When I went away for college, we talked every day on the phone. Even on days that I would see her, we would "recap" the day. When I went away to New York, I attempted to set a goal to "not talk to mommy every day" but that didn't happen. Why? Because talking to her daily isn't an obligation. It's something I genuinely want to do. I enjoy setting aside the time to hear what's going on with her and the interest she shows in my life is comforting. She teaches me to pay attention to the little things. She brings me up when I'm down. She's never stopped believing in me.

My mother has sacrificed a lot for her family. When her parents were ill, she put every ounce of energy into making sure they were taken care of. She still lives in the neighborhood she grew up in. Family is obvious important to her. Now that she's a grandmother, well, it doesn't surprise me that she tackles that role like a professional.

When my sister got married, she worked for months and months on a special video with music, pictures and video clips that had great significance to my sister's life. When I graduated college, she did the same for me. She knew exactly what to put in and when. She even went through years of video tapes to find the best clips. That video is hands down the best gift I've ever received.

Holidays are always great because of my mother's spirit and dedication. She absolutely loves Christmas. She has an entire closet dedicated to decorations and even changes the pictures on the wall. Need I say more? She loves tradition. She loves surprising people. She puts real thought into everything she does, just so people feel at home, eat a good meal and definitely feel appreciated.

My mom is the only person that can be in Disneyland all alone on her 50th birthday and love it. Back up. My family was given the option of going to Laguna Beach or Disneyland for her birthday trip, and if we chose Laguna, she was going to invite friends to visit her and Mickey Mouse. That's exactly how it turned out.

However, it just so happened that the three friends she had invited to come out at different times all had a last-minute family crisis. But because my mom can make friends everywhere she goes, she had a great time. I think she had a lot of extra nostalgic moments to fulfill and wouldn't have gotten those with an entourage of crabby, indecisive family members. She was probably brought back to the great times she had working there with her good friend, who she tragically lost soon after living with her. I don't know how she still deals with losing a best friend at such a young age in such a horrible way, but she does, and I admire her for that.

While I could dedicate an entire blog to my mother that would never end, I must sum it up by saying that she's the best thing in my life. She's the best support system anyone could ask for, and it doesn't hurt that she's super fun. I'm a very lucky gal, and I only hope to be as great to my family and friends down the road as she is to them today.

Thanks to the moon and back, mom. I love you to pieces.