R.I.P. Mom ~ 4/7/44-12/13/09

• she would write me notes saying "I love you because..." and then folded the notes into little origami shapes
• she loved anything having to do with hummingbirds, roosters and owls
• her favorite colors were teal and turquoise
• she loved taking care of her garden and tomato plants
• she was very artistic and creative... she excelled at landscaping, drawing, sewing and writing
• if I was having trouble with a teacher, she would go down to the school and make everything better... I don't know what she said to them, but teachers suddenly started treating me better after that
• how she would bluntly warn me about the dangers in life, like "If your ball goes into the street and you try to retrieve it, you will get hit by a car and die." and "If you get into a stranger's car, he will kill you."
• she was truly my best friend because we always did stuff together since I rarely did things with friends (not that I was antisocial, but because I was just shy)
• making Christmas cookies together, decorating the tree, and doing the advent calendar with her
• her baking me a chocolate cake as a going-away present before I left for college for the first time and baking me another one when I was done for the year
• if she didn't get what she wanted from a restaurant or customer service and they weren't accommodating about it, she wasn't afraid of arguing with them until she got what she wanted and she always did
• she always sacrificed her own needs and wants to get me something I wanted even if she could barely afford it
• her making me and my brother's Halloween costumes and us getting lots of compliments on them
• if I was staying home sick from school, she would go in late to work and make sure I had plenty of chicken noodle soup, 7-UP and popsicles
• no matter how tired she was after work, she always made a good home-cooked meal for me
• her being there to vent to about boyfriend problems and her giving me advice to deal with such problems
• that she instilled a love of animals, free-thinking and common sense in me
• her losing her hair due to radiation treatments and yet she tried not to let anyone know that it bothered her
• the postcards and care packages she sent me when I was away at college
• when she pulled me out of senior year of high school for 2 months to go traveling together, my school administration wasn't very pleased, but I now have invaluable time with her that I will always cherish
• she never forgot my birthday
• she was always proud of me, no matter what