Mary Perry. Mother of me, Kaitlin Perry, and future USD student/my sister, Kelsey Perry. Sure, her name is silly and she's shorter than me, but she is by far the coolest mom I know.
Mary Perry is commonly referred to as "Mar" (pronounced "mare") by my sister and me. To some it may seem disrespectful, but to us it's the highest form of appreciation we could give her. We also refer to her as Mar Mar, Flarey Flarey and Shmary (don't worry, she likes it). Also, when my sister and I have babies they will call her Grandmar.
What's best about Mar isn't her money or her cute face; it's her sweet personality. Mar is the cutest person I've ever been associated with. She wears stylish clothes and plays a game on her PC called Cake Mania, in which the player bakes cakes. She sends me cute Hallmark e-cards for every holiday and chocolates on Valentine's Day. She likes the same music as me (she's down with Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Radiohead) and when I'm home she drives me to parties and picks me up afterward. She also works at my old elementary school as a first grade teacher's aide (how cute!).
While all of these little things are adorable and fun, my favorite thing about Mar is her ability to listen. I tell Mar about everything, from drunken nights to sad nights to ridiculous nights. She knows it all and she knows exactly how to respond to my stories. Sometimes she'll say "Kaitlin Pearl Perry!" to convey how shocked she is by my actions, but all she really cares about is that I survived them.
Without Mar I would be nothing. She brings me back to earth when I think my life is falling apart and she answers the phone every time I call (her ringtone for me is "Whip It" by Devo). She gets me a kitten every time I'm feeling down and buys me new lip balm when I lose the one I had.
So thanks, Mar. Thank you for being such a sweetheart and making me smile all day, every day. Although Mother's Day is a week and a half away, I couldn't wait to dedicate my second-to-last column to the woman who shaped me so much. Without her encouragement I would never have had the courage to step up and apply for A&C editor, and I'm so happy I did.
This Mother's Day, send your mom a card from SomeEcards.com. The messages are inappropriate and silly. My mom likes them, I'm sure yours will too. My pick: "Thanks for always thinking about me to the detriment of your own mental health."
