and so it was mother's day.

I can remember last Mother's Day: I didn't write a blog post.  And seriously every other blogger I knew did.  It was like this huge who-had-the-best-momma-contest thing.  I remember promising myself that next year, I'd want to write a Mother's Day post.  And talk about my mom who is patient, humble, funny, hardworking, sweet, fair, open, selfless, loving...and mine.  (I love you, mom.  Thankyou thankyou for all that you do.)

But today, I'm feeling the urge to, instead, write about my yesterday.  Because it was beautiful. 
Perfectly imperfect.

We went to Mass at 9am so that we'd have time to get an early start on our planned bike ride, and accordingly left the house at 1:30pm.  Because we're cool like that.  Not that we didn't have fun in between--Mom opened her cards, we ate omelette's and drank coffee, and Dad pumped up twelve bike tires and loaded the back of our car.  It was warm, too, man--over 80 degrees.  It felt so much like summer...hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago it was snowing, right? ;-)  We headed to a point on Grant's Trail where we'd start riding, unloaded, and set off.

Because I'm stupid, I tell Dad that I probably won't need my camera and leave it in the car.  Then I'm biking and viewing these suburban/rural scenes that are just begging to be photographed.  And I'm also planning this blog post in my head that is currently just asking for some pictures.  Yes, I know.  I'm such a smart person.

As is usual for us, we don't bike as a group.  It's CJ, me a little behind, Mom pulling Stephen's burly; then Dad and Megan lagging pretty far behind, the latter still working on her biking skills.  Except it's a bit more complicated then that: twice I'm turning around because I have no idea where anyone else in my family is, and I keep running into the same people on the trail who probably think I'm crazy.  This road doesn't go in a nice lovely circle, you see: it's basically a nice, newly-finished suburban walk/bike way.  So we're crossing busy streets, going by neighborhoods, passing a baseball field.  And for me, wondering where the other five members my family are.  But I like the adventure involved this way.

One thing I love about biking trails is that sense of community...the "on your left"s, friendly smiles from passers by, and the request you get from a random lady to tell her daughter-with-training-wheels up ahead to stop and wait for her mom. (For the record, this little girl was really, really cute.  And going pretty fast with those training wheels.)

Eventually, Mom, CJ, Stephen (who was sleeping), and I are together, on a street corner by an AppleBee's that looks extremely tempting.  Mom calls Dad, and he and Megan drive over to meet us.  In the mean time, we're sitting, exhausted and sweating, under a little tree, as Mom tells us various stories about our births, and her very first Mother's Day as a mom, when I was less than a month old and slept for the majority of the day.  Soon enough, Dad and Megan arrive, and a long story short, we had a super-early dinner at AppleBee's.  And drank Strawberry Lemonade.  (I've got to tell you, though, if you're there anytime soon, don't be deceived by the gorgeous picture of Orange Chicken on their menu.  Flavorless rice + frozen veggies = not good.  Just saying.)

Upon arriving home, it doesn't take me long before I'm in the shower.  (Does anyone else hate that dried-sweat-and-sunscreen feeling?  Blah.) A little while later we're all outside.  There's some absolutely gorgeous light in the front, so I'm backlighting the daisies in our yard and inwardly squealing with every photo I take (see above photos).  This stuff makes. me. happy.

The weather is perfect.  There's Dad, working in the garden; CJ and Mom playing an informal game of basketball (both laughing at my mom's mistakes); there's Megan and Stephen who are playing in the mud, swinging, frolicking, laughing.  And then there's me: really tired (and sore: I don't ride my bike often), a little slaphappy, photographing everything.

A little later, we go inside and watch "The Trouble With Angels."  Sweet, hilarious movie from the '60's.  Our evening is full of popcorn and laughter and love.

And so there you have it. 
Mother's Day 2011.
My heart is full.