30 is the new 20

Happy Birthday MARIA!!!

With all the good times I was blessed to see you this year, I didn't end up with too many photos of us or even just you. But the ones I have from the good times spent should be memorialized on your special blog forever, so here they are.



This one really doesn't have you in it, but I am pretty sure you took the picture and I love it! It totally captures the good times we get to have when we go on adventures with you.

Thank you so much for traveling down so many times to see us and play with us since you have been in Seattle. A very common question in our house when ever we are planning a rock climbing trip is, well, when can Maria come? We hope we can see you even more next year, when you are all grown up and 30!

I don't always remember the moment when I meet people, but I always remember the moment I met all my most special friends. I met you in Seattle, right after getting home from my mission while on a road trip with Chris. Chris told me all about you before we stopped by and assured me that I would think you were as cool as she did. She was right, you were an instant hit, super welcoming, and easy to talk to, no pretenses, you were you.

While it is true that I really enjoy that you share your wonderful music talents with me, I appreciate even more whats inside your soul that makes the music so beautiful as it comes out of you. Someday I hope you write a philosophy book, it could be called the "introspection's of Maria" (or something better with more correct grammar if you prefer). Your thoughts on life and living are always insightful and your striving to make the way you live your life more meaningful everyday has always been an inspiration. When you do something important you do it with purpose and if you ever loose sight of that purpose, you do something about it. You don't just finish for the sake of being done, instead you take the time to recenter and redefine your purpose and you come out an even better Maria.

I hope on your special 30th birthday that you get to enjoy your family, and especially enjoy looking back on all the good times you have had so far in your adventure of life. Hopefully as you are thinking back on those times you will forget about the time I almost killed you in the raging flash flood in Hawaii and just remember the part about how I pulled you back in! :)

I love you and I am excited to spend some quality time with you as soon as we can make it happen!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!