Page created by: Alex Cozort

My (now our) mother, Crystal Falk, is an amazingly beautiful woman. Not only is she amazing in how she lives life, loves others, never stops giving, she is beautiful inside and out as well.

Mom was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's at age 50 and has thankfully been progressing pretty slowly since. She has trouble sleeping, fatigues much quicker than she used to, and has some dyskinesia, but tries hard not to let that affect her daily life as much as it could. Mom loves her sweet shihtzu mix, Simon, enjoys projects like painting furniture, spends way too much time at Goodwill, and loves God, her family and friends with her whole heart.

As a VERY brief backstory - Mom was a single mom to me for the majority of my time growing up. She worked 2 jobs to provide for us and always make sure I had what I needed. My grandparents (her parents) played a big role in my upbringing as well. That said, most kids who come from a single parent home feel as though they didn't get to spend much time with that me that isn't the case. Mom and I did so much together and have so many special, wonderful memories together. She is and always has been my best friend, the one I can count on at any time, through any circumstance - my rock. We now live a few hours apart, but talk daily (usually several times) and stay very involved in each other's lives. One of our favorite things to do annually, more if possible, is to go on a girls trip. Typically this means we go to the beach, to visit family in Miami, but we've also been as far as the Dominican Republic. We always have such a great time, and don't plan to break this tradition any time soon. :)

In May, I married an amazing man, Jackson Cozort. I am extremely grateful and lucky that he absolutely adores my sweet mother, and is more than accepting of the fact that she will likely live with us one day so that we can care for her. Mom very generously paid for the wedding of our dreams, it was like a fairy tale. She helped me plan every single detail, helped to throw us a shower, picked out my dress with me, everything a mother is expected to do when her daughter gets married and SO much more.

As a small tribute to Mom, and to my father-in-law who has since received a heart transplant (YAY!), we made donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the American Heart Association in lieu of favors. It was a very meaningful contribution for us as a couple, to our parents, and hopefully to all of our guests.