The One and Only Diane Hale

 There's only one Diane Hale, and I'm one of the few who is lucky enough to call her "Mom."

In honor of Mother's Day, here are a few things I love about this inspiring woman . . .

 

-She always reminds me that I owe her for my good calves. . .  except hers are better than mine.

-In high school, people always told me that I looked like Hillary Duff, but my mom thought differently. "What? Hillary Duff?? No, no. You are WAAAY prettier than she is!!" (I never believed it, but it was still nice to hear)

-She's a pro tennis player. She's even met John McEnroe, and there's a picture to prove it.

-Her cheerleading days were long ago, but she can still do a killer toe-touch, and she never hesitates to show off her SPLITS. Honestly, how am I supposed to keep up with this woman??

-She is my constant health mentor/guru. She inspires me to love nutritious food, exercise, and take proper care of myself.

-She's the cool "band mom" and wears Beatles shirts.

-She's been to a Led Zeppelin concert, and always reminds us when we are listening to her music from her era.

- On New Year's Eve, she drove all the way out to Tempe so that my brother could be escorted into to 21+ area to watch the Doobie Brothers perform. She stayed for a few songs, but left early so that she would make it home in time to give my dad his New Year's kiss.

-She's a gifted musician and songwriter, and has always made music and performance an important part of our family.

-My mom is full of creativity and vision. She is full of inspiring ideas always, and often uses those ideas to solve problems. One of my favorite stories is when she marched to the Phoenix Suns arena, persuaded security to let her talk to someone from the Phoenix Suns staff, and convinced the Suns' Customer Relations of her brilliant promotional/charity idea she had for the Team Shop in exchange for 50 Suns jerseys to use for our stake's Dance Festival. . . How does she do it?!?!

-She is a savvy businesswoman.

-She is truly inspirational. She single-handedly put together Taylor Junior High's girls tennis team (consisting of mostly of girls who had never played tennis before) and coached them to victory. She gave them extra tennis lessons at our house during her free time and led them to win the city championship. And that's just one of many examples.

-My mom dreams BIG. She believes in herself and inspires confidence in everyone around her. In Diane Hale's world, anything is possible.

-My mom has an eternal and loving perspective on life. One my most touching memories of my mom happened when I was really down. I had just crashed her car, and it was completely my fault. I felt awful, humiliated, and dejected because of my mistake. The moment I came home, I went into my room, closed the door, and buried my face in my arms and cried for an hour. She came into the room and asked me why I was crying (she already knew about the wreck and had seen the damage to her car at this point). "Because I'm an idiot! I wrecked your car!!!" I bawled. She simply laughed and told me that I was more important than the car. She was just happy that I was safe. "A car is just a thing. People are more important than things. You are more important," she said. I still cried for awhile after, but I will never forget my amazement at her loving words. She had every right to be infuriated with me, but all she did was express love and teach me a valuable life lesson.

-She is the most optimistic person I know. Nothing can get this woman down! No matter how bleak things seem, my mom has a smile on her face. She never complains. She just works harder and expresses gratitude for all she has.

-She is one of the most selfless and Christ-like people I have ever known. She always puts others first. Wherever she can help or serve-- she is there. She is full of love and always sees the good in people. Her arms are always open. My mom has been a constant example to me of lifting others through kindness and charity.

This list is truly insufficient. I could go on and on about this lady. I owe so much to her and am so lucky to have her in my life. 

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!