First off, my Papa, Glenn Reed West.
He was born 83 years ago today on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. He left when he was around 18, joined the church, met my grandma, got married, and worked as a rancher. He raised 5 kids (2 others passed away as infants) and served on the Mesa Fire Department for many years. He's a bit of a legend, and some of the firefighters still know about him. For many years, he'd go up in the cherry picker to hang the lights in the palm trees for the Mesa Temple lights at Christmas time, and he'd come help us hang our Christmas lights, too. I remember being little and waking up early, putting on fancy shoes with my night shirt, and going with Papa to feed the cows a few times and swinging on the tire swing under a gooey buffalo hide hung up to dry. I love sitting at the kitchen table when he just starts telling stories. I always pull out a recorder so that I can write them all out someday. Growing up on the res, he's got some pretty cool stories, like when he was 10 and shot a bear out of a tree and slung it across the back of his rather unenthused horse. He spends his days visiting his grandchildren and working in the temple, and he never misses an opportunity to tell me he loves me and misses me when I'm away. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful cowboy/Indian/firefighter for a Papa. :)
My aunt, Kaylani Layton Mavity
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| at Disneyland with her youngest, Ollie |
Kaylani is the youngest of my mom's sisters and was born 11 years before me. She's always been the "big sister" figure in my life, full of sleepovers and shopping sprees and phone calls. I remember standing in the upstairs bathroom watching her get her hair done for Prom. She got married at 18, but I never felt left out or forgotten. She still let me sleep over and go with her to Sea World and hang out after school sometimes. It was because of her that I went through a Dixie Chicks phase. If she thought they were cool, then they obviously were. And she's probably also the reason that Belle became my favorite Disney princess and has remained so. Sometimes it's still weird to think that she has 5 kids of her own, but I'm so thankful that she's still my "big sister," and she's still one of the people I call first for anything. Love you, Kon!
Kirsi Griner
{I wish so bad I had one of our adorable pictures from way back when}
There hasn't ever been a time where I didn't know Kirsi. Her family is close with most of my extended family, and they've just always been around. Kirsi is a few years older than me, so when we were younger, I always felt extra cool to be included in her beanie baby parties, and we spent many hours riding our bikes up and down the street between our two houses. Kirsi has spent the last while as Poston's soft-ball coach, and she's now ready to start a whole new adventure up at NAU this fall. I'm so excited and happy for her, and I'm so thankful that no matter how long it's been since we last talked, we will always be close friends.
Rachel Brown
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| terrible picture....but oh well. |
Rachel is one of my favorite human beings in the whole world. I met her my first year in Singers. We were both sopranos, both new to Singers. I remember her telling me that her first impression of me was that I was a very serious, focused, no-fun-allowed type person, but she says, "But then I heard your laugh." Rachel LOVES to laugh, and she's so good at bringing out the funny in other people. Before we were really even friends, I got sick and missed a few rehearsals. She didn't know exactly where I lived, but from where she'd dropped me off before and knowing I lived in a basement, she used her detective skills and showed up at my apartment with medicine, soup, orange juice, cough drops, and tissues. She takes care of people and serves them selflessly. She loves baby animals, especially ducklings and kittens. She and I have gotten lost together way too many times to count. She's a fantastic cook, as I found out living just over a wall from her this past year. We talk in British accents together. We come up with funny nicknames. She loves Harry Potter, and I fulfilled a life dream in April by going to Disneyland WITH her. And since we both laugh at anything even remotely funny (or many times something not at all funny), we just think each other hilarious even though no one else does. It's non-stop fun with this girl, and I'm so glad to have her in my life.
I'm so thankful for August 2nd and the opportunity it gives me to celebrate these wonderful people in my life. Happy birthday to you all!!! Also happy birthday to Hayley Arnett Dwiggins-one of my first friends when I moved into 61st ward, Chris Zeigler - big brother of one of my best friends, and Gena Klaus - mother to two of my adorable cousins and a wonderful person.
Phew! I think I got them all. ;) Happy birthday, all you August Seconds! Hope it's been a wonderful day!
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