International Women’s Day!

I know we all have special women in our lives to celebrate, and it’s so powerful to have a whole day to celebrate them internationally! I have so many women that have molded and shaped me into the woman I am today, and thank goodness for that tribe! From my grandmas, great grandmas, neighbors growing up, aunts, cousins, my sisters, sister-in-laws, teachers, church leaders, friends, coworkers, random women at the store… and the long list could go on and on. But today, the woman that I really want to celebrate is my Mom!

When I think of my mom, and the life that she’s lead to bring her where she is today, I cannot help but to get teary eyed. This woman has lived her life so well, and not only that, but has helped and inspired me to be the best mom I can be.

When she was a young girl, their family was very poor. I try to imagine some of the things that she felt through those situations, in her day in and day out life, and I feel so in awe. Whenever I ask about those days, she never complains. She never talks about those years like it was a burden, or mopes. She always commends her mother for how hard she worked for their family. She gives her the highest praise, and even though I am sure there are things that she missed out on because my grandmother was so busy working so hard, that is never a focus she ever talks about or mentions. That’s so inspiring to me, and really motivates me to not only work hard like my dear Grandmother, but to celebrate the wins in life rather than complain about what isn’t right in my life.

When my mom was in college, she delivered a pizza to a random guy, and just a short while later they were married and had 3 beautiful girls (me and my twin sisters – 22 months apart), all under 3 years old. When I was 3, my birth Dad passed away, she was left with a high school diploma and 3 young girls to provide for. She went into real estate and figured out a way to do such a good job! She is insanely resourceful! I learned that from her! Those young years are kind of a blur to me, but I have some very formative memories instilled in my mind. I remember being at work with my mom racing in the swirly chairs. I remember waking up when it was still dark out to do scripture and prayer before we got ready for school. She was so good at making sure we started our days off right. I remember getting roller skates for Christmas, and wanting to use them so bad, so we got to skate inside in our dining room since the flooring was being replaced. I’ve never been a single parent before, nor do i ever want to, but the things she was able to do with the amount of energy that she had is so impressive!

As we continued to grow up, I remember long talks about boys, stresses of school, my life long dreams and aspirations, ideas that I had to redecorate my bedroom, my love of Nancy Drew, scrapbooking, cheerleading, running, and how to have a relationship with my Heavenly Father. She taught me and shaped me and my siblings into what we are today, and I am so insanely grateful.

Now that she and my Dad are empty nesters and have raised all their babies, they get to enjoy the perks of grandparent life, and they are killing it! My mom recently went back to real estate school, and just passed her state test! I love seeing her go after her dreams like this. Her tenacity to achieve is contagious! She lives with such a zest, and excitement for her grandbabies, and I see that same energy she had when we were growing up with all of our kids. It’s such a beautiful thing to see.