Happy Birthday, Mum!

Sneaking this one in just before the deadline. Today was my mother's 51st birthday, everyone. It's ok - she won't mind my telling you. She's not nutty about her age like some women. Besides, look at how hip & young she looks on this Vespa. :)

There's pretty much no way to do this without being cheesy, but here goes. Mum, as you very well know, I would be a shadow of myself without you. You have always supported my decisions, even when they were dumb ones. You guys, this is a woman who once left me a note that said: "Good luck with your tattoo this weekend!"

Seriously? That's amazing. Here are a few more in the pantheon of supportive things my mother has said: "You want to us to buy you a beat-up 1965 Mustang & then work on weekends to help you restore it? Sure, no problem!" In college: "You want us to pay rent on a two-bedroom, waterfront cottage for only you, instead of just paying for room & board like your other three years? Great idea!" And more recently, there was: "You want to go to grad school so you can get a master's degree & make the exact same amount of money as you're making now, minus all of your student loans? Go for it!"

Mum - I don't know what to say. Even though you're kind of a dumb ass (inside joke, people), you're the best woman I've ever known. Happy Birthday, from your Stasha!