Mom

Well, today is Mother's Day and I want to say a bit about my Mom. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Mom is her cooking. All the time growing up we always had the most fantastic dinners. She was a stay at home Mom cause she didn't want to miss a thing and always made sure that we got to our various activities on time. By us, I mean my little brother and I. Her meals ran the gamut from her roast chicken and pot roasts to creme brulee (yes, Mom, I know I probably spelled that wrong) and things she just dreamt up. Food has always been a feature in our house and she is famous for it all over the neighborhood. All the kids we grew up with always say we will get Vickie Barrett to do the catering for our weddings. They all know how good her cooking is cause she always makes enough to feed an army. The boys all know to come around at dinner time and just pull up a chair. Nobody leaves our house hungry because she'll make sure you get second and third helpings. If it wasn't for my high metabolism I would be as round as a Sumo wrestler. My low weight has been Mom's despair for years now.

Another thing about my Mom is just how hard she works. She's always taken on the weights of the whole family and stresses ENDLESSLY. She's always worrying but she's also always willing to lend a helping hand when anyone's in need. She's been working even harder later with my sick Aunt and the economy being as it is. But, still, she always has a smile and tries to make things special. She always tries to make room for one more even when perhaps she shouldn't.

She works hard but she can also play hard too. She loves to dance and it is so cute to watch her dancing in the kitchen some nights before a party or after dinner or just for the hell of it. She LOVES 50s and 60s music and will just shake her booty.

She always looks fantastic too. She never leaves the house without looking like a fashion plate.

We've had a lot of family vacations over the years but our two big vacation spots have always been Allegany State Park and Rehobath Beach in Deleware. At the former we all go rustic in winter through camping in cabins that had wood stoves for heating (well used to. Not anymore). It's always been fun watching Mom scream her head off snowtubing down a hill or falling down (not all the time) cross-country skiing. At the latter we go to the beach, swim, play on the boardwalk, and eat Maryland blue crab with Bay Seasoning. We didn't go on a ton of vacations but they always were memorable.

My Mom's always encouraged me to go for my dreams and push the limits. In 8th grade she put me alone on a plane to London to visit my school friend who had moved to Cambridge. The next year she sent me back to Europe for a trip with my French class. Then in 2004 and 2005 she sent me off to Alaska for the summers. And, more recently, she sent me off to South Korea for 6 months. She's also supported me in my efforts with Gaia and now, in my efforts to turn it into a book. She's used to me coming up with wild scheme after wild scheme and only sometimes tries to bring me back down to earth.

So, here's to you, Mom. I love you. You're the greatest. You're the bomb. You're Doctor Mew's meow. You're a Rock Star. You're the best. You're my Mom. Happy Mother's Day.