You've had a birthday shout HOORAY!

Happy Birthday to 2 very special MEN in our lives!

My little brother, Kevin and Aaron's dad (AKA Stan-the-Man) are both celebrating birthdays! And it just so happens that I have a picture of them together. Why, you ask? Well, during the summer, Kevin was an EFY counselor in Nauvoo, and Aaron's parents were on a church history vacation tour. It just so happens that they attended the same sacrament meeting in the same church on the same Sunday... all the way in Illinois. I love that my brother has his arm wrapped around Brandy-- because that is SO Kevin! He is such a fun, friendly guy. I will never forget Kevin coming to a wedding reception where all my in laws were sitting at a table. (He had met them before, but it had been several years.) I was about to go and introduce him to Aaron's siblings, but he beat me to the table and made himself comfortable. I just sat back and watched him chat away... He made his way around the table and ended up standing behind Aaron's brother Brett while he was talking to my sis in law KT. I watched as he started massaging Brett's shoulders in the middle of the conversation. I just had to crack up because this is so typical of my family-- but not so much Aaron's family. I am sure they liked Kev and all (because who wouldn't?) but I will never forget Brett's face during the massage.. it was like, "Who is this guy and why is he giving me a back rub??" And this is why I love Kev. He is SUCH a good guy. So listen up all you single ladies because he is still on the market.. He's smart, talented, an excellent cook, a great singer (in the BYU choir) a spiritual giant, he speaks fluent Chinese, he's nice, friendly and isn't afraid of girls. Why he's not married yet is beyond me... but I have a feeling he's a hot item at BYU, so you better act fast! We love you, Kevie and hope you had a great birthday!!



Now, moving on to my #1 Father in Law... Stan is my kind of people. I made a list of things I love about him last year on his birthday, but you know that I can always say more! Stan is one of the most amusing people to talk to. He knows everything about every subject and loves a good conversation. I always enjoy talking to (and debating with) him on various subjects and often keep him up way past his bedtime because we just can't stop talking! I love it! I told him last time we visited that I need to start writing down his quotes because they are totally off the wall and completely hilarious. He will probably hate me for sharing this, but I just gotta.. I want it written down for my posterity. During one of our intense conversations with both of Aaron's parents, I said something about why I don't get men's fascination with breasts. He (obviously had a strong opinion about it and said the following sentence with lots of enthusiasm) "To women boobs are just flabby body parts, but to men, they're MAGIC." I was shocked.. because he was serious.. but I couldn't stop laughing. Now, every time I hear the song, "oh, oh, oh, it's Magic..." I just can't help but think of Stanley. I really love being around him and feel inspired by his enthusiasm for life! I will never forget living with them in AZ for a couple of months before we started law school. He was a Primary teacher in church and would get SO pumped up about teaching a simple lesson to a handful of 7 year olds. He would prepare for hours and say things like, "I am going to change these kids lives!!" He has so much energy and wants to take on the world and I love that about him. I also remember him trying to get some overflowing trash into one garbage can and he ended up having to climb up on top and jump on it to get it down. After he finished he rubbed his hands on his pants and looked at me with a big smile and said, "I bet you've never seen a 55 year old do THAT!" And right he was. There are a lot of things he does that amaze me and I feel very lucky to have his example in my life.

Aaron and his dad have a very special relationship. I realize that the reason why Aaron is such a good dad is because he has a great example to follow. I love seeing them together.. They come from a long posterity of good men and we have three little ones that (hopefully) will follow in their footsteps. How grateful I am for great men in our lives! We love you, Dad and hope you have a nice, relaxing birthday! Wish we could be in AZ to celebrate with you (but not really.)