Mom

Happy Birthday to the best broad I know. She is the reason I'm a little sassy. She is the reason I love a good adventure. She taught me that tolerance and toughness are not mutually exclusive. She taught me there is great strength in saying what you mean and doing what you say. She taught me being your authentic self is the only way to be truly happy, even if it means you like the Red Wings AND Blackhawks, and she taught me great resilience by making me a Cubs fan.  She is always on deck to help whether it's sitting by a hospital bed or shooing a snapping turtle out of traffic and back into Cedar Lake. She helps me plant my roots, but she never clips my wings. She is my balance, she is my backbone and I am only badass by proxy- because she is my mother.