Ten years ago, we packed up the car with all of my stuff and drove an hour and a half to Ephraim, UT. I didn’t know a single person or any of my roommates. We unloaded the car, bought some healthy groceries (the very first time I had to get my own groceries), helped me get settled, and then drove back.
On the way there, she told me all about staying close to Heavenly Father while I am on my own. She told me to pray.
She warned me about watching what I ate and continuing to workout in order to avoid putting on the “freshman fifteen.”
She told me to call her anytime.
I did call her. A lot. and e-mailed. A lot. She gave me advice on what to do about my crazy roommates. She helped me figure out what to do about all the boys I dated. She told me to focus on church, art, school, and working out. So I did.
Then she started having babies. I lived with her in Las Vegas when she had my first nephew, Lennon. I watched her learn how to be a mom. She figured it out. She was remarkable.
She had three more kids. She teaches them how to love the Lord. She talks to them about Grandpa Ron and how special he was. She remembers Grandma Jewel and how she taught her to put a little lipstick on before her husband comes home from work. She is beautiful.
She has an incredible work ethic. She wakes up at 6am, works out, comes home, and tames all the wild beasts in her home like Wonder Woman. She reads to them. She listens to scriptures with them. She teaches them how to be good examples to their friends at school and church.
When I visit her, I pay attention to how she gets it all done. I listen to her advice.
She tells me that I need to stop stressing out. And to count my blessings.
She has helped me learn how to be a mom. A good mom. And to continue being healthy, happier, and grateful.
She has a strong testimony in faith, love, and service. Every time I have visited, she was always either putting together a gift basket, cooking a meal, or picking something up from the store for a friend in need.
She is constantly thinking of others. All the time. She has thought of me many times and has helped me when I needed her the most.
She is smart. She finished her Master’s Degree when she was pregnant with Lennon.
I look up to her. I am grateful for her and her testimony. She is one of the strongest women I know. I love her.
Dear Kristi, 