I love my mom! And, yeah, I know that’s a fairly standard declaration to make but she really is a one-of-a-kind superstar. Our tastes are wildly different (she eschews make-up, fast food, and shopping malls- all things I’m guilty of loving) but we’ve always had a super close relationship. She flew over to Seattle this past weekend and Dean and I had a blast entertaining. We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving together then celebrated her belated birthday. I got her one of these gorgeous quartz necklaces as a late present-it was a hit! :)

Over the years, my mom has taken me zip lining through the Tongass forest, kayaking through glacier carved lakes, and to countless historical battlegrounds and parks. When I first moved to Seattle, she insisted we go hiking at both Mount Rainier and the Olympic Rainforest. Last year she retired and instead of hitting a sunny beach (my ideal locale), she went to Yellowstone and learned how to track wolves. All pretty impressive things for a woman in her 60s. We didn’t take any big out-of-town trips this time, but I did take her to the zoo. That’s her in the photo above, peeking out of a building in the African Village area.

More photos from our grey day at the zoo:

Lioness, woolly elephant (this one kept swaying in a sort of dance- I hope that means he’s happy!), kookaburra, me ‘n’ Mom in the rainforest part, ostrich eggs, oryx, and the cutest pair of sloths. Figured I’d snap photos of all the animals I missed last time.

Lastly, a couple old photos. My mom’s never been one to obsessively photograph her life like I do so there aren’t many of her from her teens and 20s. I always wish she had a few more… She must’ve been about my age when these were taken.

So long, Mom. See you this summer in New York when Dean and I tie the knot!