Brandon's last "Home" birthday

It was an incredible treat to have Brandon home for his 19th birthday.  We flew him home from college on his birthday (St Patrick's Day), and he stayed through the weekend to do some missionary shopping.  It was so fun to shower him with love and attention and enjoy the remarkable young man he has become.  His siblings especially love to bask in "Brandon light."  He and I had some great talks, and we got a little bit of missionary prep done, too!

Below, when Brandon was ready to open his presents, Joseph took each present away momentarily, and when he brought it back the bag included a special "Joseph touch."  In the instance below, he added his dirty, smelly school shoes to the bag.  Oh, THANK you, Joseph!

After we told Joseph he could no longer add disgusting things to the birthday bags, this is how he spent the rest of the present opening time. 

Nice shades, Bailey!  Apparently Brandon got this free as part of a freshman package at school. He brought home half his dorm room and left it here, keeping only the bare essentials.  He is counting down the weeks until he is done with his freshman year.

How did my baby boy grow to be 19 years old and a responsible adult? The years have flown by. Here are 19 things I love about you, Brandon:

1.  Your sense of humor.  You have learned well from your Dad how to infuse life with gentle humor and fun.

2.  Your patience with everyone, including family members and challenging people in the college dorm.  I continue to learn much from your example of patience.

3.  Your determination.  When you decide to do something, you go for it with gusto.  And you find a way to get what you want.

4. Your persistence even when faced with challenges. Here's just one small example which exemplifies the way you have reacted when life has thrown you a curveball . . . . when you started college you were determined to be involved in as many clubs/activities as possible, especially ones which allowed you to enjoy your love of music. You tried out for the Men's Chorus but didn't make it.  You tried out for the Folk performing group but didn't make it. Instead of giving up, you persisted and found other activities you have enjoyed (Folk Club, Accapella performing group and club, barbershop group, and even stand up comedy.)  Way to go!

5.  You have taken advantage of every opportunity available at BYU, including attending almost every Forum or Devotional. It has been fun for me to watch the Devotionals broadcast on BYUTV and then talk to you about them.

6. Your loyalty.  When you make a friend/commit your heart, you don't back down.

7.  Your empathy for others and unwillingness to judge them.  You see the good in people and wait for them to show their best sides.

8. Your incredible intellect.  Who else (besides your Dad) thinks that Calculus is fun?  That is just strange, if you ask me. You have always loved to learn, and you have really excelled at many, many things, including mathematics, foreign languages, music, and filmmaking.  The study skills you have learned along the way will prepare you for learning Russian on your mission and prepare you for success in any paths you pursue in life.

9.  Your testimony and desire to do what is right.

10.  Your love of music. You love to write, play, and listen to music. This has become a real outlet and driving force for you. You have great musical talent and a good ear for fun, clean songs.  For the next two years I will miss having you share good new tunes with me.

11.  Your desire to honor Dad and me as parents.  Even through the sometimes challenging teenage years, you really wanted to honor and respect us and be trustworthy.  Thank you.

12.  Your crooked smile.  I think it is just so you (and it kind of looks like your Springer relatives, too.)

13. Your goal setting.  Now that you are living away from home, I miss coming across your tiny folded pieces of paper around the house, filled with lists of your goals for the next week. You have always been great about planning ahead and achieving goals in every area (intellectual, social, musical, financial, spiritual, etc.)  This is another great skill of your Dad's which you have adopted and made your own.

14.  Your spirit.  When you were a tiny baby I knew that Heavenly Father had blessed us with a precious and unique spirit. You have often seemed more mature than your age, and often I think that in heaven you were older and wiser than me.

15.  The fact that you like to talk to us. I have always loved staying up late and talking to you about life. You have a great perspective, and I enjoy hearing your thoughts.

16.  Your desire to serve a mission.  And you will be an amazing missionary.

17.  Your pursuit of career paths which make you happy and which will utilize your talents.  You will do well in whatever career path you take.

18.  Your ability to fix computer or electronic problems.  It must be your analytical side which helps you out here.

19.  Sometimes when we get to spend time with you for a split second I marvel at what a good job we must have done, to produce such an amazing young man.  Then I realize that we didn't have that much to do with it . . .we provided some genetic material and a home environment, but you have drawn upon your own strengths to become a young man who is not only remarkable, but also uniquely you.  I'm proud of you.

Happy Birthday, Brandon!