Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! My mom is one of the strongest women I know and a huge inspiration in my life. She has overcome so many obstacles in her life and throughout it all, she is one of the most positive people I know. She has fought (and beat!) cancer twice, something unbelievable in its self. After her second round of cancer, her hair has never really gotten back to what it once was. You will never hear her complain about this though. She cheerfully puts on her Oregon Ducks scarf on her head everyday. I must confess, she loves the Ducks so much though, I am not sure it bothers her to wear the Oregon scarf everyday. One of my favorite stories and one of the most recent: Last January (2011) the Oregon Ducks football team made it to the National Championship Game and my parents drove down to Arizona to watch them play. They stopped to visit her cousin in Las Vegas on the way. I am still not exactly sure what happened, but while my mom was visiting her cousin, her leg caught on fire at a bonfire event! She ended up sustaining 3rd degree burns to her leg. I am sure a lot of people would have thrown in the towel at this point, but there was nothing that would stop my mom from going to that National Championship game to cheer on her beloved Ducks and she attended the game just a couple of days after burning her leg. That takes some serious strength! In honor of her birthday, here are some of my favorite photos of her:

My parents and me at my high school graduation. Taken shortly after my mom finished treatment for cancer the first time.

September 2007. Taken right after my mom finished treatment for cancer the second time and one of the first times she was able to drink in months. We had a get together to watch Oregon pummel Michigan in football that day. My dad was actually at the game in Michigan watching them get pummeled. Needless to say, it was a memorable day!

September 2007. One of the many Oregon Ducks football games my mother and I attended together.

November 2007. The 2nd time 'College GameDay' visited Eugene in the '07 football season. This was taken at 6 in the morning!

December 2007. Taken at my brother's graduation from college. My mom was the only person able to hold her liquor out of this group that night :)

November 2008 at an Oregon Football tailgate with our family friends Sean and Scott. My mom is never happier than when tailgating, one of her favorite activities.

February 2009, Super Bowl Sunday. My mom and I cheering on the Steelers, who won that year!

July 2009, Jerame and I's wedding day. Also a day when I have never seen my mom happier! 

February 2010, Super Bowl Sunday. We had had Gizmo for a total of 3 days at this point and this was my mom's first meeting with the new puppy.

July 2011 on my first trip home to Oregon after moving to Kentucky. Taken at a little bar in downtown Albany that my mom introduced me to. We had some delicious drinks that night!

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you know that I think you are an extraordinary woman :)