Jeff's Birthday!!!

I missed Jeff's birthday party since I was out of town in St.George, but I've been SO excited to do the 10 things I love about Jeff. There are a lot of random things that remind me of Jeff through my day... I'm just ecstatic to be able to list them out! So- here goes...

10. All kids LOVE him! He tries to be scary sometimes, and it never works. They always laugh at him. Clinton, particularly, finds him HILLL-arious. He has the perfect humor to satisfy Clinton. :)

9. He talks with me about things I'm passionate about. He understands my love for family and memories, music, and food, better than most people I know. AND- he knows better than anyone of my DISTASTE of country music. That alone gets him an A+

8. He introduced us to Cirque Du Soleil... without his enthusiasm I don't know if I would have ever been able to experience something so awe-inspiring. It immediately became one of my favorite things about Las Vegas, and I've been addicted to the random shows ever since.

7. (Clinton)- I like to play the vidd-i-vee camera with Jeff.

6. (Cara)- I like to go visit Jeff and do puzzles with him.

( A little side note from the kids... whenever we sing 'The Wheels on the Bus' and we get to the driver part- we pretend it's Jeff- he says, "SHH-SHH-SHH!!!!" to those kids A LOT.) ;)

5. Every time someone hears my last name, they say "Are you related to Jeff?" And I'm so proud to say yes. Then ( I can always predict what will be said next...) they say, "I LOVE JEFF!!" Everyone says it- EVERYONE. I'm gettin teary just thinking about it- because it's SO TRUE- EVERYONE LOVES JEFF! I always follow with- "I know, I do too!"

4. (Clint)- He has a calming presence and comforting words in times of difficulty and grief. He has a gift that brings perfect words to those in need. He has a way with helping others understand the 'bigger picture'.

3. He did my WHOLE WEDDING! By himself. Poor thing. :( I was much to Giddy-in-love to help and he was on his own (to say the least)- but he did the job perfectly! Even now that I'm out of my sheer 'giddyness' I'm still SO happy with the way it turned out. And although I probably shaved a good 5 years off of his life for all of the stress we gave him, I wouldn't change a thing. I don't think I could have loved it more. I will forever be indebted to him for that.

2. He feeds us the most delicious food. Honestly, it doesn't matter if he's cooking with dirt and seaweed- it tastes good! Whenever he offers us food- it totally brightens my outlook...at least until I'm done eating it. Then I just feel fatter. ;)

1. He's literally given me the most beautiful blessings of my life. I've never had such faith instilled in me as I do when I hear Jeff's words. After my mother died, he gave me comfort that I never imagined I could get. He blessed me to "witness miracles" with Clinton and brought me solace through my labor with him. He's not only been with me through the most difficult times of my life, he's comforted me during them. He's an amazing brother and holds his own special place in my heart. I can't put into words how much I love ya, Jeff- you're the best!

Happiest Year Ever! Love ya! ~ AJ