Happy Birthday Mama C!

It's an important day, my friends. Today, we mark the day when the one and only Mama C. came into this world, and so Mama, a letter of thanks:

Dear Mama,

Thank you bringing me into this world. Thank you for wiping up every mess a baby is inclined to make. Thank you for not letting me get away with screaming bloody murder as a toddler for absolutely no reason. Thank you for letting me be your constant shadow even when you just wanted a minute to yourself. Thanks for never yelling at me when I drank your cup of coffee without you seeing and left you thinking you were losing your mind. Thank you for letting me fill in the details of the stories you were telling other people because you weren't 'telling it right.' Thank you for always coming to my soccer games, band and chorus concerts, and color guard tournaments even when you wanted to be relaxing at home. Thank you for carting me around to all the different colleges I thought I might want to attend, and for supporting me when I picked the one I wanted. Thank you for never making me worry about where I would sleep at night, if I would have enough to eat, and if I was safe. Thank you for putting up with those years after I graduated when I simply didn't know what the hell I was doing with my life. Thank you for not telling me you didn't like my boyfriends until after they were out of the picture. Thank you for your endless supply of recipes and advice. Thank you for letting me make my own mistakes. Thank you for showing me I don't need to wear make-up to be pretty. Thank you for showing me the beauty in hair that transforms from dark brown to sparkling silver. Thank you for always causing trouble. Thank you for teaching me the unappreciated art that is brutal honesty. Thank you for everything you haven't taught me yet, everything you are, and everything about you that I hope to be.

I love you. Happy Birthday.