i'm lucky i get to be his

Happy Valentine's Day, to the love of my life.

it's her birthday

Today my mom is turning 29…. again, so I wanted to make a list of 29 reasons why I love her.

1. She has the absolute best laugh in the whole world, especially when you really get her going. It’s contagious.
2. She is a spiritual giant. She has such a strong testimony of the gospel.
3. She is the perfect sympathizer. Whenever I want to whine and for someone to feel bad for me, I call my mom. She makes me feel like I’m not crazy!
4. She is so much fun to shop with. We can go for hours and hours and hours and never tire. She has great taste in clothes.
5. She always makes me feel like I’m loved and important.
6. She is tough. Even though she has some major back problems and is in a lot of pain, she never complains. I couldn’t do it with half as much grace as she has.
7. She’s very loyal. She is a true friend and never backstabs or gossips. She knows how to keep secrets secrets.
8. She is fun! You’ll always have a good time when you’re hanging out with her.
9. She is so friendly. Everyone that meets her loves her. She knows how to make people feel comfortable and important.
10. She always got up early and made us a hot breakfast before school- even high school! Pancakes, waffles, egg on toast, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, you name it.
11. She is a hard worker and a busy body. You’ll never see her sitting down and relaxing. She always has to be doing something!
12. She’s always taking care of people and doing something for someone else. She even takes the old people in the neighborhood grocery shopping and to their doctor’s appointments!
13. She always sends me little love notes and care packages.
14. She bears other people’s burdens. She is just as concerned about someone else’s dilemma as they are about it themselves!
15. She loves to travel and is always up for a new adventure in a new country.
16. She is so creative. She’s especially good at decorating her house. It’s beautiful!
17. She is a great wife. She’s been such a great example to me of what it takes to make a marriage work. I have no excuses in my own marriage because I know how it’s supposed to be done after watching her and my dad.
18. She’s a great cook. When I lived at home, we had a homemade meal almost every night of the week. We almost never went out because mom’s cooking was always better!
19. She’s very classy. In her dress, speech, manners, etc.
20. She is honest. I’ve never known her to tell a lie.
21. She knows how to love. She loves everyone she knows.
22. She gives great gifts. They’re always very personal and thoughtful.
23. She is beautiful! She has big blue eyes, a great smile, gorgeous skin, and a rockin’ bod.
24. She works hard in her church callings. She takes them very seriously and always does a great job in whatever area she’s serving in.
25. She’s smart. She’s an especially gifted writer.
26. She knows how to run a house. Our home was always clean, organized, and full of love.
27. She’s the most unselfish person I know. It’s like it’s never even occurred to her to think about herself. She has such a serving attitude.
28. She is incredibly patient.
29. She is my best friend.

Thanks for being such a wonderful woman and example to me! I love you!

National Religious Freedom Moot Court Competition

Adam and his moot court partner, Cynthia Andrus, participated in a national moot court competition this weekend. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a competition where there are fake judges and the "attorney" (or in this case, law student) has to get up and argue an appeal to a decision that was made in a lower court. They are trying to convince the judge to either reverse or affirm the decision of the lower court, depending on which side they're arguing that round. They had to prepare and argue both sides.

They competed in the preliminary round on Friday, and Saturday, made it all the way to the semi-finals. I spent my whole day watching them, and was so proud of how well they did. I wish I could have video-taped part of it so that you all could see their mad courtroom skills. I'm not just saying this because I'm biased, but they totally should have won the whole thing. Adam and Cynthia competed twice against the team that eventually won, and I thought they were way better both times. Oh well, it was so much fun to see, and I'm so proud of them!


As an aside, this calendar was hanging above someone's desk at the law school. When we got a closer look, we realized that the man portrayed is none other than our new president, Mr. Barack Obama. I love the artist's interpretation of his chiseled chest muscles, tears running down his cheeks, roses floating all around him, his "B" belt buckle that he's clutching so dramatically, and the dozens of sparkles that are emulating from his body. The artist portrayed him very god-like with the rays of light shining down on him from the heavens, and the water almost parting as he walks. My favorite part, though, has to be the unicorn frolicking in the background. They sell crap like this all over the streets of Washington! So funny!

lazy

I still haven’t taken down my Christmas decorations. I didn’t do a single piece of laundry over the weekend. I haven’t cooked a real meal in a few weeks- just cookies and cupcakes. My library books are overdue. My legs need shaving, my eyebrows need plucking, and my teeth need whitening. My fridge is practically empty. My apartment is scattered with piles of bills, receipts, and mail that need to be sorted. My floors need vacuuming and scrubbing.

But I don’t really care. I’d rather relax with my friends and my love in my free time. Is that so wrong?