"Book'em Dan-O I'm 5-0!"

Happy, Happy 50th Birthday to my beautiful mom! Her birthday was actually Saturday, but I was traveling and celebrating with her on Saturday. No time for blogging! :)

My mom is the most amazing woman I know and I hope that I turn out to be half the wife, mother, daughter and friend that she is. She cares so deeply and so genuinely about people. She is a Godly woman who is just plain old fun. We have so much fun together and I am so proud to call her my mother and my best friend.

Mom is the best mother ever. She would let us skip school (occasionally) to have "fun" days and we would go to the movies, or go shopping, or hang out and watch movies at home. She totally saved my reputation in 7th grade when I went to school in one black shoe and one navy shoe (OMG...the mortification!) when I had come to the kitchen to ask which one looked better with my outfit and then forgot to go make things matchy-matchy. What a russell I was! Then, my junior year I was getting ready for out Friday pep-rally and realized I had forgotten bloomers for my cheerleading outfit. Necessity...I think so! I called mom in a sheer panic and she was there in a flash bloomers in tow. She is a life-saver!

And let's not forget our wonderful talks and the fun we had wedding planning. I count it such a blessing to have shared my most precious memories with her. She is a woman of faith, strength, dignity and unfailing love. When we all faced the toughest time of our lives when she was diagnosed with cancer, she is the one who lifted us up. Her attitude never failed and she touched so many people with her spirit of hope.

I love you mom. I can't imagine my days without our phone calls and e-mails. Here's to another fifty!

Riding the bull at her 50th birthday party in Dallas! You go girl!

The day I was born

So much fun!

Mom, Kristen and I at Serendipity

Visiting Taylor in New Orleans. We had a blast that week!

Sharing in the excitement of my engagement!

My wedding day with her by my side

I LOVE YOU!

And finally, I leave you with this awesome-ness. Mom, Kristen and I LOVE this SNL skit and have been doing it for years. We finally got to truly live it up and have been quoting this non-stop for a week. Mom's FIFTY! And she can KICK, stretch and KICK! Enjoy!