Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday MOM!

I am of the opinion that I was given the exact mom I needed. You are my best friend and my biggest strength and one of the funniest most honest people I know. I had a couple of memories I wanted to share:

1 - Shoe shopping with my mom and her sisters and lunch with them afterwards while they laughed through stories of growing up and if I closed my eyes I couldn't tell which one was laughing.

2 - Laying out on our back lawn when I was little... It was the first girl time I got to spend with my mom. We'd put on our swim suits and take towels out back and just relax... I was only 3 or 4 so it couldn't have been all that relaxing for her!

3 - In middle school when I desperately wanted straight hair and she would get up so early and spend hours trying to help me blow my hair straight - for those of you with curls this was in the days prior to good product or straighteners.

4 - The days I had dance right after school and she would pick me up and drive me to dance while I hid below the windows and changed into a leotard.

5 - Late nights playing games when if we convince her to stay up long enough she gets super punchy and funny.

I love you mom! Thank you for being so good to all of us and making each one of us feel like your favorite.... or is that just I really am your favorite?

Our Uncle Gordon

Our Uncle Gordon, the husband of my dad's sister, passed away on November 2, 2009 after battling Leukemia. He has always been a great and brilliant man. My cousin Rand shares a little about him and their difficult experience here.

I just thought I would share a recent memory that I have of him. When Maren was married in the summer of 2008, my Uncle Gordon was in remission and was in attendance at all of the days festivities. Maren's reception was outdoors on a golf course that did not typically handle weddings. Needless to say, there was a lot of set up and take down for the beautiful event. My sweet Uncle Gordon insisted on staying until the very last lantern was taken down and last chair folded, even until the midnight hours. He could have used one of thousands of excuses; however, he was there even when the sprinklers came on and began to soak us all. Yes, just one small example of how he has always been a great and brilliant man. I love the Lewis family and wish I could be there to show my support this weekend.