happy birthday, mama!

Today's my mom's birthday!  Isn't she so lucky to have a birthday on Cinco de Mayo?  It's like every burrito and giant sombrero goes out of its way to make sure her day is a party.  I'm jealous.

For those of you who don't know, my mom is the BEST.  Here are some things she's good at:

1. Being the most competitive person ever.  Ever ever.  She will change the rules in the middle of the game to make sure you don't win, and then she'll play a Jedi mind trick on you to make you think you wanted them that way.  Then BAM.  You have no property left, you owe her $5,000 in rent, and you haven't passed go in about three years.

2. The Stanky Leg.  I am really, really not making this up.  She performs upon request, most often in the kitchen.

3. Making me blonder.  I get asked all the time who does my highlights, and the truth is that my mom has been doing them for almost ten years!  Hairdressers are always impressed.  Always.  She calls our bathroom Chez Liz Salon.

4. Going for the physical traits.  This happens most often when her team is losing or someone is mean to a person she loves.  It takes all of thirty seconds, but she'll reduce the opposition to a puddle of physical malformations that you'll swear could only be caused by the world's worst disease.  In a hilarious way.

5. Cooking.  Cooking, cooking, cooking.  I learned everything from her.  Chicken casserole and coconut cake are two of her very best!

6. Taking care of the dogs.  Reba will turn sixteen this September, and I'm convinced my mom is the only reason why.  She's their whole world, and they love it to pieces.

7. Taking care of US.  When she was shuttling my grandfather back and forth to Cleveland Clinic for his surgeries last fall, my dad and I survived, but just barely.  I still wonder how we got through that period of time with a reasonably clean house and plenty of food to eat.  If ever there was proof that God lives and loves...

8. Picking her own words.  To songs, to sentences, whatever.  If she doesn't know the word she really wants, she just picks a different one.  It's efficient, and in our house, "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" will always be "Honky Tonk Your Monkey Butt".

9. Being good at every sport ever.  There literally may be two or three she has never played, but she could probably still teach you how to play them, because I'm pretty sure she was born with the ability to do so.  Over the years, she's taught me softball, tennis, golf, volleyball, and basketball.  I am good at maybe one of them, but I love watching all of them because of her.

10. Being a proud mama!  She has never made it a mystery how much she loves Leanna and me, and as Leanna graduates from college this weekend, I know she's going to be so proud she could bust!  She was sad to see me move to DC, but she always tells me how happy she is that I have this opportunity, and I get a care package at every holiday.  I know lots of girls say this, but my mom is absolutely one of my best friends.  She knows EVERYTHING about me!

So, happy, happy birthday, Mom!  I love you SO, SO much!