25 Year Celebration!!

Let it be known that for the next six days, I am officially 25 years old and Jeremy is only 24. Pretty amazing to be 1/4 of a century old! Of course, Jeremy won't be able to know all the secret wisdom that I've acquired today until next week.

I love birthdays, but not quite in the way that most people do. In fact, most of my pet-peeves have to do with birthdays because of the drama queens out there that can't seem to live with themselves once another birthday roles around. Even more annoying are the people that love birthdays because they expect all their friends to call and do something nice, and if they don't, their life is over. I hate how at a very early age, in many ways we teach that birthdays are a selfish day where everyone is supposed to make you happy. While I gave into that as a child, it has really come to bother me over the past several years, and I think it is the underlying reason for most of the depression experienced on birthdays.

My idea of a perfect birthday is where the birthday person is happy they are alive, says thank you to loved ones, reflects on birthdays past, hopes for birthdays in the future and serves others on his/her birthday.

A birthday is a time to celebrate life!! I mean seriously. The fact that we were not only born at this time on earth, but born in America and into gospel homes is amazing!! What wonderful opportunities life offers us. What an amazing gift mortality is that God has given us! The fact that devils begged Jesus to allow them to posses the bodies of hogs shows how desirous the gift of having a mortal life is!! And that God has given us the power to create life, just as He does, is a miracle!

A birthday is a time to be grateful for all the wonderful people that have helped make me who I am. I love and appreciate my parents so much. For sleepless nights when I was a baby, for singing and reading to me, for making music for me to dance and sing to, for teaching me to work hard, for living their testimony and being with me in the temple at my wedding. I love my other two parents for doing the same with Jeremy. (Even though they didn't start with him until 6 days after I was born ;-) I love all 4 of my sisters and my 2 brothers and all that they've taught me about life. I love Jeremy. Other than the Savior, there's no one else that has helped me be my best self.

I also want to thank Jeremy for the wonderful surprise trip to see the musical Wicked at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and the Thai dinner. We both LOVED it. What a great guy, huh?

Birthdays are a time to reflect on the past. Twenty five years is a long time. I've pretty much lived 1/3 of my life. I've learned a lot by living. What's the most important thing that I've learned? That true joy comes from doing all you can and then putting your complete trust in the Lord that your efforts will be magnified, whether the efforts are put toward a test, planning a lesson, a friendship or for forgiveness, the Lord really does come through when I do my part. What is the hardest thing that I have had to learn? That too many people see my enthusiasm for life and for change as a negative thing.

Another thing that I've reflected on is how threatening times have become. Family values and virtue are increasingly being lost to the enticings of the adversary. We've been facing a lot of opposition with prop 8. We put a sign up in our window, and yesterday we found a nasty letter on our window about our position. It's scary to think of what will happen if prop 8 doesn't pass. I honestly cried on the way to work today thinking of the spiritual war that my children will have to grow up in. I'm doing all I can to make the world safe for them, but the reality of it is that righteousness is outnumbered (but not out-powered!).

Most of all, birthdays are a time of hope. A rekindling of life. A re-birth. A new look into the future. More goal making. There is still so much for me to experience! More teaching, rearing children, a masters degree, cheering on Jeremy in his career, traveling, house flipping, teaching the gospel to friends and family, unexpected moves, and hopefully when we're really established, opening my own school.

Hope is why it's fun to make your birthday a day of service. If only to at least do the normal things with a little more pizzaz. My best birthday was the one where I made breakfast for my Grandma and Mom and put surprise notes on my roommates' beds. Today, I worked extra hard nannying my little girls. I took all three of them to the pool on my own and smiled the whole time- even when I had to wash poopy swimsuits and bottoms. Then I enthusiastically went to a prop 8 meeting and made a few more friends!

So my idea of the perfect way to celebrate a birthday is to recognize the miracle of life, have gratitude, reflect, hope and serve. I look forward to teaching my children how to do these things on their birthday, training them to realize that life is what you make it, not what others make for you.