Shout out to the madre

I just have to say that every time I come home, my mom still remembers what clothes to not put in the dryer. (I'm really paranoid about my clothes shrinking, so I have very particular guidelines on what can and can't be dried.)

I kind of feel bad for a day in 4th grade when I came home from school in a huff because she sent me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of my usual demand for just peanut butter.

That was the only day in school history where she mixed it up. Sorry for the hostility, Mom.

atrevido

My mom and I were driving home, and we saw a man with a cane who was hitchhiking. Of course, my mom--being the 60's child that she is--stops to pick him up. "Look, he needs a cane to walk; he's harmless." I, being the sensible child, immediately start to think realistically.

Obviously, that cane could be a weapon. And the next thing we could wake up to is a dark pit in a basement with someone telling us to "rub the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again."

Has no one seen Silence of the Lambs?!?

If I learned anything from that film, it is to not help people struggling with perceived handicaps or injuries because they are really just trying to make a human suit out of your skin.

Okay, okay. He was actually a harmless, somewhat incoherent, old man. Mom: 1; Tanya: 0. We took him to Safeway, and he said we could come get vegetables anytime from his garden. I'm not sure if said garden exists, but either way, we did our daily good turn...or I guess my mom did anyway.

I wish society didn't make me so skeptical.

Moral of the story: Have a little faith. Pick up a hitchhiker.*

*I am not liable for any death or injury that may result from such action.

i bet you won't get crunk

I take a Turbo Kick class at the gym. It's like kickboxing, except there's a little bit of a hip-hop element to it, so it definitely caters to a female audience. I always have respect for the one guy that shows up though.

Most of the routines are comprised of whatever the Top 40 songs of the day are, and in between different sets of movement, the instructor will encourage everyone to just "shake it out" or "get freaky." Most people just stand there.

In particular, Ciara's "That's Right" (featuring Lil' Jon) song came on. If you've ever heard Lil' Jon, you would know that raw, freaky quality in all of his songs. Anyway, the instructor wanted everyone to freestyle for the first 15 seconds or so before our kickboxing routine began. When most of us timid people just bounced our heads a bit, she made us do wall sits or push-ups until we would actually let loose.

Did I mention I go to this class with my mom? Yeah, that will shut down any freaky side I possess rrrrrrreal fast. The instructor made it a competition on who could get the freakiest. Guess who won? My mom. Guess who had to demonstrate with the instructor in front of the whole class? My mom.

I had no words after this. No child should be subjected to that kind of sight.

I don't care what the instructors says, I'm not "getting freak-nasty" in front of my mom. I'll take the push-ups thank you.

Mom

This one goes out to my #1 blog fan: my beautiful mother.

Today I feel at a loss for words on how to express gratitude for this beautiful woman in my life. She has been there from the beginning--literally, but also in a way that is so much more than that. I don't know how else to phrase this other than, my mom gets it. She has known what it takes to love and raise children from day 1. This is not just because she is smart and cultured and hardworking and talented, but she has an overwhelming capacity to love and forgive and heal and support. I was reading Postsecret this Sunday, and I physically hurt for some of the resentment people felt for their mothers that they scrawled across the postcard. Maybe I have taken for granted that I always had a mother who built me up and believed in me. Maybe I have taken for granted that my mother's strength never wavered. Maybe I have taken for granted that my mom is one of my best friends and a constant source of wisdom. Maybe I have taken for granted that I have always had a source of unconditional love in my life without the fear of rejection or abandonment.

The only way I can possibly repay all the sacrifices my mom made for me is to be the kind of mother she is to my future children. I sincerely hope this is possible.

Mom, I love you forever! Happy Mother's Day!

shout out

I just have to say that nobody makes cinnamon rolls like my mom. Nobody.

I was eating someone else's recipe, and I ate far too much than I would have liked. This is because some crazy thought of mine reasoned that just one more bite and then I would be tasting my mom's cinnamon rolls. Does anyone else eat gross things because you keep thinking it will taste different with the next bite? I don't want to dis on the person who made the cinnamon rolls because they weren't completely terrible; they just weren't the way I like them.

I just realize that I was one lucky girl all those growing up years.

And you can tell everybody, this is your blog post...*

*cue Elton John classic preferably redone by Ewan McGregor.

It's Mother's Day and just for my mom, I'm writing her a lovely blog post because she loves everything I do :)

Things I have learned from my mom:
1. Take your time picking the right person--there is no rush to get married at 20.
2. How to make world-class cookies. (I have yet to meet a contender.)
3. How to cook in general.
4. How to be more assertive.
5. What's most important in life (i.e. God, Jesus Christ, and family)
6. Don't go to bed angry.
7. The importance of education and making the most of your talents.
8. How to be more of a people person.
9. How to budget and be frugal.
10. How to drive aggressively and multitask.
11. The importance of giving 100% in every responsibility you have.
12. The usefulness of speaking a second language.
13. Don't date chauvenists.
14. The entertainment that comes from quality films with people like Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Day, etc., etc., etc.,
15. A love of music.
16. How to be a better leader.
17. You have to fight for what you want.
18. The happiness that comes from following Jesus Christ.
19. The importance of being home.
20. Pure, maternal love.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it hopefully gives everyone a very general sense of who my mother is. She is smart, assertive, loving, and down-to-earth. She can strike up a conversation anywhere, anytime. She has so many life experiences from traveling or going on a mission or going to college that has embellished who she is. I have a mother who loves God and loves our family with all that she has. I have been so blessed to be raised by such a strong woman in my life.

One time in second grade, my mom was volunteering and came out to recess with me. We saw the girls spinning on the bars, and my mom said, "I used to do that when I was a little girl." So we all said, "Show us! Show us!" So my mom got on the bars and spun around and around. Everyone gathered around, and thought it was so cool that an adult was spinning on the bars. I remember feeling so proud and thinking, "wow, what a great mom I have."

Luckily my mom and I never had that typical strained teenager-parent relationship during high school. It's such a cliche, but my mom has really been one of my best friends. She has more faith in me than sometimes I even have in myself. Her constant love and support has sometimes baffled me in my darkest times. Why would someone believe in me that much? As I have let more light and clarity come into my life, I realize that I couldn't have done it with out someone as loving and dedicated as my mom always backing me up. Since that day in second grade, I still think everyday, "wow, what a great mom I have."