Happy Birthday, Sumy!

Happy Birthday to my big sister Summer! (Her birthday was actually yesterday, but I was not home all day to post this.)


Summer and I are only about 15 months apart in age, (I don’t know what my mom was thinking…) which has always been either an extremely good thing or an extremely bad thing. It was an extremely good thing when we had common friends and could hang out together and go to high school dances together and ditch seminary together. It was an extremely bad thing when we fought over boys or clothes or who got to take the car out that night. And whenever we fought about anything, Summer usually won. Because she was the bossy big sister who always got what she wanted. And sometimes I was a little scared of her… :) Here are some of my favorite memories of growing up with Summer as my big sister…

• When Summer was little, she was the biggest SPAZ ever, seriously! She had so much energy and always had to be the center of attention! She was always doing crazy weird things while my mom video-taped us. She just had this HUGE personality. And a huge imagination. She had an imaginary friend who lived in her finger…what was his name again??? I can’t remember…but it was some freakin weird random name that she made up.


• As Summer got older, that weird spastic personality just turned into a really fun, cool personality! I was always very envious of it. She always had a lot of friends and was popular and boys always liked her. I was the shy one and had a much harder time making friends and I always wished I had a personality more like hers.


• She was a really good dancer and a cheerleader in high school…my Dad still makes fun of her about it to this day. Summer, remember when Sister Perry made fun of your dance moves when we performed with Dahlia’s Rising Stars, lol!? I still remember that dance move…Here is a picture of Summer teaching her kids her dance moves:


• Summer ALWAYS had a boyfriend. She literally went from one to the next. And they weren’t just little flings either…every single one she swore was her “soulmate” or her “destiny” and she was going to marry them. Lol! Of course she didn’t marry any of them…and then the guy she DID end up marrying was nothing like any of those guys she dated growing up! :) Her and her husband are perfect for each other…and I am glad she married him and not her other “densitys”.


• Summer was always the feistiest one of us girls. She beat us up when we were little. Sometimes for no reason. And then as soon as we started crying, she knew she was gonna get busted so she would hurry and say “Oh my gosh, what happened!?” And seriously acted like she had no idea why we were crying when my Mom came running.


• Summer’s feistiness was sometimes a good thing, like when she was defending me or sticking up for me. She was very protective of her younger sisters. And she always covered for me when I ditched class or lied to my mom and dad. Until she went to BYU…then she turned good and always told on me when I did bad things :)


• I have never met anyone in my entire life who takes longer to get ready than Summer! Ever. And it’s kind of funny because as a mother of two very active young children, you would think she would be the least high maintenance of all us sisters, but no! She takes INSANELY long showers and also takes a ridiculously long time to blow-dry her hair. I have decided that the reason she takes so long to do her hair is because she has always been trying to make up for the fact that she had a mullet when she was little, LOL! She has never forgiven my parents for that...Here are a few good mullet shots:




• Summer used to let me drive to seminary at 5 in the morning when I didn’t even have my license OR my permit….and I always thought she was the coolest sister for letting me do this. But she was smart enough to always hold it over my head…anytime she wanted something and I wouldn’t give in, she would threaten to never let me drive to seminary again…and then I would just do whatever she wanted. Man, she was manipulative. And man, I was dumb…This went on for a while…until I almost crashed and killed us one morning and then she screamed at me and never let me drive ever again.



These are all the funny memories I have of growing up with Summer, but when I think of her today I think of what an amazing example she has always been to me and what an amazing best friend she is to me. I think of all the many times she has been there for me and has taught me by her example. She has always had a strong, solid testimony of the gospel and has so much faith. She is an amazing wife, sister, daughter, friend and mother. And she is a wonderful example of the kind of mother I hope to be someday!





Happy Birthday, Sister! I LOVE YOU! :)