The women in my life...

Today is international women's day, so I thought it would be fitting to talk about the women in my life and how they inspire me. I've always been surrounded by strong and successful women and I feel that they are one of the biggest reasons why I am who I am today. I love all of them from the bottom of my heart and I can't imagine a life without them. I'm only going to talk about three of them though, just so this blog won't be too long to read.

I'll start with my mother. She has always been the best mom I could have ever asked for. I'm not just saying that because it's the cliche phrase that everyone says, I'm saying it because it is SO true. She's had a hard life and she has faced a lot of obstacles but she has always pushed through and become stronger from these things. She has had some really bad things happen to her and people who treated her like she was worthless, yet she still has one of the kindest hearts I've ever seen. It's amazing that even after the troubles she has faced in her past she can still be such a good person. She's not perfect, but she is the best mom I've ever seen in real life. She has always been a good mother to me and also my friends. There's never been a moment in my life that I didn't feel loved or feel like I couldn't come home at the drop of a hat. Even during the divorce, she handled it way better than the majority of people do. She surrounded herself with people from church and we always had a full house of happy people. She would make me "I love you" cakes in the middle of the week, just because. She would always let me lick the cake batter spoons. She would pile the laundry fresh from the dryer on top of me while she folded clothes. She put up with all my boyfriends, even if she couldn't stand them. She would always make holidays extra special. She always gave good advice and we've had many really great conversations about life. She inspires me to be a good person and be sweet no matter what. She's a great woman and I love her so much.

My next inspiration is my sister. This chick is a tough cookie. I've always seen her work hard, even when we were kids. She has always made straight A's. She's been in school her whole life and she'll finally be graduating this year with her Ed.S. degree. I've seen her practically starve for the past 5 years because she's been saving for a house which her and her husband built last year. She's the hardest working woman I've ever met. She's totally herself, too. Tiny, red headed, animal rescuer, EL teacher who loves Fixer Upper, cupcakes, and gangster rap. She doesn't take crap from anyone and has no problem speaking her mind when she sees an injustice, no matter who it may pertain. If I ever need help with anything, I can call her. If she doesn't have an answer then she will have one within the hour. She's funny and inspiring. She always wants the best for me and my family. She's a great example to live by and I'm proud to call her my sister.

Finally, there's my best friend, Ruth. I'm so glad I met her in high school. When we first met each other we both thought the other person was really weird. Turned out that we were just the right amount of weird to suit each other. Ruth has always been a strong woman. She has been through a lot but you would never guess that about her. She's always as cool as a cucumber and can handle anything thrown at her. She bought her first car by herself. In high school she took advanced level classes at the same time as being on the dance, swim, and tennis team, as well as being a member of a few extra curricular groups. She was on her college university's dance team. Her and her husband built their own house a few years ago and now she's a beautiful mother of her first born. I remember one of our teachers asking us what we wanted to do after high school. I said "Uhhhhh, I don't know." and Ruth said "I'm thinking about being a nuclear physicist for the Navy." This is the type of woman she is. She's a hard worker and extremely smart. She's superwoman. I'm lucky enough to be considered her sidekick.

They all inspire me to be better. I'm thankful for every day that I have them in my life. They're all strong in their own ways and I know they will always be fine in life. It's an awesome feeling to be surrounded by these kinds of people because it makes you want to climb up and reach their level. If you're thinking about the people in your life and you don't feel this way about them, then consider finding people that you can climb up and reach. It's better to be the straggler in a group of successful people than to be the king of the stragglers.

-Kenzie Llama-