mj

a very special birthday wish goes out to my mom tonight. i am sure she is probably already asleep in her chair after the tornado (also known as her 5 grandchildren) swept through her house earlier this evening. as i sit down to write a post about my mother...i quickly scan my pictures only to come up practically empty handed. it is absolutely amazing to me how many pictures i have on this computer...and how few actually contain a shot of mj. she avoids my camera like the plague. oh well. as she always says...

"we're much cuter in person"



my mom is loyal. after 36 years of marriage to my dad and still having her closest group of friends from highschool, this is obvious.

my mom is the life of the party. the party doesn't actually begin until mj arrives. but you already knew that!

my mom is patient. whether it's dealing with her 4 children, 5 grandchildren or the hundreds of second graders she's taught throughout the years...the amount of patience she has amazes me.

my mom is a grandmother. but not just any grandmother. the kind of grandmother who goes beyond just loving her grandchildren. she teaches them. she encourages them. she doesn't want to miss a minute of them. they sure are lucky kids.

my mom is creative. so very creative. a gene i wish she had passed on to me.

my mom is competitive. she absolutely loves to play games. she especially loves to win. if you ever find yourself in a game setting with my mom, make sure you are on her team.

my mom is dedicated. to her family. to her friends. to her career.

my mom is optimistic. definitely a "glass half-full" kind of gal. very rarely do you hear my mother be anything but positive.

my mom is strong.

my mom is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. but most importantly my mom is mine...and that my friends is the greatest thing of all.

happy birthday mj. we all love you so much!