Why I Love My Mom

It's Friday and time for something Warm and Fuzzy. In honor of Mother's Day, here are ten tiny reasons why I love my mom:

1- She is tiny. 4' 11". It makes me laugh when she jumps to reach things on the shelf in a store. And it's funny to see her very tiny shoes laying around the house.

2- She is a rock star. She was in a folk group called Harmony Sun when she was a teenager, and I have very fond memories of her bringing her guitar to my preschool. We sang "Puff the Magic Dragon." And she brought the house down during some Ohio U. Mom's Weekend karaoke.

3- She can make a scrumptious sugar cookie. She made tiny little wedding cakes complete with glittery details for my wedding and decorated each by hand.

4- She laughs at the small things in life. America's Funniest Videos stirs up the laughter in her like nothing else.

5- She knew how badly I wanted to make the cheerleading squad in high school and spent hours teaching me one of her old cheers from her high school days. Although the styles had changed over the years, I'll never forget her helping me.

6- She does so much to make her family happy. Even the little things- I made a request for a totally ridiculous Dave Matthews Band firedancer cake, and she had a lady at church make it for me and brought it to Cleveland for my 30th birthday.

7- I once caught her singing The Backstreet Boys while doing laundry.

8- She waited in very long lines and watched people roll under store front gates to get me and my younger sister Cabbage Patch dolls for Christmas when I was little.

9- She does a funny dance to "Maria Maria" by Santana. I once witnessed it while she was driving. It was all elbow action.

10- Because she is my mom, she inspires me to be who I am, and I wouldn't trade her for the world.