The longest post ever

My mom said something interesting the other day about birthdays. She said that a birthday is a marvelous day. It is the day that we came to this earth from our father in heaven and that it should be a celebration of our decision to come to earth and that as parents we should celebrate the spirit that we have been given to protect and help grow. I've been thinking about that since our little girl's birthday is just around the corner.

I have also been thinking that the older you get the less exciting your own birthday seems to be. I am now 21 and I keep comparing my 21st birthday to all my other birthdays. I love my birthday not because it is my birthday but that it is the beginning of fall and that means the holidays are coming and the weather starts to cool off. However I have noticed that every year not just with me but with most people a birthday is just another day that happens to mark the passing of time in your life. When your a kid your birthday is like your own personal Christmas. You get to have a party, games, candy, friends, cake, and of course presents. It is a little celebration just for you. I am not saying that no matter how old you get you should have a party and act like your 6 again, but birthdays were a much bigger deal when I was in elementary school. I guess I am thinking that because in the world 21 is a mile stone kind of birthday for obvious reasons. A lot of people have a big party and get to act like they are 6 again ;) But for me I was happy to spend the weekend with my family which is usually what I do every year and wouldn't really want it any other way.





One of my favorite games is the "grade school game" where you go around and tells stories from each grade. It always makes me laugh. Anyway I am going to play the " birthday game" and try and remember all my birthdays. No one has to read this because it might be long and boring but for my own fun I am going to do it:)





Birthdays 1-5: I don't really remember to much from my earlier birthdays. A few things that stick out to me are a barbie that Grandma Beverly and Grandpa gave me that had a wand that was a flower and it had a magnet in it. Then I remember getting a collection of the those Little Golden Books from Aunt Lyn while I was at Grandma Brewer's house. I also remember having a birthday party at home and unwrapping my presents and having to give everyone a hug after I opened their gift. I think that birthday was the birthday that Tim or Mom accidentally left the video camera rolling in the kitchen for like an hour and all you can here are little kids and all you can see it the kitchen table. Exciting.





6th Birthday: I think this birthday was my princess party birthday or maybe it was just a dress up party.... I remember all my joy school friends coming and were all dresses up in princess gear. I was wearing my pink sparkly dress with the gold trim that mom made me. I don't remember much about the party other than taking pictures at the end. Mom if your reading this maybe you could fill me in if you remember.





7th Birthday: I think this was the first birthday that I had a sleep over. It might have been my 8th but I can't seem to remember. Anyway what I remember most about this party was that Heidi threw this one for me or at least she once claimed she did. It was a Friday night and that meant there was a football game somewhere so mom and dad weren't home and Heidi was left in charge. I think this party was a last minute party, but it was a lot of fun. Heidi put up steamers and we had a store bought cake and we played a game where no one was aloud to eat their cake with utensils but only there mouths. I remember feeling cool when we did that because every one of my friends parties that I went to for the next year had cake eating in the same style. ( I do think that game was Heidi's idea) We also played dogs (Erin Brackney was my best friend at the time and we always played dogs together). I remember opening presents and getting a doll that came with about 20 different outfits.





8th Birthday: I remember my baptism dress was purple and made of a velvety material. My mom made it and I liked that I had a purple dress when everyone else had a white dress. I remember going into the water and seeing my dad on the other side of the font. I also was worried that I wouldn't go all the way under and that no one would notice. I remember getting my first set of scriptures with new scripture pencils and and a green scripture case. I also remember that I got baptised on the 4th instead of the 3rd my actual birthday because I wanted Pete to be there, but he couldn't make it on my real birthday because he had a football game.



9th Birthday: I was in the third grade for this birthday. I don't recall if I had a party, I don't think I did. But I remember getting a new bike that was purple and hard to ride because I was too short, but I thought it was the coolest bike because it was a real bike (I'd been riding a green banana seat for a few years, which I liked). I also got a jean quilt from Heidi that I still have and love. I remember when Heidi started making that quilt she didn't know what she was going to do with it but decided to make a gift of it to me. And more than once she has told me she regretted it because it was so nice:) I also remember getting an Idaho post card From Pete telling me happy birthday.



10th Birthday: I liked turning ten because I was in the two digits. I can't think if I had a party this year. I remember wanting horses because my cousin Marielle was into horses and I wanted to be able to play with horses when I went to her house. I think I got a necklace from the LDS bookstore with my birthstone on it. I do remember getting a watch and feeling like I was growing up because mom and dad gave me a watch.



11th Birthday: I remember asking mom if I could have a sleep over with just Ashley and Hannah. We watched movies and played hide and seek. I remember hiding in Jill's old closet while they both looked for me. And more than once they would come into the closet and pull all the coats back but couldn't find me. I was in there for like an hour. I remember thinking "this is awesome, I am the best hider" but then I thought "what if they saw me but pretended they didn't...." Anyway I finally came out and we all laughed.



12th Birthday: My mom planned a surprise party for me this year. It was a half day at school and picture day. I remember that no one got me a gift and or really said happy birthday and I was bummed. I do remember Hannah getting off the bus and throwing her arms up and saying "Dang it I forgot your present!" After school was over I walked over to the library where my mom worked and we were there while everyone went to my house. I don't remember the surprise part of my birthday but I remember thinking "wow". I had chocolate cake and got a new comforter for my bed.



13th Birthday: I remember thinking 13 isn't that big of a deal I am a teenager now but I can't do anything. I didn't have a party this year. But this was a fun birthday because we had a softball game in Alchesay and I got two home runs on my birthday (who cares if it was only Alchesay). I also got Monsters Inc., a CD case, and hard stuff.



14th Birthday: This was another surprise party. I was really surprised. All that day I remember feeling so sorry for myself because once again no one seemed to remember my birthday or get me a gift. I am ashamed to admit that but its true. I also was kind of bummed out because usually on your birthday you got to open your gifts in the morning and have your favorite breakfast. But all I got in the morning was the Bruce Hornsby anthology and a CD. Sorry mom I was a turd. Anyway I got home from school and pooped around the house for a few hours until my dad asked me to pick up the pizzas with him. I didn't think anything of it when we drove all the way down to Show Low and picked up 10 pizzas for mom, dad, and me. When we got home I walked in the door and my friend Kelsey was standing in the middle of the kitchen crying and I was so confused, but then all my friend jumped out and yelled surprise. And as for Kelsey she was having a rough day because her cat had been put to sleep and she was caught off guard when I walked in. That was definitely one of my favorite birthdays. It was way fun and much needed because I was feeling kind of blue since Heidi had left for college. So thank you mom and dad for throwing me a surprise party. I also got more gifts than usual because I think my mom wasn't sure how to shop for just one kid yet.... I got a jansport backpack which was a big deal in my brain because that was a nice backpack, a purse, and clothes.



15th Birthday: I liked this birthday. My birthday was on the weekend, Jill and John had come up with Quinn for general conference, Heidi came home too, and Tim and Connie. I remember Quinn getting a bath before breakfast and Heidi doing her laundry (I was keeping an eye out clothes). We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Jill gave me a yellow fleece blanket, Heidi gave me a box with twall fabric on it, and Mom and Dad got me new set of scriptures for seminary with some very pretty piano music. We went up into the mountains to listen to conference and dutch oven-ed and ate camels:) And John let me drive their Tacoma, that was the highlight of the day.



16th Birthday: I got an ipod for this birthday, however I was more excited to get my driver's license. But I remember going to the DMV and finding out that I couldn't get my licence that day because you have to make an appointment, you could no longer just go in. Plus the speedometer in my jeep stopped working. I was beyond disappointed. I wanted to drive so bad and even though had an appointment for the next day (which I passed) it still sucked. I guess heavenly father was teaching me a lesson in patience. I remember going to Denny's with my Mom after we couldn't get my license and knowing that I should be acting more mature about the whole situation but I didn't care. I got over it and I am thankful that my mom was so understanding.



17th: I remember this as a good day. At the time I really wanted a boyfriend, but at Blue Ridge that wasn't going to happen. So my friends knowing that I wanted a boyfriend got a poster of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow (mmmmm) and put him in my car as a filler. They also decorated my car and that made me feel special. I also go a new ipod as my gift from my parents my previous one had been stolen from my car along with my jansport backpack in the Taco Bell parking lot. So luckily they were nice enough to get me new one. I also had fun that day because for volleyball we went up in the country club and played sand and celebrated mine and Katie's birthday with cupcakes. Then for dinner we went to Native New Yorker. I also got a fun gift from Jill. She put together a gift basket full of random things like pantene shampoo, post its, socks and pens. I still have those socks and they are the best. I also got a fun card from Tim and Connie that sang the "its the perfect day" from the Legally Blond soundtrack and it was a volleyball card.



18th: This was my last birthday at home. I got a red camera from mom and dad. I like this birthday too. I had a volleyball/birthday party with the girls on my team at my house. We went to the football game against Show Low then came back to my house. We ate and watched movies (Elf is ten times funnier at 3 AM). It was just a good day.



19th: This birthday was a little bit different than all my other birthdays. I had a volleyball game against Yavapia and we won which was awesome. I hadn't really told anyone it was my birthday and some how my coaches found out so after the game they had a brownie bites towere with candles on it and the team sang happy birthday to me. That was very sweet. Heidi also decorated my bathroom for me which started my day off fun. I got Mrs. Petigrew lives for a day and all of the Anne of Green Gable movies. But what was different about this birthday was that my boyfriend took me out to dinner. Aaron and I had only been dating a few weeks but he was officially my boyfriend. He took me to the Olive Garden and gave me a card with flowers. The card was an Office card and he wrote "love" Aaron. After we went to dinner we went back to Heidi's and "watched" Hot Rod. It was fun birthday.



20th: Last year Aaron and I went up to Pinetop for my birthday. That alone was a great birthday present. Tim and Connie we up too and we drove up to Green's Peak. In the evening after them men got home from the priesthood session we had cake and ice cream. Then on the way home we stopped in Mesa and picked up my birthday present Finch. He was tiny. My mom also gave me a basket of fall decorations which i really liked because it made my house feel all cozy.



I doubt anyone but me with read all of that but I thought I would write down all my birthday memories before I forget them.