Happy Birthday Mum!

Today is my Mom's (although I like to call her Mum) Birthday. It is also Veteran's Day. But growing up it was always Mom's Birthday before it was Veteran's Day. I was brought up knowing that Birthdays are significant days of the year. This was ingrained when I knew I could always have the biggest and best birthday party at the latest and greatest fun zone for kids, be it G'Willikers or Bullwinkle's. Because of this fact, I used to think that we didn't have to go to school on November 11th because we were celebrating Mom's birthday. I suppose my family traditions had more influence on me than the public school curriculum. :)

To honor my Mum on such a great day here are some (but definitely not all) of my favorite things about her:
1. She is the most consistently hardworking woman I know even through life's many hardships.
2. She speaks two languages (English & Tagalog) fluently and has a super cool accent that I didn't even recognize until one of my friend's in junior high pointed it out to me!
3. She is completely 100% Filipino and came to the U.S. when she was 22 all by herself and has worked hard to establish and upkeep her family and give them a good life despite language barriers and cultural differences.
4. She is a woman of perseverance!
5. She's super funny!
6. She loves plants and flowers.
7. She's an amazing cook.
8. She's very, very, very hospitable, friendly, and generous.
9. She owns a lot of shoes just like the former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos.
10. She's beautiful!
11. She loves her family and would do anything for them.

Happy Birthday Mum!

I love you!