Happy Birthday, Momma!

I absolutely LOVE my mom!

She is truly my best friend in the world, and I cannot imagine my life without her.  Here are a few (very few) of the reasons I love my momma:

• We talk on the phone almost every day... it is a very rare day that we don't talk (Thank you, Lord for cell phones, and free mobile-to-mobile minutes)
•  She knows how to get me out of a bad mood
• She is my shoulder to cry on
• She is my ear to complain to
• She is a vault of information - when I tell her a secret, she is good at keeping it a secret
• She's a great cook and baker
• She never takes a day off -- her full-time job is wife and mother, and she never takes a day off -- the vacation time she has stored up has to be nearing a decade-worth of vacation
• She is full of wisdom
• She is great at giving advice
• She is great at listening when I don't want advice
• She and I have the same sense of humor
• We understand each other
• We enjoy of the same movies
• We share book recommendations
• We both cry at the drop of a hat
• We have both experienced heartache, heart break, brokenness... which is a big reason we both cry at the drop of a hat
• She is such a strong woman of faith
• She is a prayer warrior
• We share a love of junk-food (for better or worse)
• She is a wonderful animal grammy

For all her wonderful qualities, she has a hard time taking a good picture.  :-D  She takes a great picture when she's not thinking about it, but when she's told "SMILE, I'm taking your picture", the result is not great.  :-D

Fortunately, beauty is not what a camera captures, beauty is captured through action, word, lifestyle, service, body, and heart.  And my mom is one of the most beautiful women I have ever met.

I've reached into the archives and tried to find some pictures that capture mom's beauty over the years:

 Happy Birthday, to the best Momma in the world!