Happy Mother's Day!

All right; since Mother's Day is May 11th, I thought I'd write 11 things that I absolutely love about my mom (and yes, I shamelessly stole this idea from my sister-in-law Nancy! :) )

1. My mom is without a doubt the most generous person I know. She really epitomizes the saying, "It is better to give than receive."

2. Holidays are SO magical at her house. Seriously, I love Christmas now almost as much as I did as a kid--all because my mom goes out of her way to recreate a feeling of "magic." Christmas is my favorite holiday because of this!

3. She's my best friend; even in high school, she was the one I could tell everything to, and we hardly ever fought. I was always surprised by my friends complaining about their moms; I just sat there thinking, My mom is awesome; I don't have anything to complain about!

4. She went out of her way to give me the fairy-tale wedding of my dreams! I had the most wonderful day that I could ever imagine, and I couldn't have done it without her (and my dad, of course). She and my dad also went out of their way to ensure that I would be able to continue my college education at the university of my choice, even though UW-Madison was super expensive!

5. She is so kind and loving, especially to the "underdogs." If she hears of a child or animal in trouble, she does whatever she can to help.

6. Speaking of animals, even though she's not a "cat person" per se, she is so loving towards our "baby," Maxine. She always makes her feel welcome when we come home for Christmas.

7. She's always available to talk whenever I need her.

8. She's an amazingly talented musician, and I'm so glad I learned to play piano from her, the best of the best!

9. She's so optimistic, even if something in her life doesn't go exactly as planned, she refuses to dwell on the negative and instead focuses on all the good in her life.

10. She's so funny; she has such a good sense of humor.

11. She is still so stylish and full of life, and sometimes I think she has more energy than I do! She is my inspiration for how I want to be when I'm older.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I love my mother more than words can say.

To Gail, my wonderful mother-in-law: Thank you for raising the most wonderful man I've ever met. He's everything I ever hoped my soulmate would be: loving, respectful, intelligent, kind, ambitious, funny, and faithful. If I raise a son only half as well as you did, I will be blessed. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day to all!