Happy Birthday, Mom!

I won't tell you how old my mother is, but I will tell you she looks awesome and totally doesn't act her age. She pretty much rocks. And I love her madly - she's the best mother/friend/supporter a girl could ask for.

Have a great day, mom!

The Farmer's Daughter

No, that title isn't a punch line, it's a description of my mom. Today is her birthday, and this post is a tribute to her.

My mom was raised a farmer's daughter in the mountains of PA. Life wasn't easy, but then neither was having three brothers, I imagine (knowing my uncles).

She became a grade school teacher, another job that required hard work for little pay. Perhaps this was preparing her for marriage to my dad? I kid! Trust me, my mother has The Sicilian all figured out. The first time he asked her to marry him she said no.

Through the years my mom has been a constant source of calm, a rock no matter what storms may come. She is a great cook, an intuitive decorator, quick to laugh, an unparalleled grandmother to my brother's kids, a superb MIL to Hotrod, the perfect foil for my dad and a wonderful friend. She's also my favorite shopping buddy (where do you think I learned it from?). Plus, she looks great for her age thanks to her dedicated workouts and healthy eating habits. (Actually, I'm hoping it's also great genes.) I cannot recall ever seeing my mother in "mom" jeans, but she's quite often found in bootleg yoga pants and an impressive selection of jewelry.

Happy birthday, Mom! You are a true original and a class act. I love you.

Where Did Yesterday Go?

Today's breakfast: Mango smoothie

Yesterday flew by. I mean, FLEW. I had so much going on that it was 10 PM before I stopped doing "stuff" and just sat on the couch and vegged. Wow. Those kind of days I could do without. Unfortunately, there are a lot of those days in store for me this month.

* Happy birthday to my mom! She's in her mid-60's but she looks phenomenal. I hope I age that well. I love you, mom! Thanks for instilling in me the love of reading and the belief that anything is achievable if you put in the work. And for teaching me to shop. *grin* Make dad do all the work today.

*Dear Author recently asked what books you might be anticipating - good question! For me, one of the books I'm most eager to get my hands on is Roxanne St. Claire's First You Run. It's the start of a brand new Bullet Catcher trilogy with a storyline that arcs over the entire trilogy. Fortunately, the books are all being released within six months, so no waiting a year between them to find out what's going on! Should be an awesome, awesome series. I'm really excited to get my copy on March 25th and commence reading. By then, some of my workload will be behind me.

How about you? What books are you looking forward to?