Secret time!

Mom, If you're reading, stop now! You can continue reading when I go off to New castle! It's all good, just a surprise!

So, as you can tell, I have a surprise for my mom. You see, my mom is fantastic and treats me amazing and builds me up with her love and all that good stuff. As I embark on my adventure into the next chapter of my adulthood, I wanted to give her something special. You see, while I believe that every moment of every day is uniquely special, sometimes, life does not feel special. This summer has kind of been like that. We had a lot of exciting things happen this summer, first of all, we moved, second Jos and I got into our Dream college programs, and the big one--we freed ourselves. My mom lived with my dad and loved him for about 25 years. Neither of them believed in divorce, although it wasn't healthy for them to be together anymore. At times, it was dangerous. I won't go into detail because I know it would only hurt them to read it. 
Anyhow, it was one of those times that did not feel special. It was rough, it was scary, and we were nervous, awaiting our freedom. We used to spend our summers going on these magnificent trips, and on one, my Mom and I drove all the way back from Utah to KY. This summer, I decided to give my mom something to remember that fabulous trip by, a scrapbook. My mom is the scrapbook queen! We have book after book after book of our family and our trips, our cats, our friends--I mean, the list goes on and on. I always wanted to make scrapbooks alongside her when I was little, but could never really get the hang of it. As the years went on, we always said we would scrap together, but we never found the time. This summer, we decided that was going to be our big thing, but, as always, life got away from us--or with us, however it goes. But, I secretly began making one of that trip from Utah--I got all the pictures, all the keepsakes, travel brochures, everything, and loaded it into just about the fattest scrapbook in the land. I'm planning to give it to her the day I leave for New Castle, and when she misses me, she can open it and know just how much I love her and how much fun we have. The best gifts come from the heart!