The End of Birthday Season

Yes, it's true. I'm married to a MUCH younger woman. Today we celebrated Leah's birthday and the end of our annual birthday season - five birthdays in six weeks. Every few years, Leah's birthday falls on General Conference weekend, so we celebrated with a birtday lunch and DVR'd the afternoon session today.

What can I say about Leah? She's only the most amazing woman I have every met. I'd love to list out the all the things that make her wonderful, but I'll have to limit myself to only a few.

Leah has to think something is really funny to make her laugh out loud. Now, due to the fact that I am really funny, I'm somewhat disconcerted by the fact that she laughs at Sonic commercials. But she does.

Leah has a less than hidden love for Jeff Goldblum. Yes, my wife loves The Fly. In fact, the other day, when Jurassic Park came on, Kate says, "Look, Mom. Hubba hubba ding ding ding!"

Leah loves the heat. Leah is not interested in the four seasons. She'd take a warm spring, a hot summer, then a mild autumn, then right back to spring. She was a real trooper during those icy Kansas winters and is on cloud nine in Las Vegas, as it was in the 80s on her birthday.

Leah is an incredible mom. She doesn't know this, but that's one of the things that makes her incredible. I love to see how much the kids love her. In fact, when Ryne chose the card he wanted to give her for her birthday, it was listed under the "Romantic Birthday" sign. The card said, "You've got me and I've got you, who says wishes don't come true. Happy Birthday to my hearts favorite." How cute is that?

Finally, Leah inspires me. She is an incredible example of endurance. She chooses the right thing first and places her trust in the Lord. She teaches me all the time about doing the best things first. She is my best friend and the person I most want to spend time with. (Sorry about the dangling participle, Leah.)

Anyway, Happy Birthday to you, Leah! You're the best.