arone...

Our aunt worked as as 911 dispatcher, and took us in to the station one night where we got our very own "mugshots".

Today is the day that Aaron turns 29. Aaron is my brother, and he’s the closest to me in age…we’re 20 months apart. I guess because we’re so close in age, he’s the one I share the most childhood memories with. In fact, very few are my childhood memories that don’t include Aaron. We were the very best of friends, and even today, despite the miles that separate us, and notwithstanding the days and weeks that sometimes go by without any form of communication between us; we are still close. I hope he knows how important he is, and how our family just wouldn’t feel complete if – and for some strange reason - he weren’t a part of it. Even the world is a more colorful place...simply because of his existence.







So anyway, Aaron, Happy Birthday! In honor of you, and in celebration of your special day, here are 29 things I love about you…

1. When we were little, I had a really hard time saying “Aaron”. For some reason, it always came out sounding like oh-nie. The nickname “Onie” stuck, and for a few years, that’s what we all called him.
2. When he was two, he fell into our uncle’s swimming pool. No one could find him for quite some time. When our dad finally spotted a tear in the pool cover, he knew exactly where Aaron was. He immediately dove in after him, and pulled him out of the icy water, only to find that his son’s little body was lifeless. After some CPR to revive him, Aaron ended up being ok, but suffered with seizures for some time as a result of the accident. Ironically, today, Aaron loves the water and many water sports; and is an excellent swimmer.
3. Aaron has a brilliant mind. He did not get good grades in high school, simply because he didn’t apply himself. However, during a parent/teacher conference, his AP English teacher (who had been teaching for something like 17 years), told my parents that Aaron was probably the most brilliantly gifted student he had ever known.
4. In high school, Aaron was part of a group of friends who called themselves “the boys”. They were good kids, but were notorious for causing havoc. Most of their peers loved them...and most of their teachers loathed them.
5. He is still very close to “the boys”. Whenever he makes it out to Utah, he tries to get together with them for some b-ball and to reminisce in old times.
6. His first car was a little white truck named “Betsy”.
7. Aaron is a huge movie buff; but he’ll only go see it, if it got good reviews.
8. Currently he is in his 3rd year of dental school at Boston University.
9. He brushes his teeth several times a day.
10. Yes, he lives in Boston, but that does not mean he roots for the Red Socks. He is a Yankee’s fan through and through.
11. He married his sweetheart, Dorothy, in June of 2004. Anyone who knows both of them would say that they are a perfect match. In fact, when I really got to know her, I felt like she was the female version of my brother. John and I still laugh about how on their wedding day, after cutting the cake, Aaron left the piece of cake on the butcher knife and slowly raised it to Dorothy’s mouth. Most brides would have probably freaked out…but Dorothy, she just laughed as she carefully removed her bite from the blade that was only inches from her face.


12. Aaron is hilarious. Seriously, I don’t think I know anyone as clever and quick-witted as he is.
13. He’s a good cook, and makes a mean sloppy joe.
14. Aaron loves little dogs. His first little dog was a terrier/poodle mix, a mutt whom he begged our parents to be able to keep. Aaron named him Bootsie because of his four little white paws. Bootsie was a part of our family for years. I think Aaron was the most grief stricken by his loss. He and Dorothy now have a long haired Chihuahua named fleabag. (I’m pretty sure Aaron came up with that name, too!)
15. Aaron is an avid reader. He is always reading something, and rather than finish his current book before starting another, he’ll have five or six that he’s working on at any given time.
16. He loves music and appreciates a talented musician. He plays the guitar and has a really good voice. In college he formed a band with some of his boys. I enjoyed going to the “acoustic nights” to hear them play. Several times during the 2002 winter Olympics, he and a friend would ride TRAX back and forth from one end of the valley to the other, playing for the crowds of people who were traveling to their various venues. (If I’m not mistaken, they made some pretty good money doing this.)
17. Aaron does not like to shave. He has sensitive skin, and gets bad razor burn. When he was going to BYU, he got a special pass to be able to have facial hair. Over the years he has had some pretty funny beards…from his imperial, to his muttonchops, and everything in between. My favorite was his Abe Lincoln brush.


18. Despite his incessant teasing, mocking, pestering, and tantalizing, he is very loving and tender-hearted.
19. Aaron marches to the beat of his own drum. He is notorious for doing his own thing, and many times wanders off without telling a soul where he is going or what he’ll be doing. One time while at Lake Powell, we discovered that Aaron was missing. Hours went by, and none of us knew where he had gone, or when he was planning on returning. We had a sleepless night. He finally returned to us the next morning, but was weak, and dehydrated. He told us that had climbed atop a cliff to be able to get coverage for his cell phone, and then nightfall came too quickly, and it was too dark to find his way safely down. We seriously thought he was dead. Only now, years later, can we find some humor in the story. You see while Aaron was alone on that cliff, he began to feel dehydrated, and then remembered learning that if you start to become dehydrated (but have no access to any water), you should suck on a rock. Aaron reached for the nearest pebble, and as he began to suck, the rock began to dissolve. He hadn’t thought about the fact that the only rock you’ll find at Lake Powell…is sandstone. Poor guy.

Here he is at Lake Powell showing off his tan line (not to mention his abnormally skinny thigh).

20. Aaron is a pretty good artist, and is known for his funny cartoon character sketches. (Oh, and also for drawing weird shaped bums.)
21. He loves Coke.
22. His sisters idolize him.
23. He can lie down and sleep anywhere. He and my dad came to pick me up from my mission. One day we were out visiting one of my areas, when Aaron decided it was too hot and humid for him, and that he was too tired to go on. He then prostrated himself flat on the sidewalk, closed his eyes, and told us to come back for him later.
24. Another funny story about that trip was the night I saw him reading a Stephen King novel. I pleaded with him to stop, and cried for fear that if he didn’t, he’d begin sowing the seeds of his own spiritual destruction. (ha ha ha…we just laugh about that story now…missionaries sure can be extreme at times.)
25. Aaron has a knack for refinishing furniture. Shortly after they were married, he and Dorothy fixed up some old, junky dressers that my dad was going to take to the DI. John and I were floored when we saw the end result. Seriously, people would pay good money for something that looked that good.
26. Aaron loves finding a great pair of good fitting jeans (but then, who doesn’t?). One time he even found a great pair in one of the girls’ departments at Nordstrom. I couldn’t believe how they seemed to be custom-made to fit his body.
27. He is a natural leader.
28. He served an LDS mission in Uruguay. I admire him for going out when he did…just two months after our mom passed away. I know he was (and will be) blessed for his sacrifice. He was a good, faithful, and obedient missionary; and was loved by the people whom he served. (The people of my mission loved him, too.) He truly has a gift of being able to connect with all kinds of different people.
29. He loves the gospel and he loves the Lord.

I love you, Ace, and hope you have a wonderful birthday!