Who is your hero?

It has been a while since I've blogged and a lot has happened!  

About a month ago, I was randomly selected at work to participate in a focus group discussion.  Apparently more females are leaving at a higher rate than males at Dominion, so essentially HR wanted a bunch of women in one room to let it all out - frustrations, concerns, fears, thoughts, feelings, etc.  The woman leading the discussion passed out name cards, but instructed us not to put our own names on them.  Instead, she asked us to write down our childhood heros - the person we so desperately wanted to be like.

Two gals put Wonder Woman.  I considered it, but she wasn't really my generation.  But I thought about super heros... I really liked Superman and Batman - but the truth is, I only liked them because my older brothers liked them.  Besides, I wouldn't look cute in their outfits.  So who did I want to be like?  Who did I aspire to be?  For the next hour, I was known as "Judi".

My name card

Aren't moms the best?  My mom is one of the kindest people I know.  To this day, she always mails me Valentine's Day and Easter cards.  My mom is always in style - I love how in her wedding pictures, her wedding dress is sleeveless and v-neck, whereas everyone else in that time frame (the majority of her friends) had wedding dresses with long sleeves and turtlenecks.  She's not afraid to be different.  She's bold, honest, and direct - and I love that about her.  Some may call her bossy, especially with that "teacher lady" voice she has - which I think is great, because it says she's in charge and doesn't put up with any students' crap.  She's thoughtful and cares about other people - I don't know anyone else who would play Scrabble with the 90 year old neighbor next door.  My mom is a servant leader, always putting others before herself.  She's a fantastic cook, and even now I hope I can cook like her someday!!  My mom has such a big heart... and that's what I want to be like when I grow up.

Thanks Mom, for cleaning the puke out of my suede boots when I made a fool out of myself.  Thanks for pairing me with John Henry out of the other two old people in Florida, as the others were much more difficult to herd.  Thanks for altering my black dress at the last minute when I no longer could fit into it.  Thank you for always cracking a joke when I'm down, as laughter truly is the best medicine.  Thanks for never getting it with me (although Rick would say that's not by choice - what can I say, I am my mother's daughter).  And thanks for reminding me that I'm beautiful.  

I love you Mom, thanks for being you!

All my love,

Your little peep