September 20th=Mom

My mom is first and foremost ANicePerson. She'll be the first to tell you that she was so so shy growing up, and didn't really talk to many people. She loved horses and had a good friend or two. She was a good daughter who didn't start trouble. She was quiet. Time has made my mom less shy, but she still has that kind of outreach core that I think only having spent time on the outskirt could give you. She brings people in. She creates so much work for herself to bring cookies to this person and soup to that person, and going over to help a woman who had a stroke dress. She always invites the older people from church to holidays and regular ol' dinners. Every single year, we throw a christmas eve pre-church party together (the only requirement is that everyone has to go to church after), partly so that all those who don't have family in the area (like us) have a place to go. She's just that kind of KINDLADY. Martha Stewart just doesn't have anything on her sincere hospitality.

BUT. She's even more awesome than I think the public knows. She's got a FUNNY SIDE (not to be confused with Funny Cide) too. And a fun side. She always humored me and took me to the pumpkin patch...even when I was 13 and everyone else was 6. In my own really really shy years (middle school), we started taking horseback riding lessons together. She'd look up some great crafty ideas, and we'd make caterpillars from egg cartons or homemade marshmallows etc. She had all the limbo games with the hose. Good times.

BUT EVEN THAT does not reveal her finest. Some of these golden moments I had cataloged on my livejournal back in the day. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I scanned through maybe a year. So, in addition to being nice, wonderful, and warm-hearted, prepare to add hilarious and entertaining to your list.

"Last week my mom and I randomly just HAPPENED to (separately) watch So You Think You Can Dance for the first time. Tonight we watched it together. It was hilarious. My mom decided to rehearse her own audition. It was a stunning bathrobe dance. She's a total goof sometimes."

"My mom also sent me this rather cute email...
Oliver is looking for you.  He was meowing by your door.  Then opened it and saw you were not there.  So then he proceeded to open every door on the second floor.
Mom"

"Mom being online for the first time in about six months...

Joycey223: mom!
xhollandax: hib
Joycey223: what are you doing online?
xhollandax: I don't know

Joycey223: Swimming is nice, because it's low impact
xhollandax: yes
xhollandax: unless you swim into the wall."


"Mother picks Joyce up. We're on our way out.

Mom:  It's almost Spring! Ohmygosh. Look how green that grass is!
Joyce:  Mom. That's astroturf.

Pretty much it was hilarious, especially considering the acres of dead yellow grass surrounding it (the lacrosse field). I love my mom."

"I simply cannot imagine growing up with anyone different as my mom. Hands down, she's my favorite."

"Sometimes I talk to my mom several times in a week. Sometimes I talk to her once. And other times it's longer.

Thursday:
Mom: I made some carrot muffins to send you!
Joyce: Awesome! Could you just send four though this time? Otherwise I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For weeks.
Mom: Okay.

This morning (Wednesday):
Joyce: Hopefully the muffins came today.
Mom: Whoops. We ate them all.
Mom: I guess I forgot to tell you

DOES LIFE GET ANY HARDER THAN THIS MOMENT??!"


A final thing that I like about my mom is that, though I do not think that she knows this quote, she has embraced it with her life.

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
-- Alfred D. Souza

She's a very life-smart lady. And she's not afraid to age gracefully. Good thing, because she's turning FIFTY!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! You're half a decade old (kidding...remember that?)!! I'm sorry that I can't surprise you, like I did at Skidmore...you know how hard it was for me to break that 1 month rule once:). I love you, and I'm so glad that God dropped me out of the sky and into your tummy! Even though I know I'm a lot like Dad in terms of interests, I've always also looked up to you and your personality and tried to take so many things away from you, too. LOVE!