Happy birthday to my amazing mother! I know it’s quite cliche to think your mother is amazing and I know I’m super biased but my mother actually is amazing.

She’s an inspiration to me and has been to others as well. She taught me so much about cooking, entertaining and life in general and made me the person I am today. She is the only other person I know who would plan a dinner party for their own birthday where they do most of the cooking.

When I was 8 and made her a macaroni necklace for Mother’s Day she pretended she loved it as much as anything I could have bought from the store- I was housebound with chicken pox and couldn’t get her a real present. I don’t think she actually wore it but hopefully she didn’t cook it either!

She knows what knife to use with what cheese and can still do a debutante bow. She and her classmates went on a hunger strike in college as a protest and always made sure I wrote thank you notes. She cancelled a meeting at the White House to give birth to me. She knows exactly what to say when I call her crying even today and can comfort me even 10,000 miles away. She’s been a huge help wedding planning even though we don’t always agree- she’s almost always right but there’s no way I’ll admit that to her face. In short, she’s the perfect mom and every year I appreciate her more and more.

Happy birthday mom! I hope your day is as special as you are, I love you!