way she cracks up just like me on roller coasters.

31. That she wears her heart on her sleeve, and that even when given every reason to want to close off her heart, it is still open and more loving than ever.

32. The way she'll come to visit me conveniently every time I have a cleaning check, and that she'll get down on the kitchen floor to scrub without me asking her to.

33. She's real.

34. She'll pay full price to go see a chick flick again just so that she can see it with ME this time.

35. She taught me that I would never be able to get a boyfriend if I didn't start moisturizing my elbows.

36. When she gets a second chance at something, she takes it full force.

37. She loves the ocean just as much as I do. (She might say she loves it more, but that's pushin it.)

38. She's a glass-half-full kinda girl.

39. She continues to decorate for Christmas because she knows how much it means to me.

40. With enough convincing, she'll share almost anything. (and by share I mean allow me to steal)

41. She makes fun of me for doing everything slowly, yet the last 4 page paper she wrote took her 20 hours, and the last time she cut my hair it took about 3 hours.  I like to at least be able to know that my trait has a great source.

42. She has about 30 of the same color of nail polish but as she puts it, at least she's consistent!

43. She stocks my room with candy corn and other goodies when I go home to see her.

44. I've said and done a lot of things in my life that have been far from perfect, but she still treats me like I'm an angel.

45. No matter how hard you're trying not to laugh, she'll always find a way to make you lose it.

46. She's the master fire-maker.

47. She always gets lucky... in games, that is.

48. I love her freckles

49. She took me to an American Girl Doll fashion show when I was far too old for it and she didn't even call me a freak or laugh at me.  She's always been good at pretending I'm cool.

50. If I ever need her, no doubt in my mind, she'll be there.

I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day.