A day for my favorite lady

Today is my momma's birthday. She's kind of a big deal. In addition to healing my wounds with a kiss, helping me with my homework, and encouraging me to dream, she's seen a lot of the world.

She's a lifetime Girl Scout, an amazing leader, and an avid hiker. She's helped girls learn it's okay to be themselves, how to take initiative, and yes, she's taught them how to pee in the woods.

 Mom in Machu Piccu, Peru

 She's hiked hundreds of miles through Virginia and all the states surrounding it, Philmont (a Boy Scout camp in New Mexico), Glacier National Park, parts of the Appalachian Trail, and even Nova Scotia.

She's an incredible journalist and has covered stories everywhere from China and India to Thailand and South Africa. She'll cry at anything sentimental and she's hilarious when she's tired.

A proud grandparent with my dad and Madison in June

There are things she's taught me that will stay with me the rest of my life. She's the most inspiring woman I know - and I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday.