Mamma Mia

Oh, Mom. You are just glorious. 

Growing up was full of joy when you had Maureen R Sorensen (Mrs. MRS) as a Mom. We would take neighborhood friends, classmates, and cousins to fly kites in open fields followed by blackberry picking, launch water balloons on farmland, tube down rivers, hunt for a Winter Medallion (we so almost found it thrice!), have picnics with the best fixins (and the best relatives), learn Danish on road trips (boo-boo), camp across the Midwest (floods and tornados be-damned!), and attend the theatre and art museums dressed like our dolls.

You will do anything and everything for those you love, especially your family. Everyone knows they can count on "Auntie M". Even past family! Those ancestors of old are thanking you from their graves (most of which you found) for all of your interest and research into our family's genealogy. So many tombstones, so many puzzle pieces. Poor James Rafferty, perhaps you will be the one to solve his Wild West mystery.
You certainly are a problem solver. You know how to fix anything, whether it be a mirror wall shelf or a broken heart. All it takes is some patience and Maury innovation. How does that brain contain so many ideas?? No one can tell a story like you. No one.

You are more creative than ANY person I know and you use that talent in so many ways. Ukrainian eggs? Check. Charcoal drawings? Check. A rose garden to rival Queen Mary's? Check. How about casserole #238? Yum...You come up with quirky and lovely designs for jewelry before Anthro has figured out what's cool and trendy. You sing with soul and taught me how to sing with so many fun "camp songs" that I've passed on to many a friend. Of course, there is your magic with stained glass. Thousands of unique stained glass art pieces have homes across the country to be admired.
You are the best travel partner. Never crabby and always open to trying something new. You continue to conquer any past fears, and now you can laugh at most heights, closed spaces, and deep waters. Maybe not that outdoor spiral tower in Denmark quite yet...
You know how to create and give the perfect gift, even grandpup gifts! Speaking of pups, you've given a loving home to a handful of pets too human to describe. Who could forget Boris Deloris, Meowie, Ramona Geraldine Quimby, the Cork, Pita, B, and Tom the Turtle!?

To top it all off, you are becoming a stunning photog:

Kona - January 2011

I hope this year is gifted with ups, time with family, satisfaction and tons of travel. The tropics, Iowa, Austin, Maine, Vermont, New York City, Vegas, Long Island, Hawaii, Arizona, Bolinas, and Ireland are just some of the possibilities. You are such a gift to all of us. I love you - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!