A Mother's Day Miracle

Ahh, Mother's Day. Is there anything better than being in the middle of a kid/grandma sandwich?When you are the meat/meat alternative and your children pamper you, and you, in turn, pamper your own bun of a mother. (Who thought of this analogy anyway?) Seriously, it's the best of both worlds. Especially when you all throw up a gang sign because it's just more fun than the traditional 3 symbol.

My day started off with me falling out of bed, quite literally, because I thought it would be a good idea to run 12.7 miles the day prior. At the time, it was fun spending 11 odd hours running 75 miles across Iowa with five of my now closest friends in a minivan. That sounds like an oxymoron for fun, but truly, we all wanted to sign up again when we finished. Granted that might have been due to the free, tasty beer at the end, but I digress. Anyway, on Sunday morning, my left IT band decided to call in sick. I envision it ringing up my brain saying, "Uh, yeah, I'm not gonna make it in today. I can barely move," and my brain thinking, "Yeah, right," before hanging up. But it's true. I could not bend my left knee at all. The muscles required to do that were completely spent from keeping my kneecap in place for nearly a half marathon.

Which is why it wasn't a great idea to tell my husband we should go to the zoo on Mother's Day. Because he is not an injury prone runner, he didn't see an issue with my running so far the day before when I suggested such a craptastic plan. Therefore, I followed my falling out of bed routine by walking around like a pirate with a wooden stump for a leg for the remainder of the day. You're welcome, zoo tourists. Even I was entertained watching myself take the stroller down a hill to see the elephants. Going back up, not so funny.

Non-functioning knee not pictured. Best unintentional photo bomb ever? Quite possibly.

Despite my physical setback, the mimosas and the macaws at the zoo were delightful. My new TOMS were exactly what I hoped for, but the thing that I didn't even know I wanted was the best present of all. You see, last year, my lovely eldest daughter, in her 4-year-old blatant honestly, made me a fill-in-the-blank card for Mother's Day. And it wasn't exactly a gift I recall fondly (it's since been burned and buried). You can read the entire saga if you like, but in a nutshell, basically, she proclaimed that her mommy's main "likes" included: watch TV. drink beer. In that order. See for yourself.

Now, I do like to do these things, and who doesn't, but I would like for them not to define me, especially to caretakers of my young children. So...that's what made this year's pink laminated place mat qualify as a priceless family heirloom that will be passed down for generations. See for yourself.

My name is: Nikol. (Close enough.)
She calls me: Nik. (Uh, sure. Or, Moooooooooooom.)
I am: 33 years old. (And aging backward!)
I have: Block/Black hair. (I will dye it black if you don't tell people I watch too much Netflix while consuming adult beverages.)
My job is: helping at school. (Awwwwwwwwww. I volunteer for an hour each week, and apparently someone has noticed.)
I like to: WAIT FOR IT ---- See her. And play with her. (YES. YES. YES. YES. YES!)
I am special because: She loves me.

I will take it. All the way to the bank. Where I will put this in a safety deposit box for years to come. Because you never know what she'll come up with next year...

A Happy Mother's Day indeed!