Red Truck Farm on the hill: mother's day

I have one cool mom. She's as cool as a cucumber, as fun as a ferris wheel on a Fijian beach, and as dependable as rain in Spring of 2011.
She's the billboard face of the phrase, "keep calm and carry on".
She's the sole reason I married well. They say the daughters end up just like their mothers. I knew I needed to introduce handy husband to my mom as soon as I met him. She secured that deal for me.

She was the mom that drove me from Kirkland to Granite Falls everyday after school to ride. She was the one that hauled me and my horse around many states in my quest for the blue ribbons-every weekend at the least. We'd arrive at our destination (many times) in the darkness of the night, unload our tack and horse, and get some shut eye. She'd have me up at the crack of dawn, show clothes ready, and at the arena ready to go. There, she'd spend her days making sure my day went smoothly, helping get my horse ready, shuffling me along, and greeting me after each class with a smile and sometimes a cinnamon roll for Brownie. Forward a few years and you can see where the dependable aspect comes in. She is now helping my days go smoothly with the kids, helping get them ready at times, shuffling them along as we try to get out the door to an appointment or a lesson, and greeting the rugrats with a smile and a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Dependable.

She's also the woman that will take care of your chickens. She'll gather the eggs and drive home. Then, she'll drive back to your house and deposit the eggs back under the chicken when she finds out there were actually baby chicks in their growing. Note: this did not happen at our house.

My mom is a great friend. Sometimes, I'll catch myself complaining about my Mom (there's never a reason) to my mom. That kind of a friend. She was at my bachelorette party, she's usually invited to parties that my friends have, and we talk on the phone at least twice a day.

We took an unforgettable road trip together in my early 20's (not that long ago) and visited 7 national parks. We hiked in all of them, spent more than our fair share of hours sleeping at rest stops, met an Oscar nominated musician at the top of Cathedral Rock in Arizona, and were even offered an old trailer to sleep in when a small motel was full at Yosemite. No thank you. We even spent an evening in a dive motel with our purses clutched next to us in bed and a chair jammed underneath the door knob. Probably not our safest choice.

She's really not afraid of much. I remember a time when someone threw a rock through our downstairs window. It was in the wee hours of the morning and my Dad was on a hunting trip. She quickly ran downstairs as I ran in the opposite direction. Go get 'em mom...all sixty three inches of you.

I can act exactly how I feel around my Mom. I don't have to hold it together with a smile on my face if I don't want to. If one kid is dumping milk on the floor, the other one is eating dog food, and the baby is screaming with a dirty diaper, I can yell out "this sucks!". I don't have to smile and say, "I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home with my kids."

Let's talk about patience. Something she is still trying to teach me. Our family consisted of one level headed mom and three stong minded, "my way is best", and "I can do it better" individuals. Lucky her, you say. Not so much. I'm pretty sure she sits on her couch at the end of a day and smiles knowing that my future is beginning to look nearly the same.

I'm so fortunate to have her only 15 minutes from me. I love the relationship she has with our kids. They love her. They cry for her when they get in trouble. They ask for Nana when it's time to go to sleep and they ask me why I don't bake cookies like Nana does. Maybe it's because she drops everything when we are visiting and will sit on the floor with them, undivided attention and all.

She's just dandy. She's the kind of person that everyone want to be friends with. The meat guys at the grocery store greet her with a smile and the best customer service, she leaves work with with the life stories of customers, and she's the kind of person that would get off of public transportation with a new best friend and a lunch date with the woman sitting next to her.

Last but not least. I'm pretty sure she's the only person that smiled and acted happy when we told her we were expecting baby #3-unlike the typical "oh geez" and "i'm sorry" and "it will be okay" coupled with a snicker and a roll of the eyes.

Mom, you're the best. I couldn't do this whole Mom thing without you. I love you more than Koby loves his dinner.