Crista sent me her memories this week. It was so fun to read, I figured it deserved a post all by itself. So, I am posting a mid-week entry. Enjoy:
I am so sorry I didn't send you a memory last week. I really wanted to have time to think about it and write it out in a coherent way, and it was just a really crazy busy weekend.
Note after writing this LONG written work: I planned on just doing one memory, but it turned into this and how everyone contributes to our family memories. Feel free to just send it to my siblings directly and not put it on the blog if you want.
Family Memories:
Dad: Dad is always so outgoing, even to complete strangers, so he always seems to open up awesome friendships when we go on trips. A family we met in Hawaii invited us to a family luau, and then they gave dad a Hawaiian Lei that their daughter had crocheted. On top of that, Dad is the one who has helped us create so many memories, because he is such a great trip planner. He always plans our trips with the right amount of activities and down time. One of the most memorable experiences I have ever had happened because of him; we got to swim with huge, 15-foot wide manta-rays at night, while they fed on plankton that was building up by our flashlights. There are several other trips that I will mention as well. When I was just starting to play tennis, Dad had the patience to play with me, beat me, and deal with my poor sportsmanship. Over time, he had the patience to play with me even though I easily beat him. He was there for many of my tennis matches cheering me on.
Mom: Mom has helped pretty much all of my siblings gain a love of reading. When the Harry Potter series were all coming out, many of my siblings would take turns reading the newest book. Caitlyn and I still have Harry Potter trivia battles, and I enjoy have discussions with my other siblings about books either of us have read. And while she may not like this, her focus-intensive mind makes her do some hilarious things; not being able to hear things around her when she is reading, talking to herself when playing board games, and exclaiming, "THAT'S NOT TRUE!!!" to something I don't even remember what it was about.
Nick: I would definitely call Nick an animal whisperer. Some of my favorite highlights of family vacations have been when Nick catches different critters native to wherever we are vacationing: wild chicks and frogs in Hawaii, spiky and whiskery puffer-fish in Mexico (yes, he swam and caught them with his bare hands), lizards in Saint George, and more. While I may not like getting germs from touching wild animals, it always added an exciting element to family time. Nick also has a booming laugh that makes it so you can't help but at least smile. Both he and dad have let out farts, at the kitchen table, that literally felt like an earthquake. Both he and dad were able to keep straight faces as everyone burst out laughing and walked away as fast as possible.
Sara: Sara continually surprises me with her mad skills. I think everyone was impressed when she introduced our family to her delicious homemade creme brulee at New Year's. To my family, food is a major part of every event and every memory, and she has made so many gourmet breads, vegetables, salads, treats, and more to share with everyone. She is always willing to share her knowledge and share the fruits of her labors!
Dan: Some of my favorite memories that involve Dan also involve his hair. Long ago, his hair was getting really long. It was around Christmas time, and I got this picture of him with a pretty legitimate poofy afro. Not too many people as white as Dan can get hair like that. Dan's awesome hairstyles have continued occasionally when he had a "Pebbles" ponytail like his daughter, Yuna's, and flames razored into his beard. His funny sense of humor really helps him pull off all his unique dos. Both of my brothers have always created random games to play using their own imagination like bouncing bouncy balls really high, seeing how far we can get a static shock to go in a human circle (8 people!), and hide and go seek in Goblin Valley.
Jieun: When Jieun married my brother, they moved to Hawaii pretty shortly afterward. We got to go visit them over my sixteenth birthday, and it was an amazing trip and a great opportunity to get to know Jieun better. Jieun and I did lots of buddy snorkeling together. We saw sea turtles, dophins nearby, and even an eel swim right below us (to which Jieun grabbed me and squealed through her snorkel mask). Not only has she added some funny Korean humor to our family, but some good competition to mom in Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and even Boggle! It can get pretty heated sometimes haha.
Elise: Elise has a really good long-term memory herself. I'm looking forward to reading about what memories first came to her mind, because she seems to remember many things that happened a long time ago. Because of that, I'm able to relive many things I don't remember myself, and learn other things that I was too young (or not around) to remember. Elise and I used to share a room, and she would always help me avoid bad dreams at night, while I served as a good listening ear during the typical difficulties of high school. Elise has a great laugh and makes everything seem more humorous. It seems like our family does a lot of laughing, which is always a good thing.
Andy: Andy has a very loving personality, but is obviously super tough at the same time. He always cracks us up when he repeatedly says, "Rub some dirt on it" to Max or anyone else who may be whining about something. Andy is always there to help with a niece's or nephew's injuries, and is willing to share his vast knowledge to help us fix things are know what medicine to take. With so many new parents in the family now, I think it really eases the potential stress that we could have!
Adrienne: Adrienne used to have some pretty bad stomach issues. I have always looked up to her for her perseverance and hard-core-ism. Even though she would throw-up a ton every time she would climb the Middle Teton, she would still choose to do it again the next year. I fear throwing up and fear seeing throw-up, so the year that I decided to go with my Dad, Adrienne, and Elise, I prayed the whole way up that Adrienne wouldn't throw up! Thankfully my prayers were answered, and when I had a scary fall, she and Elise were there to show their sisterly concern for me. Once again, their examples helped me to decide to continue on. Adrienne, too is a great cook, and always makes the fanciest cakes for our family parties! One of my favorites was her 4th of July cake (cream cheese frosting with strawberries and blueberries as the stripes) for my Grandpa's birthday one year. It was delicious.
AJ: AJ adds a laid-back feeling to the family, but also has a great sense of humor. He is often the cause for the family laughter I was referring to earlier. As an attorney, he also gives some great opinions and sides to conversations. When Caitlyn told AJ that Adrienne loved him on their 2nd date, AJ kept his cool and kept dating her. And as the first one to marry into our crazy family, he has always been an awesome brother. He has brought the sweetest firework shows to our July festivities and made everyone excited about fireworks.
Matt: Matt is infamous for his dry humor. While I love it since I chose to be married to him, it always brings the same dry laughter to our family. Every so often, though, Matt can hit the spot with an actually good joke and bring tears to the eyes because of our laughter. Every so often :) One such time was when Elise was telling us about a time when Andy broke his arm and didn't tell anyone about it. He kept playing football through the pain and it really ruined his arm for a while. After Elise finished telling the story, Matt said, "So when he hurt his arm, did he throw some dirt on it?"
Thomas: While I was only 12 days old when Tom passed away, one memory that my family has given me of him has helped me feel a close bond to him. All my siblings were taking turns holding me, and Thomas really wanted a turn. We have a picture of him looking a little grumpy while one of my other siblings held me. I know he loved me because when my mom was pregnant with me, she made a blanket for me that Thomas really loved. He was sad to know it wasn't for him, but he gave it to me when I was born anyways. While Tom's death was a horrible tragedy for my family, I truly believe it brought my family closer together, and I know it will be the most incredible reunion when we all get to see him again in heaven.
Jennie: Jennie is the potsticker queen, and always has been. She would make potstickers for us all the time on the weekends. We would get some of the neighbor kids over when we were little and play like we were spies or wizards. So, when someone in our ward made Jennie, Caitlyn, and me wands, we were able to really bring our playing to life. Jennie is a gorgeous cosmetologist, but when she was little she once walked outside completely naked (probably 4 years old), and once she cut her own hair, and it had to be cut into a boy's hairdo. One thing is for sure, if anyone ever made fun of her, her siblings were right there to defend her.
Caitlyn: I have several vivid memories of Caitlyn sleep-walking, screaming in the middle of the night, and screaming and crying when trying new things while boating. Caitlyn used to have night-terrors, and she would wake up screaming, and sometimes thrashing, in the middle of the night. It was something that would make my heart pound violently and make me super nervous. Jennie and I were often the ones there to comfort her and help her calm down. Sometimes, me and some other members of my family would be up watching the news or doing something at the kitchen table, and Caitlyn would suddenly walk in in her nightgown with droopy eyelids. Most of my siblings have seen this occurrence and we'd all say, "Go back to bed, Caitlyn", because it was kind of scary. She was very obedient and would turn around straight away and go back to her room. My dad was less spooked I guess, because he would say, "What are you doing, Caitlyn? Don't go outside. You need to go to the bathroom? Well, it's right there in that door next to you." Boating has always been one of my family's favorite things, but I think it brought some anxiety to Caitlyn. We tried to help her learn how to wakeboard or ski, starting her at the shore once, and from behind the boat. She would sometimes start crying the second she would get in the water, and would come back in the boat because of it. Other times she would start crying once she'd fall into the water after attempting to get up. We all look back on these memories as being pretty funny, even Caitlyn.
Of course, all of our nieces and nephews create very memorable events. They say the funniest, cutest things. They also bring some awesome chaos to every party, but it's amusing.... after the fact anyways. Our family has many amazing memories that have been made together, and we are all really close because of that. I have heard of siblings in some families having vendettas against each other and refusing to work it out, even when they are full-grown adults, but I know that is something that will never happen to my family. We have too many good and joyous memories that tie us tightly together and because of that, I am very proud of my family and love them so much.
If you want to just post a short memory, it would be the time in St. George over Thanksgiving, at Las Palmas, when we sat in a circle, built up static electricity in a super staticy chair, and barely touched fingers together to see how far the static would go. It went all the way to Zach's tongue once (Nick's friend). That was an awesome experiment.
