Sam's Birthday Tribute to Me

So today is Brooke’s birthday…Happy Birthday! Apparently, it has become a tradition of sorts for Brooke to ask me to write something for the blog. Who can forget the memorable post of two years ago where I listed 32 things about her? If you have forgotten or have never read it, click here. It is good stuff.

This year Brooke asked me to do a similar post but this time with 34 things about her. As I thought about it and reviewed the earlier list, I realized that I could never top the original. It was like the first “Karate Kid” or “Predator”…the sequels should never have been made. Instead of tarnishing the sacred legacy of 32, I thought of tweaking the idea slightly and making the list about 10 memorable “Brooke Moments.”



In preparing this, I have realized that I could come up with a completely different list tomorrow because there are so many memories to choose from…but I guess I have to save something for next year. Without further ado, enjoy:

10. Driving Cross-Country. While driving to Washington, D.C. for the Summer and then home from Maine, Brooke managed to sleep for virtually the entire time in the car. The highlight came just after visiting Harkness State Park in Connecticut. Brooke informed me she needed a restroom “in a bad way.” We stumbled upon a laundromat; she ran inside. She immediately ran back outside and said the one-toilet bathroom didn’t have a lock, and I was needed to stand guard. I complied. A few minutes later, the door flew open, and she quietly but frantically told me, “We need to get out of here.” We jumped into our Honda Civic and peeled out of there like we robbed the place.

9. Luke’s Birth. Brooke managed to go into labor the one night of the entire pregnancy that I was out of town. She called me at 4:30 a.m. while I was asleep at Bear Lake to tell me that her water broke and that I needed to get to LDS Hospital a.s.a.p. I drove back and made it to the hospital with time to spare, but I will never forget seeing Luke for the first time, and how much fun it was to be a dad. I learned how tough pregnancy/delivery was for moms and was impressed by Brooke’s toughness (which she repeated three more times). We stupidly had Luke sleep in the room with us the first night and got no sleep.



8. Concerts. My best memory of law school was flying down to Phoenix with Brooke to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. We continued the tradition by attending concerts of Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, and Taylor Swift. But the funniest concert experience occurred when we had to leave the B-52s concert prematurely because Brooke could not take any more of the large woman next to her (a) taking up half her seat b) blowing cigarette smoke in her face and c) pulling out crotch wedgies every two minutes.

7. Sun Valley = Armageddon. Before we got married, I joined Brooke’s family at the Utah State Bar Retreat at Sun Valley, Idaho. One night, the family went and saw “Armageddon,” that asteroid movie with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Not a bad movie. As we were leaving the theater, everyone noticed that Ashley (Brooke’s little sister) was crying as if we just watched “Terms of Endearment.” Rex (Brooke’s older brother) later teased Ashley about it while we were standing in line at Baskins & Robbins…and out of nowhere Brooke came in “from the top” rope and landed two or three hard punches on Rex before anyone knew what happened.



6. First Kiss. It was either our second or third date, and we ended up at the Madsen’s to watch “White Squall.” I don’t remember much from the movie other than the fact that we were on the floor in front of the television. When it ended, we fortuitously found ourselves alone and made out like I just got out of prison. Fortunately, we made it to the temple. Bishop B., Bishop S., and Bishop P., if you are reading this, thanks for working with us…

5. Wedding Crashing. While we were dating and newlyweds, we often found ourselves at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for wedding receptions. When the reception we attended didn’t have good food, we starting roaming the building in search of a good spread. Brooke was much more adventurous than I was. I remember walking into a reception as it was winding down and being stuck with the bride or groom’s parents, trying to explain why we were there. Good times.

4. Sammie’s Birth. Since I wasn’t in town when Brooke went into labor with Luke, this was my first experience in driving her to the hospital. It was early, and neither of us had slept much. I drove from our house in Draper to LDS Hospital and inexplicably did not drop Brooke off at the hospital entrance. I pulled into the parking garage and found a great spot by the stairs on the second level. We then walked across the street, and Sammie was born about 90 minutes later. Brooke didn’t complain at the time (she claims because she couldn't talk), but I have been persecuted for my “poor” decision-making.

3. Cut the Cake. At the conclusion of our wedding reception, an over-achieving, under-medicated employee of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building did not understand her role in the cake cutting ceremony. As Brooke and I stepped in to cut the cake, this woman jumped in front of us, cut the cake before we could get to it and handed us a piece. We ignored her, cut the cake and fed it to each other. Brooke (and her mom) had given me strict instructions not to make a mess or smear it on her face, etc.

2. Bike Trail in Bellevue. After I took the bar exam, Brooke and I travelled up to Sun Valley, Idaho for a short trip. We rode our bikes south on the paved trail, intending to stop in Hailey for lunch. We accidentally passed Hailey and ended up in Bellevue (3 miles further) at the end of the trail. I rode up the gas station to figure out where we were. By the time I got back to Brooke, I found her in tears, crying from the fatigue and disappointment. Despite her tough exterior, Brooke can breakdown when tired or injured or both.

1. Kauai. We traveled to Kauai a few years ago to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. It was an action-packed, entertaining trip. A terrible time share presentation. Good food. Great scenery. Exhilarating rope swing. Tragedy on the Napali coast. A collision in the McDonald’s drive thru. From start to finish, an exciting journey…much like my time with Brooke.