Thirty

I've decided to write down thirty of my favorite memories before another thirty fly by and I can't remember them! These aren't in any particular order, well chronological kind of.  But, mostly they're for me... it might take you a while to read them all!

1. My earliest memory is of my parents bringing Dane home from the hospital.  I remember how sweet and little I thought he was and I remember the flowers on the coffee table.  I'm not sure why this is such a tender memory for me, maybe it's when I first realized I love my brothers.  I wonder what their first memory of me is, it can't be this sweet.

2. Mom.  We walked to our elementary school, but one afternoon it was pouring rain and I remember being grumpy as we walked home because my Mom hadn't picked us up.  Except when I walked in the door I was overcome by the smell of hot chocolate chips cookies.  She was smiling and warm and I remember loving her so much right then.  I don't have enough time to write all of my favorite memories of my Mom and they don't seem to describe her adequately.  She's fantastic and every day I hope I make memories with my children as meaningful.

3. Dad.  He played checkers with me, always read us Dr.Suess, and took us to see things like sail boats on the bay, miniature boat races in the Mission Bay park, and the mountains on Sunday drives. 

4. Camping and Christmas' with family.  We didn't camp for Christmas, these are two separate memories, but they hold the same sentimental feeling for me.  When I was young we went camping with my Mom's family almost every summer, usually to Sedona.  I loved the redrock, the river, the family.  See, this is why it goes with Christmas.  Every other year we spent Christmas with that whole side of the family.  There were a thousand people crammed into one house, sleeping on the floor, and enjoying every minute.  Really, I don't have any bad memories of those times spent together.  I especially remember Grandma's dolls under the tree in Vegas, luminarias in Albuquerque, and cookies, always lots of cookies. 

5. Granny.  She took me to the Flamingo and Circus Circus, but even thinking of her driving seems like so long ago, it makes me smile.  Her words and smile are always what I'll remember most, "Thumbs Up".  And the first night Brad met her and my family is completely unforgettable.  She dipped her fries in his shake while joking about being disappointed he wasn't a doctor, after all she did have a page long list of medications and a pacemaker!  And later that night, the unexpected "Have you ever fallen asleep on the pot?" remark.  So funny.  She was strong and faithful and a good example.

6. First kisses.  Mine. 
It's OK to be a little nostalgic of your teenage years for a second, OK. 
And funny enough I witnessed a couple of my friends first kisses too, wierd, but such funny memories.  Shaylyn and Emily wouldn't put 'first kiss' on their list of favorite memories I bet! 

7. Young Womens.  Camps. Ok cabins. Catatlina. Buffalo on the beach. Christmas in July. Six years of testimony building.

8. EFY.  Go ahead, laugh, but it totally makes the list.  If you didn't go, send your children.  It's a power packed week of inspiration and fun.  And I still remember the things I was taught and felt.

9. Good friends.  My early teenage years were spent mostly with my dear friends Emily, Valerie, Brittany, Lauren and the boys.  We layed by the pool, watched silly movies, stayed up way to late, laughed at everything.  I could go on and on.  They made my teenage years memorable.  I still love these girls.

10. The Sacred Grove.  I spent the summer before my senior year in Indiana with my aunt and uncle.  I was given the opportunity to go to girl's camp with their ward, which was really a week long tour of some church history sites.  We spent a night at the Johnson Farm, we watched the Palmyra Pageant (awesome!) and best of all, we spent a day at the Sacred Grove.  It was spectacular.  I swear I could see the first vision happening there, not literally, but the place, it was exactly like Joseph Smith described.  My testimony grew stronger that day.

11. College.  I spent a couple years at the LDS Business College and loved it.  I immediately loved my roomate and lived with her for the next two and a half years.  We had a lot of fun together, figuring out life away from home and growing up.

12. The summer after my first year away at college.  It was the last time I returned home to live with my family.  I worked at Sea World in the glass blowing shop.  I spent most my days with Diana and Tonii or Valerie.  I had a great tan and I was living it up! 

13. Dating Brad.  All of it. I guess it was sort of a whirlwind romance, we only dated for 8 months before we were married.  I told him I loved him after only 2 weeks.  Yep, two weeks and I knew.  In the beginning we would fill each date with 2 or 3 different stops.  In the middle of winter we would stay at home and enjoy being stuck inside.  I loved every minute.

14. The Temple.  An ongoing favorite because each time I go, I love it more.  So the first time I went, the last time, they're all favorite memories.

15. Our wedding day. (and night. Totally inappropriate right?!)

16. The first years of marraige.  And I'm not saying they were better than now, but the time that we spent together before children was really great.  We spent our money carelessly, we went out every weekend, we probably kept Old Navy and the Olive Garden in business.  We just had a lot of fun.

17. Dana Orthodontics. I worked there for 3 years and it still only seems like yesterday that I left.  I loved the women I worked with.  Sure an office full of women can get a little dramatic, but I made great friends and who really gets to work with their best friends?  We took trips together and shared lifes ups and downs.  Some days I really miss it.

18. Girl's Night.  Specifically, my girl's nights with Emily.  Usually every Tuesday, for about a year, before either of us were pregnant.  We'd eat yummy food and watch a trashy CW show like Gilmore Girls or One Tree Hill or both!

19. Telling Brad I was pregnant for the first time.  After a few years of trying to have a baby, I can still feel the tears of joy on the day I first found out.  I was in San Diego for my cousins wedding and decided to keep it a secret for a few more days.  Christmas morning I saved Brad's gift to be opened last... you should have seen his face.  And even though that pregnancy ended in miscarraige, I think of this memory with fondness. 

20. Pregnancy.  I, for the most part, really enjoy being pregnant.  I especially remember my pregnancy with Wesley because it was all so new.  He had a crazy kick, you could literally see his whole foot protrude out the right side of my belly... creepy, funny and amazing all at the same time.

21. The births of my children.  It sounds like such a cliche when people say its a miracle, but it really is.  With Wesley, Brad says he could see his little spirit enter his body as he was delivered, I just remember how incredible the whole thing was, I was truly in awe of the new little baby in my arms.  Jack was so handsome.  I mostly remember the first few minutes Brad and I spent alone with him, I loved him instantly which sounds silly, but it's all I felt, LOVE.  And Avery, oh my sweet Avery, she came so quickly there wasn't a nurse in the room for the first few minutes so I held her and nursed her right away. I immediately felt a unique closeness to her, girl bonding maybe. :) 
    
22. Girls Trips. Too many great trips and memories to list each individually.  The first of many was when I was just 12 and drove to northern California with Shaylyn and her mom before their move.  Our stories from that trip are legendary, well to us anyway.   Since then, I've loved a good girls getaway every year or so.  I'm very blessed to have great friends who share my love of travel.

23. Spain.  Ok, I said I wouldn't list each girls trip, but this was a once in a lifetime adventure.  5 full days in Barcelona with Emily and a couple other girls, really yummy food (the pizza was spectacular, we must have eaten it every day) pastries, mmmm, culture, architecture, all of it was awesome.

24. Naptime.  Each year and with each new child naptime is a little different, but when I was pregnant with Jack, Wesley and I would spend most afternoons napping together.  I can still remember rubbing his back during the summer thunderstorms until he fell asleep and then I would shut my eyes too.  And after I had Avery and life was a little crazy with 3 tiny kids, I looked forward to the 12 o'clock hour when the boys naps overlapped with Avery's morning nap and I could get a few minutes to myself.  Nothing like a good rest. 

25. My girly girl.   I'll never forget the day she looked in her closet to see a new season of clothes and immediately started pulling for a dress. "Pretty, pretty" she kept telling me. At bedtime I pulled out her jammies and she threw them to the ground, reaching out for another dress. She was only 18 months old.

26. Jack's snuggles.   No doubt he's stong willed and mischievious, but there is almost nothing better than Jack snuggling with you. He's always been our most cuddly child and I love him for it. He's so affectionate and warm.

27. "You're my best, Mom."  This is Jack's latest go to phrase, or a version of it.  Sometimes it's "You are not my best, Mom." Or "Dad and you are my best."  Or "You are my best, not Wesley's."  Usually, it's his way of saying he loves me and it's almost always accompanied by his quirky smile. I love it. 

28. Wesley reading.   A few months ago we pulled out a new book at bedtime and handed it to Wesley to sound out the words, but he opened it and just read the first two pages, just like that. He was reading! Brad and I looked at eachother with amazement and pride. It's awesome to see how excited he is about learning.

29. Watching Brad with our children.  I can't narrow down to one specific favorite memory, because my heart is melting everyday over how much this man loves and enjoys his kids.  He's genuinely excited to play with his children after a long day at work. And he's not just around for the "fun", he's actively parenting with me all the time.  Truly, he's a fantastic dad. 

30. Weeknights, or everynight really.  Most nights are spent at home and while I obviously enjoy a night out, I think I have better nights in than most people.  It may not be exciting, but we cuddle on the couch in front of the TV everynight.  A friend told me a while ago that it had been years since she had been cuddled with while watching TV or a movie and I realized how much I enjoy that time with my husband.  He listens to me talk and talk. And other than the rare exception, we get in bed together at the same time. I mean he'll wait up for me if I want to watch another episode of The Office or I'll wait up if he needs to finish another landscape design on his laptop.  I realize this may sound silly to someone else, but these little things have allowed us a lot of good times together.

Sure, lots of these are very specific memories, but they made me, make me who I am. 
I'm thankful for my parents and the home they raised me in. 
I'm thankful for the family and friends I have been blessed to love. 
I'm beyond thankful for Brad, the love of my life and my children, the joy in my life.