This is NOT a Valentine's Day Post :)

Roman and I don’t do a whole lot on Valentine’s Day. He normally will buy me some flowers, and I think we may have gone to dinner once or twice, but for the most part (since we’ve been married, anyways) Valentine’s Day is just not that big of a deal. This year, my “gift” is actually pretty expensive, but only because I must have a new hair straightener ASAP (and the reason why is another story for another day.)

Really though, one of the main reasons why we don’t make such a huge deal out of Valentine’s Day is because today is also my mother’s birthday. We’d much rather spend the evening with her than standing in a line at a restaurant for three hours any day. This year is pretty simple even for her birthday; she only wants to meet up for some ice cream and she said (like every year) “no gifts”….which means that I of course got her something anyways (like every year.) I’m actually pretty excited about her birthday present this year, so I’ll be posting a picture on Facebook later on this evening after she sees it.

My mom is a very special lady in my life. I remember in fifth grade, right after we moved here from Atlanta and I started my first school year at my new school, I was getting teased a lot. I told one girl on the playground that she had better stop or I was going to tell my Mom. I was thinking that was an awesome threat, because no one wants you to tell on them to your Mom. I was very wrong. “Why would you tell your Mom that??” “Because I tell my Mom everything,” I said. “You are so weird. Why would you tell your Mom everything? What is wrong with you? You shouldn’t be friends with your Mom!” I walked away really confused because my tiny 10-year-old brain didn’t understand how someone couldn’t be friends with their Mom.

Me and my Mom, Mother's Day 2013

Ever since I can remember, my Mom has always been my best friend. Even at 23, I still call her and tell her about my day almost every day. She still hears about my dreams. She still hears about my failures. She has been there for me through the good times and the bad. She has given me so much wise advice that I could write a book. Sure, we argued some when I was a teenager (mostly over boys and why my shorts couldn’t be a liiiiitttle bit shorter) but even then the arguments were short and over quickly. I couldn’t stand having my Mom be mad at me for a long period of time.

Me and my parents, Valentine's Day Banquet, 2013

I know I am blessed. I KNOW how awesome I have it to have such a great role model. And I know that other people don’t have that great of a relationship with their mothers. This isn’t to make you feel guilty or ashamed. I’m not trying to parade how awesome my family is and wipe that in your face or anything. But at the same time, I feel like I should show respect and honor where it is due, and it is certainly due when it comes to my Mom.

Her expression in this picture makes me
laugh every time!

She has such a huge heart! She loves missions. She loves kids. She loves the elderly. She loves being a light to people who have no hope. She inspires me to see beyond someone’s grumpiness and serve them anyways. Her love for Christ is so evident in everything that she does. She has been married to my Dad for almost 47 years! She has five children (including me) and stayed home to raise all five of us. She can’t turn on a computer, but why would she need to when she has the ability to sew anything she needs to and diagnose sicknesses from hearing how you sound on the phone? She is so consistent in everything she does, especially when it comes to reading her Bible every morning and praying for her family. My Mom is leaving a legacy behind for younger generations, and one thing is for sure: if I can be half as great of a wife/mother/friend/servant as she is, I’ll be doing pretty good.

So to all of my readers, I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day.

But to my Mom, Happy Birthday. I hope you know just how much you are loved and adored by your children on this special day! (And I’m really ready for that ice cream tonight!!)

One of my favorite pictures from my wedding  :)

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” ~Proverbs 31:28