Dear Emily,
HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!! Thirties?? Doesn’t seem possible! What a great husband you have to plan and carry out a surprise such as this and I am thankful he asked me to contribute.
As I thought about what I should write there were of course many stories I could have chosen from. Good stories that made me laugh just thinking about them. Things like our trip to Hilton Head and Clark using a Mountain Dew bottle for a reason it was never intended for. Or how about the many nights we sat at our houses watching Survivor and eating Chinese food? Do you see my dilemma? There are just too many good ones to choose from. But then I started thinking about what I know and love about you. As I thought about that certain words came to mind, words such as friendship and happiness honesty, and selflessness.
When I think back to when we adopted Madelyn I remember how I hated letting other people hold her because that meant I wasn’t holding her. In the first few months of her being with us I think I spent most of my day simply holding her or rocking her to sleep. I loved that part of motherhood. There were many times when she was sleeping and I would look at her and think of you. I would think about how you would come over to our house and at any given moment Haley would start kicking. You would laugh and I would ask you what was so funny and you would tell me she was moving and if I wanted to feel her. Or how you and Clark called us right after Haley was born and asked us if we wanted to come to the hospital. Even with all the anxiety and newness that comes with becoming a mother for the first time you never hesitated in letting us hold her. When you were about to give her a bath you would call me and ask if I wanted to come over and join in on all the fun. And then there were all the sacrament meetings. You and Clark would come in and sit by us and instead of cuddling with her you would let me hold her the entire time. I think of all those little moments you let me enjoy her or all the times you allowed me to experience motherhood through you. I am a firm believer in the idea of people coming into your life for a specific purpose. And Emily you were exactly the friend I needed at that time in my life.
I wish we could be there to celebrate with you but since we can’t I will just hope that you have a great day filled with lots of yummy take out food as well as great presents to open up. Thank you again for being in my life and for being the kind of person I can look up to and admire. I love you.
With much love,
Mandee
