I’m not a foodie, or a baker, and I don’t take particularly good photos of food or baked goods.

But, I think I’ve grown into a pretty good daughter (if you don’t count my high school years against me).

Today is my mom’s birthday, and it’s a pretty big milestone. The kids happily wished her a “Happy birthday!” this morning before school.

As I’ve gotten older, I realize just how lucky I am to have my mom…for a mom and a friend. My mom has always, ALWAYS been there for me. Even when I got my first tattoo in high school, just after I turned 18. She didn’t get mad, even though I knew how much she hated tattoos, but she did give me a speech about how disappointed she was in me that I will never forget as long as I live. She did say later that she thought it was pretty, at least.

My high school years were rough for both of us. We butted heads all the damn time, and she probably only put up with me because I managed to get good grades regardless of how bad my attitude got. She stuck with me, fought with me, and then got me through college with A LOT of phone calls.

She was there for me in college when I believed the stupid commercials about the “free” psychic hotline that ended up costing a couple hundred dollars. And when I called to whine about my annoying college roommate that cried on the phone to HER mom and only ever wanted to talk about Xena, Warrior Princess. Or when my bank account dipped too low and she had to bail me out of a “the car’s out of gas” bind from an hour away. Except for that tattoo, she never made me feel bad, or dumb, or like I should be handling things on my own more. She talked me off the ledge, she supported me, and she always, always made it clear that I was loved.

I hope I’ve made it clear that she’s loved. We don’t always talk about our feelings in my family, but hopefully, we show them through our actions. And if I’ve ever wanted anyone to know anything, I want her to know that I appreciate her, I love her, and I am so, so lucky to have her.

We all are, truly. She’s my role model, my slow running buddy, a huge part of my support system, and one of the most awesome grandmas I know.

So, happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

I hope these cupcakes I made for your birthday party tomorrow are as delicious as they look. (Frosting will help)

Through The Lens Thursday is a self-improvement photography project that Alison of Writing, Wishing and I are doing this year (again!).

Don’t forget to join our Flickr group or share your own posts if you’d like to follow along and work on your own photography! And use the hashtag #throughthelensthursday to connect with others working on it, too.

Next week’s prompt is SIGN.