Although Mother's Day falls on the weekend before students are able to return home to their welcoming moms' arms, maternal appreciation is alive and abundant at the UA.

Students had a variety of ideas about how to show their mothers they appreciated them on their special day, which is Sunday, despite the fact they were miles away.

Some students, like John Van Bockern, an aerospace engineering freshman, chose to take a laid-back approach to the holiday.

"I'm going to call her and tell her I'll be home in a couple of days, and I'll give her a hug when I get there," Van Bockern said.

Jason Zell, a pre-business freshman, said he plans on sending his mother some sweetly traditional Mother's Day presents before he returns home.

"I might send her a card and some kind of a small bear, and maybe a picture frame with a picture of my face in it," Zell said.

A less traditional, but equally thoughtful gift, will be sent to the mother of Brad Miner, a pre-business freshman.

"I'm going to send my mom my report card so she knows her money's going to a good cause," Miner said.

Bethany Lasky, a pre-nursing freshman, said she would be sure to send flowers home, but not only to her mother.

"I'm sending flowers to my mom and my grandma because she's my mom's mom, and she made my mom a really good mom," Lasky said.

Distance may separate students from their parents but no amount of space can make students forget the kind deeds and quirky character traits that make their moms special.

Janice Scott, a molecular and cellular biology and physiology sophomore, said she appreciates the thoughtful little things her mom does that make her so unique.

"The crazy pictures my mom sends me inspire me to be spontaneous too," Scott said. "The most recent one is of the blizzard at home in Colorado. My mom's in my snow-covered front yard in a lei, sombrero and skis."

Kristina Bergdahl, a freshman majoring in English and environmental biology, said she appreciates her mom's contagiously happy demeanor.

"My mom's smile brightens every moment, and just listening to her voice over the phone and knowing she's smiling makes me smile even wider," Bergdahl said.

Lauren Curtis, an undeclared freshman, said her mom's generosity and love seems to be never ending.

"I think it's amazing that my mom is always worried about everybody else. She's so selfless," Curtis said. "I don't think my mom will ever stop being a mom."

Katie Weber, a communication freshman, said she misses the way her mother played a role in her daily schedule.

"My mom used to wake me up every morning and we'd have dinner together every night, so I miss starting each day together and ending each day together," Weber said.

Lasky said she appreciated and missed the time her mom set aside for her.

"During senior year, once a week I would skip school to go to lunch and go shopping with my mom," Lasky said.

Matt Anderson, a pre-business freshman, said the distance between his mother and him couldn't dampen her UA spirit or loosen their bond.

"I'm grateful my mom takes the time to call me whenever she sees Lute on TV or to tell me the next time the 'Wildcat Insider' will be on," Anderson said. "She does it just because it makes her feel a little bit closer to me while I'm away at college. I feel great knowing I have a mother who loves me so much that she takes interest in the aspects of my life that are important to me."