Being a Mom

Mother's Day...it means different things to different people, but ultimately it is all about appreciating the one person who has been with us from day one-our mom!  Whether you realize it or not, your mom probably loves you more than anyone else on this Earth...and why wouldn't she?  You are an extension of who she is...you truly are a part of her.  That's a pretty special relationship!

Had you told me 28 years ago that I'd be a mom one day, I would have laughed at you.  Being a mom was not part of my life plan.  After all I had big plans to be a fancy lawyer living in an apartment in a big city with lots of dogs.  Funny how some things change and other things never do!  Move ahead to today and I can't imagine my life not being a mom.  I've spent 60% of my life as a mom.  It is really what most defines me.  I AM a mom!  And I think that is a pretty great thing to be!

I can tell you that as a daughter, I am not always good at appreciating my mom.  However, I think that being a mom myself has given me a much greater appreciation for my own mom.   I think we all have those moments as children when we under-appreciate our mom.  Some of us are better kids than others (and I think mine is pretty great!). Sometimes our moms drive us crazy, I'm sure my daughter would agree that I drive her crazy at times-I'm willing to own that.  But no matter how angry or crazy they make us, we never stop loving them.  And hey, I bet we do a pretty good job of making our moms angry and crazy too, but she never stops loving us.  I just don't think it's possible for a mom to not love her child.

For me, today is also about my journey through motherhood...from the day I found out that I was pregnant to this moment in time right now.  I think about all of the things I have experienced because I chose to take this journey and what a journey it has been! From feeling her kick for the first time, to the first time I saw her, to leaving her on her first day of kindergarten, to her college graduation and so much in between, it has all been pretty amazing.  And the pretty awesome thing about being a mom is that even though we each have our own experiences and in some ways we take our journey alone, I feel like I am part of a club...the Mom Club!  And only other moms can understand how we feel about our children and how we feel about being a mom. It's a great club to be a member of because I believe that what we do and what we bring to the world is pretty special.

I must add here that I don't share the belief that in order to be a "real" mom, you must have given birth.  I do believe that there are other ways to be a mom too.  Having kids just isn't possible for every woman, but I know that there adoptive moms out there that love their children just as much as I do.  I know that there are foster moms acting as a mom to kids who have ended up in some unfortunate situations and there are surrogate moms-the women who take other people's children under their wings to offer extra support, guidance and love when it is needed.  And of course there are the moms whose children have four legs and fur.  I'm lucky enough to be one of those too and can tell you that I love my girls just as much as I love my daughter!  All of these great women are loving, caring, nurturing people who put someone else's needs before their own and isn't that what being a mom is all about?

Although Webster's dictionary defines a mother as a woman who has given birth, I much prefer the Urban Dictionary definition of Mom-"The woman who loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her kids before herself and the one who you can always count on above everyone else." Moms are pretty awesome people!

Thanks mom, for all you've done for me!  And thanks to all of the other mom's out there who are giving of themselves every day.

Utah

I spent some time with a good friend earlier this week, one of those friends who isn't on facebook, so I actually had to pull out my computer to show her my vacation pictures.  Lucky for her, she got to suffer through every single picture I took!  It was nice to sit back and look through my pictures after being home for a little over a week and talk about my time out West.  As I was looking through them, it reminded me of a thought I had as I was driving Eastward toward home.   That thought?  The entire State of Utah should be a National Park.

There are lots of amazing places in this big awesome country of ours, but Utah just seems extra special.  Last fall, when we traveled out to Oregon and Washington, we drove through Northern Utah on our way home.  I remember thinking then how beautiful and unique the landscape was there and knew then that I would have to go back to Utah.  I guess I just didn't realize how soon I'd be back. And after seeing more of it this trip, I know that I will go back again.

Great Salt Lake

From the Great Salt Lake to the spot where four States meet and so many places in between, I think Utah is just amazing.  

Four Corners Monument

There are definitely some extra special places in Utah and it already has several National Parks and National Monuments, but what really amazed me about this place was just the awesome views you can experience simply driving down the highway.  

Along I-80 in Northern Utah 

Driving on US-89 Near Big Water, Utah 

Anyone traveling to Utah needs to make the drive along US-89. It takes you from the dry desert-y area near Page Arizona, through some beautiful canyons and then becomes a curvy drive through small mountains-with some stunning views along the way.  You get amazing views of the edges of the Grand Staircase-Escalante monument with its ever changes rock formations and amazing colors from bright reds to deep grays.  We only traveled as far North as Bryce Canyon on US-89, but you can take it all the way North to Provo and I bet it would be beautiful for the entire drive!

Grand Staircase Escalante

Our ultimate goal for the day was to see Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.  But we got way more than we bargained for with the views along the road. 

After leaving Utah for several days to explore other areas of the Southwest, we returned on our trek home, this time traveling along US-50...also known as the Loneliest Road in America.  A very fitting moniker for this highway because you can drive 100 miles and not see a town.  But the views along this route are absolutely stunning!

Nevada Utah Border

Roadside "lake"

Farmland

A view of US-50 

Mountains!

If you really want to explore Utah, I say get off of the expressways and onto roads like US-89 and US-50, you will not regret it!  Just be prepared not to see a lot of other people and make sure to have a tank full of gas and lots of snack and water!  I'm in no hurry to leave Michigan again any time soon and we still have several other States we plan to visit, but I know for certain that we'll return to explore Utah even further some day.  

Imke and Maddie at Bryce Canyon