My mom is:

A friend

A confidant

A shoulder to cry on

A scary driver

Great at making me laugh

A wonderful smile

A hug on a bad day

A hug on a good day

A caring sister

Loving

A wake up call

A great cook

An incredible wife

A night owl

A trip planner

A sweet grandmother

Always good for advice

A travel companion

A random email

A terrible text messager

A tv watching pal

A quilter

A reader

A farmville addict

A gamer

And most of all,

She is the perfect mom.

Thank you for bringing me into the world and thank you for making my life one that is filled with love!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

I love you!

Living nine hours away from my family is hard. I lived in my parents basement, and though I was ready to get out of there, it has been so difficult to go from seeing them every day to being lucky to talk to them once a week.

The distance means that I will probably only see them a few times a year, if that. It's hard to think about sometimes.

I've always been really close with my parents. When I was a teenager, I kept expecting to hit an age where they would drive me crazy and embarrass me on an hourly basis like all of my friend's parents. That never happened. They have always been the ones that I go to when I'm having a really bad day. 

But it's so much harder to go to them with my problems now that I'm in Las Vegas. Talking is good, if I can catch them; but nothing is better than a hug from them. And that's simply not available.

On Saturday I was able to hug my mom.

My aunt had surgery, and my mom is staying there to take care of her. Just a mere two and a half hours away.

So Alyson and I hopped in the car and shuffled off to Utah to give my mom a great big hug. It felt amazing.

All of my aunt's children were there as well, and while Susan slept in her bedroom, we played games at the kitchen table, which is known to happen when a bunch of family gets together. I won. Of course. 

Around 8:00pm, we hugged one more time before Aly and I got back in the car and drove back to Nevada. It was a short, perfect trip. Those few hours were just enough to last me until the next time I see my parents. I hope.

I love you mom!