Thursday Thirteen - in honor of MOM!

This week's return of the Thursday Thirteen honors my mom - since this week is mother's day and I've been thinking about her. So here are thirteen things about my mom that are worthy of sharing:

1. She threw me birthday parties with big fancy cakes she made herself and invited all my little friends to come over when I was a kid. It was the typical 70's birthday party with pinatas and pin the tail on the donkey and lots of kids in plaid!
   
   
2. When I was about 10 she went back to college to get a degree, she got her Associates when I was 13 and started working as a computer programmer. At the time I found it mighty inconvenient but looking back now I know how hard she worked to take care of her family and get her degree.
   
   
3. In high school she made me take the hard courses, the ones I would need to do well in college (like Trig and Calculus) and while I hated her for it then I appreciated it later!
   
   
4. She took my side against the evil principal who hated me - more than once! My mom always had my back
   
   
5. She only made me eat liver once - and then she didn't make me eat all of it because she didn't like it either. And because my dad tried to make all of us eat it - she NEVER COOKED IT FOR HIM AGAIN! HA!
   
   
6. She spent more than a decade married to a practicing alcoholic. She put up with things that no one ever should. She kept my sister and I safe from all of this and did such a good job of it that my sister (who is nearly 3 years younger than me ) doesn't remember most of the "bad" times.
   
   
7. When she hit her limit she packed my sister and I up and we spent the weekend at my grandfather's house. She made it seem like we were on a fun adventure or a vacation. I know now she was planning to leave him but he came begging and she took us home.
   
   
8. When my dad stopped drinking and became a whole new man - she was able to forgive him for all the injustices he had done to his family. She was just glad to have him back and never looked back.
   
   
9. She always encouraged me to further my education. She made me take the hard classes in high school, scolded my bad grades in college and she was thrilled when I got my MBA - so proud of her daughter.
   
   
10. While she has not approved of my choices always over the years she learned (with a shove from me) that she needed to realize I was grown up and she had no power over my choices anymore. She backed off the negativity and became a friend as well as my mom.
    
    
11. She managed to scrimp and save through the years without ever depriving her family so that she could retire at 55 and travel with my dad in a giant motor home. I'm jealous I don't think I will be able to retire at 55.
    
    
12. She is a very good grandmother to my two nephews.
    
    
13. She is a good mother-in-law to my hubby - she cares for him and worries about him. She offers to drive him places when she can. She invites us over for dinner and cater's to his picky tastes. She tries very hard to make him feel at home and she let him live there for 3 months while seeking employment - this was the ultimate act of love - trust me! LOL