Carol

Carol, my mom, spent last night sleeping on our couch in the Airstream, and as you read this we’re bumming around Seattle on one of our all-too-few visits.

Mom and I have always been close, even through the hellish puberty years, and to this day she remains my closest girlfriend. So much of our times together hinge on the fact that we can always make each other laugh; whether the joke was intentional or not, well, that’s another story.

When I was growing up, Mom had two house rules:

1. No holding the cat when you’re naked.
2. No eating steak when you’re drunk.

If Dad and I could abide by these rules, the family was a happy unit; if not, well, someone wasn’t having a good day.

Mom is the most even-keeled person I’ve ever met, other than my husband. She’s often been the voice of rationality in my more heated moments, for which I’ve been grateful since I emerged from the womb.

I remember our vacation to Cancun when I was 13, when we giggled for a solid week about Juan Carlos, the group activities director who always wore a speedo, and his weiners…or “winners”, which is what he thought he was shouting into the microphone.

I remember flying in Dad’s plane when I was about 15, on our way to breakfast in Wisconsin. Mom and I were in the back seat, enjoying the ride, when suddenly she perked up, looked out my window, and waved. I jerked my head around to see who she was waving at, and just a moment too late I realized that we were in an airplane, thousands of feet above the ground, and of course there’s no one out there. Mom giggled to herself for weeks over that one.

In my twenties, I went through a period of time where I moved, a lot. Like four times a year for half a decade. Mom and her truck were always there to haul stuff around Minneapolis, and my living situation became kind of a running joke amongst her friends.

From my mother, I learned my best life lessons: be frugal, be funny, and try not to worry so much—everything will work out just fine. She’s been the best girlfriend I could ask for, and I’m looking forward to many more years together.