Happy happy birthday!

My parents were born the day after each other in September (minus a few years).

When I was really young, I used to think I would be required to marry someone born around my birth date, too.

The coolest part about having parents that share the same birthday week is the ability to brag about them in the same blog post.

Here are the five best things about my parents.

5. Their ability to laugh at the crazy things we did as kids. 

We didn’t make parenting easy on them. In fact, the classic line used around my house was, “See, this is why we can’t have nice things.” 

I remember my little brother using markers to color all over the walls when he has younger. Instead of getting upset, my dad put his arm around my mom and said, “I think he’s going to be an artist just like his dad.”

4. Their excellent taste in music. 

On long car trips when we were kids, there would come a point (usually around the Utah/Nevada border) where dad couldn’t take Radio Disney anymore. It was at this time when we were treated to “the classics” as he called them. Us kids would complain that we didn’t want to listen to his “old fogey music,” but nevertheless we endured mom and dad singing Journey, Billy Joel, Donna Summer, Styx, and Steely Dan at the top of their lungs.

Now that I have some perspective, I realize that my parents were right: some of the best stuff did come out of their era, 90’s music did rip a lot off of disco, and no attempts to copy Michael Jackson’s style will ever be successful.

3. Their resiliency through tough times. 

They always see the best in whatever situation they’re in. It is through their faith that I learned to gain my own.

2. The fact that they are still crazy in love. 

When we were growing up, they would sometimes kiss in front of us kids, which we would respond to by shouting “Ewwwww!” Since I’ve grown up, it’s much less “eww” and much more “aww!”

1. That they loved each other so much, they wanted to be married forever. 

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together for all eternity. By getting married in the temple, our family will continue on after this life. After all, true love stories have no ending!

Happy birthday, Mom and Dad! Thank you so much for your amazing examples and for raising some pretty cool kids (if we do say so ourselves).

Love you!