Happy 27th! (Again...)

Yesterday, my Mom turned 27. Again. She's been 27 for a long time, but told me once that she was entitled to pick her own age once she'd hit a certain spot in her life, and she was going to stay 27 forever. "Keeps ya young, you know!" (I stole this picture from my sister, Charity's blog because ALL the pictures I have of my family are on the other computer... Thanks, Charity, for taking such great photos!)

So I thought I'd share some of the memories I have of my Mom.

1. When I went on my mission, I put my Mom's name on my bank account so that she could transfer money without any issues. The lady at the bank asked me how old Mom was, and I told her, "27." The rest of the conversation went something like this. "How old are you?" "21" "And your Mom is 27?!" "That's what she's said my entire life!" "Is she your REAL Mom?" "Yes." "Why don't you have your Mom come in to see us..."

2. One sunny afternoon, I was sitting on the deck waiting for the last few minutes before I had to go babysitting. Mom came out to water her plants, and took that moment to "water" me. The entire pitcher down my back. I should probably admit that I deserved it, since a few weeks earlier we had ambushed Mom at the Farm I worked at and completely soaked her while saying... "Make her grow..." I guess what goes around comes around...

3. Mom taking me to violin lessons, multiple tryouts for the Anchorage Jr. High Honor Orchestra AND Anchorage Youth Symphony (I don't know who was more relieved when I finally made the Youth Symphony - me, for not having to audition any more, or HER for not having to drive me that far any more!), encouraging me to get a JOB when I was in High School, coming to my Volleyball Game - and then encouraging me to NOT stick with a coach who wasn't going to treat me fairly... and teaching me that I am my own person, capable of making choices that are good. And supporting me in them - even the hard ones.

4. My Drivers test. I'm still not sure how Mom knew that I had stopped in the middle of the road and backed up after the light turned yellow because I didn't want to fail my drivers test...

5. Trusting me enough to send me to the hobby shop in Palmer for a can of spray paint three days after I got my driver's license knowing that I would more than likely take the long road home... and then not getting mad when I drove the car off a straight stretch and up a tree. (It's also something that I will NEVER live down, but hey. It could be worse!) I was most humiliated that it happened on a Wednesday night (Mutual Night), and the most popular guy in school happened to see the "A-2 Septic, we're TWICE as good" Truck pulling me out of the ditch. The ENTIRE Mutual program knew that I had "ditched" the car before I even got there. I'll never forget it either.

6. Supporting me through ALL of my trials - "If I asked the Lord to take away my Trials, I'd have to ask Him to take my blessings too."

7. Eating Hamburger Tator Tot Casserole (HTTC) EVERY SINGLE TIME I was asked to make dinner - no matter how many times Dad suggested that they go out for dinner... And then teaching me to make other things so that I could expand my cooking knowledge. Imagine what Andrew's life would be like now if all we ever ate was HTTC?

8. Going to the Temple with me for the first time - and then going to the MTC with me (and, I'm sure, wondering why she was the only one crying...)

9. Teaching me how to disect a grasshopper when I was 7 during her version of Summer School so that I would continue to learn even when not in a formal classroom.

10. All those clothes that she spent hours sewing for me. I never appreciated them as a child; now that I'm hating putting zippers into clothes, I can appreciate that she actually finished all those dresses in time for Christmas. I finished MY Christmas dresses in time for St. Patrick's day... and Mom's actually fit me for longer than 6 weeks (which may be all that Savannah's will fit her!).

11. Finally, letting me learn the hard way that living with Leslie was not the best way to save a friendship. Although we had some good times, ("It's only flat on one side?!" and Spanish Rice?) and made some memories, it was a learning experience I probably should have listened on. Leslie and I would more than likely be better friends now...

And there are a zillion other things that I could put; notwithstanding and nonethe less the fact that she gave birth to me (don't remember it, but I'm grateful anyway), she's been there for me even when I was rotten and I'm sure she didn't WANT to be there... and she's never given up on any of us. I've got a pretty great Mom.

So... Happy Birthday, Mom. Hope the Hamburger, French Fries and Rootbeer Float for $3.00 was worth it! And here's to another 34 of those 27-year old birthdays! (You know... when you've been 27 as long (or longer...) as some of your children have been alive, perhaps it would be o.k. to move to 37... at least then you'd only be 2 years older than me...)