forty

Forty

Reasons I love you

Because when we first met you drove a badass Mustang

You’re Silly

You have Big Attitude

And a COOL STYLE

You Appreciate the Finer Things in Life

To you, it was a no-brainer to opt for a deck hammock over a cabin on a local ferry on the Amazon

Cord’s first concert was, of course, Roger Waters’ The Wall

You have no problem getting under an old Land Rover to check the oil leak, during a road trip through Tanzania

You Drive A

Hard Bargain(for roadside

Maasai blankets)

You love the

dawn

You love the

Lowcountry

You look great in a Maasai blanket on a deserted stretch of beach on an Atlantic barrier island.

You love taking self portraits,

sometimes with us in

them.

You love taking self-portraits in bad ass locations, like the Panamanian rain forest

You love taking self-portraits withimprinted juvenile Barred owls, who thinks you’ re its mother.

People felt comfortable partying in your bedroom during the annual Halloween bash at The Camp

People felt comfortable partying their asses off at The Camp at Christmas time too. Really, anytime, because you made that place a home for all of us.

We make great friends together

People Miss You When You Aren’t Around

You don’t mind getting geeky with your friends at an animated movie about guardian owls

You don’t mind getting geeky with your friends in the middle of the rain forest, by acting like leaf cutter ants

You ain’t afraid of snakes at all! And you don’t hurt them

You care for all sorts of animals

But particularly, Raptors.

You Treat Them

And Release Them

And have helped conserve the most majestic of them

You’ve cared for hearty, funny, baby vultures

And difficult, vulnerable killdeer chicks

You take care of your best friend

And she takes care of you

Cristo Redentor thinks you’re a great sister

And a Great Daughter

You make me look much better than I really am

You take lots of cool pictures of me

Did I mention you make me look good, even when I have ridiculous facial hair.

You keep searching for serenity

You keep me grounde

d

You were the best mother a little girl could ever want

Let me repeat: You were the best mother a little girl could ever want

You’re the

mother of our

wonderful boy, Cord

Everlee

Without you we wouldn’t be a family,the greatest of the forty reasons I love you.