62 reasons i love my mom

today is my mother's 62nd birthday. so in her honor... here are the top 62 reasons (in no particular order) that i love her!

62. she has a library card
61. she'll answer to the name "houda"
60. she refers to herself as "the pigmy"
59. she still knows her SAT score
58. she understands that sometimes you just need some breyers mint chocolate chip
57. she knows how to make kool clay
56. she rode a roller coaster with my nephew just so they could "get it off their chests"
55. she doesn't mind acting as the bank of mom from time to time
54. she thinks that when she poots it's cute but when my dad poots it's disgusting
53. when she's giving directions, the end destination may be due south, but if you have to go north first, she'll point north and say "it's that way" because that's the way you have to start out going to get there
52. she thought it would cost $16 for 4 people to watch a $4 pay-per-view movie
51. she got equally confused with me when we tried to exchange $6 in change for 6 actual dollars
50. she buys bananas in advance of me visiting so that they'll rot and she can make banana cupcakes for me
49. she always wants a salad
48. she loves music
47. 47 is the random number she uses when she can't think of a number - "there were like 47 people in line!"
46. she remembers where she parked by referencing her age or bra size
45. because she thought it was important to remind us that "it gets dark at night"
44. she has only said the "f" word like 3 times in her life
43. when she laughs "water comes out her eyes"
42. if she's walking when she laughs, she has to stop and cross her legs
41. she made a bad word while playing speed scrabble and then acted all innocent about it
40. she actually thinks my sister quitting smoking would be a good birthday present
39. this will be a good birthday present, to her
38. she knew just how to coax me out of hiding when i was little
37. she once made an entire matching wardrobe for me and my barbies
36. she held the bucket (if you don't know this story - you really should hear it sometime)
35. she believed me when i said my sister hit me - even though i hit myself and blamed it on my sister
34. she has supported every decision i have ever made - because she taught me how to make good ones
33. she taught me that everything has a place and everything should be in its place
32. she taught me that it really makes a difference if you make your bed every morning
31. she answers the phone "ya" when it's her mom
30. she made "old mcdonald" the song that the phone rings when trudy calls because trudy is a preschool teacher
29. it was one of the biggest adventures in her life when we snuck in to the pool at a posh resort in florida
28. she talks to me on ichat
27. she loves my dad - a lot
26. we used to be at each other's throats when i was a kid and now she's one of my best friends
25. she didn't kill me when my cat clawed her drapes and wallpaper
24. she didn't kill me for any of the stupid things i've done over the years
23. the three of her children have put her through a lot and she loves us like we've never done a thing wrong in our lives
22. she believes in healing
21. she's healed
20. she taught me that love is a choice and that it is very hard from time to time
19. she and the praying moms do overtime!
18. she's still growing and learning and doesn't show any signs of slowing down
17. she walks for an hour every day and loves it when i'm there to walk with her
16. at the end of the day she really just wants what's best for all of us
15. she cries when children sing
14. she knows how to work the dvr better than my dad
13. she doesn't really like animals but she raised a dog and a cat for me
12. she laughs at her own jokes
11. she'll find an alternate route rather than drive in between those concrete things they put on the highway when doing construction
10. she taught me how to be a good friend
09. she believes in me
08. she believes in the innate goodness in people
07. she goes to curves because if she went somewhere else she'd miss her friends
06. she finds it extremely difficult to not tell the truth
05. she's crying while she reads this (i know you are!)
04. i'm having a hard time keeping this list to only 62 things
03. she loved me first
02. she knew my name wasn't kelly (another story...)
01. because she's my mom

i love you mom! happy birthday!