my mom is the coolest.

(that's my mom on the left. with her sisters last summer.)

earlier this week i had a conversation with my mom wherein she tried to get me confess that i had plans for a surprise visit to her house this weekend. i had to say "no, i wish i did" about five times. because i really wish i had been able to visit her this weekend.
so since i can't be at home with my mother this mother's day, how about i tell you about her, and great i think she is?
my mom is amazing. she teaches fifth grade in wisconsin's best medium-sized school (i did not make that up. her school really was named the best last year).
my mom raised to really great daughters and has been married to my dad for thirty-six years--and i kid you not when i say that my parents just keep getting happier.
when i was a kid, my mom made our ballet class's costumes for our performance as spanish dancers in the nutcracker.
when i moved to san francisco and found myself unemployed and not knowing a soul, my mom listened on the phone every night--despite the two-hour time difference, and sent me money.
when i signed up for 4-h sewing (yeah, i'm not a nerd at all), my mom was sooo patient and helpful and saw me through pretty much every project, even helping me with hours of seam-ripping when i messed something up.
she was always up for letting me experiment in the kitchen, and was always encouraging about the result (i actually can't remember any horrible disasters).
my mom was the one who kept saying, "don't major in something practical, be an artist" when i was deciding on what to study in college.
she has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter all the way, believing in me when i am not sure i even believe in myself--this still happens.
my mom beat cancer, has broken more bones than the rest of the family combined, and less than a year ago, had a heart valve replaced--she really is a survivor.
i hope that i someday get the opportunity to be a mom, and that i create as creative, positive, imaginative, and loving home for my own children as my mom did for me.