happy birthday, Mom!

My mom turns 50 today!  
But you could never tell cause she's so beautiful.

Here's to you, Mom
(the most amazing woman I know)

Thank you for your example.

 Thank you for being so good at loving people. 

 Thank you for teaching me about 

optimism, tenacity, unconditional love, 
hard work, and God.

Thanks for making me laugh.

Thanks for taking care of me when I'm sick. And when I'm not sick. 

Thank you for listening to me cry and dream and plan and figure stuff out. 

Thank you for giving so much of yourself to the world.  

ariel's birthday!

This was such a good weekend, not only because of general conference and Easter, but because of Ariel's 19th birthday on Saturday.  We had a birthday celebration/girls night and it was soOoOoOoo much fun!  I hope you had a good birthday, Ariel!  Thanks for everything.  I know we joke about how we survived 18 years without each other, but really, I don't know what my life would be without you.

Other news: School is wrapping up--only 7 days left before finals--and we're all feeling stressed around here.  I've been immersed in writing a paper about Eugene O'Neill's play, "Long Day's Journey Into Night."  Harold Curlman said, "O'Neill not only lived intensely but attempted with perilous honesty to contemplate, absorb and digest the meaning of his life and ours."  Tell me about it!!  I just wish he came to happier conclusions.  I don't believe we're helpless victims.  And I'm trying to find evidence in this play that O'Neill didn't believe that either.  BAH!