As I've grown older I've become more nostalgic, a homebody, and have come to enjoy the little things like fresh coffee, finding a really good book to read in what little free time I have, or getting to sleep with the window open on a beautiful night.
With that, I've also come to realize just how little I say the words "Thank You" to my mother. The woman who taught me to enjoy all these little things that make my life happier. Then I start to think about all the other things I forget to thank her for.
1) For my love for English.
2) For being my mom when my dad was being my coach & I needed to complain like he wasn't actually her husband/my dad. AKA listening to me complain for the last 10 years.
3) For knowing when to lie to me. Like when I thought it would be cool to wear my hair in a bun every day in 6th grade & she told me it was totally cute. (EW)
4) On the contrary, for knowing when to tell me the truth. That maybe wearing yellow eyeshadow wasn't a good idea, that I needed the next size up (ouch but thanks), or that bangs were really not my thing.
5) For dealing with me when I was 16. Seriously, she should get all props for that because I was one crazy ass girl going through puberty.
6) For teaching me my worth. No guy was ever worth my tears, no guy was ever worth my stress, and I was most certainly out of all of their leagues.
7) For being such a cute mom in all our throwback pics. I may have questioned if I was her daughter for half my life because of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed characteristics compared to her brunette, hazel-eyed ones, but THANK GOD I look more and more like her everyday.
8) For being my best girlfriend. I can honestly say that when it comes to 100% of my friend issues and 95% of my guy issues there is no one better to talk to.
9) For being my biggest critique. Our fights may be knock-down drag-outs, but I know we're both just crazy and a little more alike than we'd like to admit.
10) For letting me be a daddy's girl. We all know it annoyed her at times, but who else can she blame? She married him.
11) For teaching me how to make the important food. AKA tacos, caramel in a pan, and popcorn on the stove. (simple but eaten at least twice a week).
12) For spending way too much money on my homecoming/prom dresses. "Okay whatever you do, DO NOT tell your dad about this." Yes, ma'am.
13) For telling me when to cut people out of my life. She's always had a weird intuition about people, and she is always right about them in the end. (annoying but accurate).
14) For giving me a best friend in the form of a little brother. He drives me absolutely insane, but I love him so, SO much. P.S shout out to dad for that too.
15) For teaching me that tan fat was better than pale fat. Or to never chew your nails because that's how thick cuticles happen, that washing my hair every day would indeed dry it out, and for getting me hooked on Proactive the SECOND I got my first pimple.
16) For being a voice of reason when anxiety sets in and I become too stressed. AKA telling me to calm my sh*t and that everything would be okay. (and it always was).
17) For random "I love you" phone calls. We may not talk all week but we both miss the sound of each other's voices and always have something hilarious, or crazy to talk about.
18) For giving me your facial expressions. Maybe that's why people say we look alike because we "talk alike." I'm fine with it. *shrugs*
19) For showing me 3 of my top 5 movies. Practical Magic, The Wedding Date, and Pride and Prejudice (the new one). Lucky to have someone always down to watch them & who quotes them better than me.
20) For being the strongest woman I know. Multiple Sclerosis is a b*tch, but she faces every day with such adversities that inspire me in everything I do. I am who I am because of her, and I pray that one day when I am faced with anything remotely life-changing as Multiple Sclerosis that I move through life with the determination and ease that she portrays through all the rough days along with the good days.
