She's an adventurer.

hey mom.

i have been thinking back to this adventure we had:

backpacking through europe back in 2008.  i remember trying to round up friends to go before our semester in romania started and they were dropping like flies.  i was feeling ready for an adventure of a lifetime and nothing was working out.  i couldn't very well wander europe by myself. 

i don't quite remember if i asked you to come, or if you had the idea but then again it doesn't really matter because we both knew it was the best idea ever! and far better than my original plans.  so we planned, we researched, we packed our gear into our small backpacks, and we boarded our flight.

we ate gelato, crepes, and pizza like it was our job.  we rode bikes in the gardens of versailles.  we watched the sunrise as the swiss rowed on the water.  we saw far too many speedos in south france.  we studied the gorgeous austrian mountainsides from the speeding train.  we sneakily took pictures in forbidden exhibits (in florence and at the vatican).  we did laundry in the hostel sinks.  we found 100 Euro in the gutter.  we ate dinner with our rowdy and drunk hostel-mates in rome.  we wandered through the alleys of venice.  we had the best pasta ever in pisa.... and on and on.

we explored and we adventured!!  we bought souvenirs and tried to remember every moment.  we cried as we boarded planes going in different directions, mine to romania, yours back to the united states.  little did we know we would be seeing each other just 5 weeks later and spending 8 glorious days together stuck in a hospital room. 

and i am so glad i got to do it all with you.  funny how plans don't work out and things work out perfectly all at the same time.  i am so grateful we shared such an unforgettable experience.  and do you know what?? ... the those adventures and experiences just keep coming.

you are everything i hope to be.  you are quick to laugh, serve, and sacrifice.  and you are always up for an adventure.  you are positive, happy, and incredibly forgiving.  you see the best in people and situations.  i am incredibly lucky to have you as my mother and my best friend. 

here's to you, momma.  i love you to the moon and back.