This Blog goes out to Angela

Speaking of getting back to blogging, this blog is officially now dedicated to my sister, Angela (in the purple), who is spending the next few months in Jerusalem. Lucky dog. Because she might be feeling a tad homesick every once in a while (ya right!), I know she will be eager to read about all the goings ons here.

Like how Andrew yelled from the bathroom on Friday, "Mommy!! I just had a big poop! And it hurt!"

Or how many diapers I change every day.

Because that is the kind of stuff that happens around here and I know Angela is going to be checking this blog every spare moment to make sure she doesn't miss any of it. So to make sure she doesn't miss any of it, I will be aiming for a post a day. That is saying a lot coming from someone whose last post was August 1st. But it's for a good cause.

And finally, a little advice for my little sister. Make sure you do not wear pants like this:

Me on the far right--I honestly wore these pants ALL the time...WHY?!!!

and as if the other pair were not enough. I bought ANOTHER one.

or hats like this:Here we are up at 2am to hike Sinai. It's dark, but I have a visor big enough to protect the whole group from the sun. And a canteen. Cool.

in almost every picture you have. Seriously. Where did I get the hats? And why did I want to wear them? Was there not one friend that could have sat me down and told me the truth about my appearance over there ;-) Granted, it was 1992, but I seem to be the worst of that 90s bunch.

Angela

Happy Birthday to my one-and-only sister, Angela!! She is turning 19 today. I was 15 when she was born. No wonder people gave me the teen-pregnancy look when I took her out with me. And I did take her with me sometimes to the store or with my friends. She was such a fun little girl. We would all just sit around and watch her perform at FHE.

And that hasn't changed much. What an amazing person she is. So, here is her top ten:

1. She is always up for anything. Just her senior year alone she had a lead role in the musical, was homecoming queen and was secretary on the seminary presidency.


2. She is nice. She avoids saying anything mean or bad about anybody and always gives people the benefit of the doubt. She accepts everybody and has a talent for seeing good things in everyone.


3. She has an AMAZING voice. It is just beautiful. And she has worked hard on it, which I also really admire.


4. She is a lot of fun. If there is something fun going on, she is in.


5. She is so cute with my kids. Not to mention a pretty good sport about having to hang out with all the marrieds and grandkids.


6. She is smart--she got into BYU...with a scholarship...enough said.


7. She is a good balance of easy-going and determined.

8. She is a great friend. And a great friend to many types of people.

9. She is not self-conscious. I love that. She feels totally comfortable with who she is and so can put herself out there. When I was at BYU, my family moved to Utah. It was good for many reasons, but one of the best reasons was that I got to see Angela and get to know the sister that was only 2 when I left home. My roommates and I held a Miss America party for a few years and Angela came every year. And look at that performance!


10. She actually loves being short. I've spent my life wishing I was at least 5'7". She takes full advantage of all of the great things about being small.

Happy Birthday Angela! What a great sister you are. I love you!!