Today is my dear mother’s birthday! They say that once you leave home and go off on your own independent adventures, you will realize how similar you are to your mother and she will become your best friend. It’s very true. My mom is really, really, cool!

Some of my favorite things about my mom: She loves to dance and often times goes to African, Reggae, or Jazz concerts. I grew up going to the reggae concerts with her and I have funny memories of them. My mom is hilarious without meaning to be. When I had a twitter, I would quote her all of the time. She would always yell, “STOP! Are you going to twitter me?!” Now that I don’t use twitter, I just text the quotes to my friends. ;)

My mom loves nature more than almost anything. She spends a lot of time in the redwoods, she gardens all the time, and she hates killing spiders. On more than one occasion, I have found my mom marveling over the birds or butterflies in our backyard. Once she exclaimed that these two yellow butterflies were going to “fall in love and have children!!!” And I could never get over it. But really, I’m exactly the same. :)

One of the best things my mom has taught me is how to be an independent woman (queue Destiny’s Child). Because of her independent spirit, she has been able to form her identity and make choices that make her happy. It’s admirable.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you very much.