A Tribute to Mama Prevention
Everyone thinks their mommy is the best, because they are. My mom is infamous famous for saying, “Every child gets what every child needs.” And as I’ve grown older and wiser, this makes more and more sense to me. My little brother and I are very different people, and we’ve needed different things from mom. When I think of my mom, a few “awww” moments stand out.
As I trained for my first marathon, my parents would drive me to a trail that ran through the Chicago suburbs and would stage themselves along the trail to give me water and at the end, to take me home. They were as involved in my training as I was (I was 17 at the time). And on marathon day, my parents were in the city with signs, ready to cheer on their “Sugar Girl”, as my mom always calls me. After I finished the marathon, my mom started clipping snipets from the Chicago Tribune on what percentage of people finish a marathon and what an elite “club” I now belonged to. She made me a scrapbook to document this experience and gave it to me for my birthday that year. She’s added to it with my following marathons and half marathons. I think that finishing a my first marathon was one of her proudest moments. She has such a respect for marathoners and enjoys the energy of large marathons like the Chicago Marathon.
I also remember my mom dropping me off for my first day of college. We packed up my dad’s Suburban to capacity and drove the 2 1/2 hours south to Champaign, Illinois where the University of Illinois is located. They moved me in, stocked my mini fridge with healthy foods, and we stood in the U-drive of my dorm…sobbing. It was probably that day, at that moment, that I recognized my mom for what she is: my best friend. I know she cried most the way home, just as I did for most of that afternoon. And that good-bye has never gotten much easier. I’m typically the girl at the airport sobbing because I just said goodbye to my mommy. No lie.
My mom has always supported my love for nutrition and fitness. She attended most of my Weight Watchers meetings with me as I lost 75 pounds in high school, and has supported my continuous weight battle ever since. And she is a huge supporter of my blogging efforts here at Prevention RD. She has made strides in their household to clean up their diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and she’s trying so many new recipes now, too! She belongs to a gym and exercises regularly, though she’s always been a modest eater — one of those that “eats to live, not live to eat” as the saying goes. 😉
And while I’m not with her today (:( ), I hope the sunflowers I sent her brightened her day (she LOVES sunflowers!)…and I look forward to her visit with the family in a few weeks here in Tulsa. 😀
Happy Mother’s Day to my mommy, my best friend!
Presenting my mom with a calla lily during the Honoring of the Mothers during our wedding
Beautiful mommy and daddy dancing at our wedding reception – isn’t her dress stunning? 🙂
Mom assisting with my dress/talking to the neighbors on wedding day!
I am also lucky enough to have a wonderful, beautiful mother-in-law! She, too, is a huge supporter of my blogging endeavors, and lives a healthy lifestyle, too. We’ve always had that in common! Plus, we’re both rather fond of Mr. Prevention 🙂
Love you, moms!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!
Question: What do you love most about your mom? What do you think has been your mom’s proudest moment in raising you?
With love,
Awww! This post made me tear up a little bit. Isn’t it great to have such a close relationship with your mom? I’m glad you get to experience that blessing. Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Great post today!! I am not able to be in Chicago this year for Mother’s Day but I’m hoping the card+present I sent will put a smile on her face until I can get back there in June. It’s hard living far from home sometimes, eh? 🙁
I love my mom’s straight-forward nature; she tells it like it is, even if you would rather have it sugar-coated/hear something else. I think her proudest moment was when I (successfully!) defended my MA exam. 🙂 Have a great week!!
Awwwwwww, beautiful post!! Your mama must be so proud!! Happy Mother’s Day to your mom!! 🙂
I love how my mom makes me feel so loved all the time – even when she’s not physically around, I can feel her love around me all the time. She is an amazing woman for so many reasons… 🙂
Awwwww, love this! I am definitely a sobber at the airport too lol and leaving for college I was a wreck! I am so lucky to call my mom my best friend too 🙂 I think I talk to her on the phone at least every day or every other day and I miss her terribly being so far away. I’ve even considered having my mom as my maid of honor, but I’m not sure if that would be against the rules?
AW… my mom was my maid of honor at my wedding!
Aww I love this!! Makes me miss my momma!
Happy Mother’s day to Mama Prevention!
Those pictures are so beautiful! What a great post 🙂
I didn’t get to be a mom, but you and I were so fortunate to have great ones! And not only is yours a great mom, she is also a great friend and one of my best! She reminds me of my own mom.
And I’m proud of you too for how you are handling your current challenges. It must be genetic!
Very nice tribute to your mom.
From my mom, I got a sense of fearlessness and tenacity. What more can a girl ask for?
Aww, fantastic post Nicole. I love the black and white wedding photos, those are my favorite. Want to hear something funny? I had a dream the other night that you were helping me plan my wedding!! It was so real too, maybe it’s a sign of the future…since you may be moving here???!!!
I love my mom because she’s fun to be around, and she’s such a fantastic listener. She’s the best 🙂
Beautiful post! Your mom is absolutely radiant in those photos! 🙂
Oh this was so sweet Nicole!!! My mom is also my best friend…I love how generous she is! She is the most sincere and generous woman I have ever known. I only hope to be half the woman she is as I continue to grow up!
Happy Mother’s Day Nicole. If you have a pet, you are a mother to me.
What a nice post! You look so beautiful in your wedding pics!
Have a great Mother’s Day!
Your mom is so pretty,just like how you are…and it was a lovely post,great to read nicole…and beautiful pictures too….
Love her dress! Not too “mother-of-the-bride-y”
Your dress is gorgeous too!
Okay, Mama Prevention is beautiful! Like mother, like daughter. 🙂 Love the wedding photos, too! She sounds like such an amazing mama. Happy belated Mother’s Day to her!
I love my mama because she is definitely more like a friend (a friend who will tell you like it is and loves to give advice) than a mom to my sisters and I. While she drives us nuts at times, we wouldn’t trade her for the world. She puts EVERYone’s needs in front of her own – sometimes to a fault.