Ode to the Jode

I've had a lot of reasons to take an inventory of my blessings lately, campers...and today I'd like to celebrate one of the greatest blessings in my life: my mom! The Jodester is celebrating her birthday today, and, to quote Papa Bear, "This is the second-most important day of the year, only after Christmas!" (To be frank, he might be wrong about that. My mother's birth might actually supersede the birth of the Christ Child himself. Blasphemy? Possibly, but I'd put money on Jodes any day.)

Parenthetical asides aside, I am so intensely happy that Mom's birthday falls today, of all days. The last few days and weeks have slapped me in the face repeatedly with the fact that I won the lottery of parents. 

Nothing can really encapsulate how incredible my mom is or how great our relationship is. I was never really the clichéd high schooler who hated her mom because it was en vogue to do so. I tended to appreciate the kind of mother who thought after-school Caramel Coolers were totally fair game, who devoted countless hours to teaching me to drive (more patiently than Dad, might I add), volunteering at debate and speech tournaments, and listening to me practice the piccolo...let's be real, that alone should fast-track her for sainthood!

I talked to my mom literally every day in college and almost every day that I was abroad in London...and often, it'd be more than once. It's a tradition we've carried through to adulthood with remarkable success. She was and still is the first person I want to share my triumphs with, be it a great grade on a test, my job offers from my Big 4 or new job, or conquering my ineptitude in the kitchen. She is the first person I take my fears, frustrations, and failures to...not just for a comforting pep talk but for true advice and constructive criticism when it's merited. And she is the only person I am ever going to be comfortable sharing every hurt with...from childhood bruises to broken elbows to broken hearts.

I  think, however, it takes that first taste of adulthood to truly appreciate the magic that is a mother. The older I've gotten and the more I've struck out on my own and experienced independence, the healthier and richer our relationship has grown. We have a level of candor and honesty with one another that resonates on every level. With the perspective of my own half-baked attempts to be an adult, I can look at my mom and not just see "my mom." Instead, I'm learning to see everything that has made her the woman that she is...a woman who is my mom, but is also her own person. 

Before this devolves too far into the realms of Hallmark saccharine, here's to you, Mom...to the person who is the life of the party, the backbone of our family, and the brightest spot in my world. They always say that at some point, women turn into their mothers. Personally, I can't wait for that day to come. :)

Love you SO much! Happy birthday!

Resolutionizing: February/March Update

Guys! Once upon a time I made resolutions and I'm actually keeping...some of them! To amaze  you all with my resolutionizing prowess and excellent willpower, I'm going to recap and check in on the last TWO months' worth of resolutions and their current status. Ready? Set? GO!

1. Cook at least one new recipe a week.

Status: LOL RIGHT. Let's laugh together and go order take-out or find another excuse to have happy hour for dinner, shall we?

2. Manage my closet/shopping habits in conjunction with each other more effectively. 

Status: So much shopping. Um, not thrilled about that. BUT I got rid of a ton of old stuff (goodbye, sweaters I've had since freshman year of college! Goodbye, polos I wore to work in high school!), so there's that. And I had a LOT of gift cards from my birthday, guys. 

3. Have at least one "event date" a month with Jon. 

Status: Well the last week of February was one big old fantabulous date of magic in Puerto Rico ...which I still can't help but smile when I remember! And I'm going to let that carry me through on this one, because we've had a bit of a March dry spell with nasty weather, lots of work and studying, and other obligations getting in the way. We did have an utterly lovely evening last Sunday though...took advantage of 60-degree weather and had dinner outside at my new favorite taco restaurant in Uptown. It was delightful :)

4. Focus on continuing friendships. 

Status: I'm looooving this one. I've had so much fun getting together with friends, hosting and attending birthday parties, and being spontaneous AND structured at the same time. I really adore and am so thankful for the community of people I have around me here in Minny. Lucky girl, right here. 

5. Call my grandma regularly. 

Status: Folks, I call my grandma. And I love it. It's one of my better resolutions, I think. And one Sunday afternoon, when my family was gone and Jon was gone, I called her and we decided to hang out. Sooo I just drove my butt up to her house and we drank wine and gossiped for three hours. How cool is it that I am friends with my grandma? I love it. Let me reiterate: Love this resolution. Grandparents are awesome. 

6. Grow some succulents. 

Status: Um. See cooking resolution. Domesticity hasn't been my thing lately...

7. Write more!

Status: SUCCESS! So much writing! I've felt really inspired again and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm re-finding my voice. This is a good, good step...one I wholly attribute to making this little corner of the internet my own. 

8. Stop leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor. 

Status: There is currently no pile of clothes on the floor. Let's just call THAT a success and wait til tomorrow to re-evaluate the long-range success of this goal, yes? Yes. Okay, moving on. 

9. Make smart, healthy choices. 

Status: Ack. February and March have been on-and-off unkind on this one. Rather, I've been a lazy bum. A week of drinking rummy drinks and not doing a whole lot in Puerto Rico didn't help. Neither did the week of birthday celebrations I kicked February off with. To top it all off, barre started to really aggravate my right ankle, and I sprained it dancing around like a dumbass in my parents' kitchen. Yesterday was my first long, hard gym trip in way too long, and it felt great but I need to work on this one HARD. 

10. Focus on maintaining a positive outlook. 

Status: Another work in progress here, and that's all we're going to say about that one. :) 

tids and bits.

I love Saturday mornings. There's something so luxurious about having a whole weekend ready to unfold in front of you, isn't there?

Jon only takes his socks off inside out. I'm sitting here and I should be folding laundry, but I keep looking at those socks scattered all throughout the pile, inside-out, and I just had to stop a minute to marvel and laugh a bit inside at how much our relationship and my life as a result has changed since we moved in. This domesticity and "settled-ness" makes me feel so deeply happy and content. 

Courtney, new friend who I (to be frank) have a major friend-crush on these days, works at Target like so many young professionals in the Twin Cities do. Courtney, however, has the coolest role...she works in the Beauty department! She raided the sample room for me and now I have all kinds of new beauty goodies including the perfect mint green nail polish (Breakfast at Tiffany's, currently on  my toes) and a nude lipstick (Pinky Beige!) that actually works for my complexion! Thanks for the treats, Courtney dear...next happy hour is totally on me :) 

My friend Mike is incredibly politically aware and keeps my Facebook news feed hopping with topical articles from a wide variety of news sources. It makes me feel a little guilty to say it, but a large part of my regular news consumption comes from him! This morning, I woke up to a duet of articles on George W. Bush's post-Presidency painting career. He's exhibiting for the first time in Dallas, and I'm fascinated by his depictions of world leaders he interacted with as a president. It intrigues me to see how he managed to make a wordless medium so revealing of his relationships with and attitudes toward these hugely influential figures. Check it out...fascinating read, if the paintings do leave something to be desired. 

Minneapolis got hit with 6-8 more inches of snow yesterday, which crushed my soul a tiny bit. Fortunately, we're forecasted to see high sixties (dare I hope for low seventies?) this week, which should get this white shit safely out of here before I lose my sanity and start singing "Frozen" at random passers-by. God help us all. 

Hannah and I are hitting up a charity fundraiser tonight called The Womanless Beauty Pageant, and I couldn't be more excited about it. One of her work friends' husbands is participating, and the proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I can't wait! At the very least, it should be a riot. 

And finally, for the fifth year in a row, my beloved alma mater is ranked #1 for undergraduate business programs by Bloomberg. To quote Roger Huang, Martin J Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, "It's a responsibility." To quote the published rankings, "Mendoza Students Really, Really Love Their School." It's true. Congrats, ND!