I can be a lot. I know this very well but a lot was expected of me. My mom and her siblings, especially her older brother Robert (who is now in Heaven with her), always discussed how she was one of the smartest kids in their school growing up. I laughed at the stories my uncle would tell about how my mom was so smart that she was able to skip grades and be in class with him. He joked about how she would have to stand on the chair to see over the class as a teacher's assistant (my mom was short and so am I). She was always at the top of her class and therefore good grades was expected of me. However, as my mom would say, I waited to college to actually enjoy school and value my education. Many many degrees later, she was right. On her birthday, April 16th, I will have a bowl of her favorite ice cream and indulge in one of her favorite meals. I will also celebrate the years that she was alive, remember the goals that she had and the sacrifices that she made for me. After all,
