Uncle Nathan

*My brother, Nathan, looking very handsome in the Rexburg, ID Walmart... 

can you tell it's a little busy the weekend before classes start?

This month my baby brother moved out of my parents house and started college. I am SO proud of him... and a little jealous of him. He is attending Brigham Young University in Rexburg, Idaho. The best college in the world. I was there from 2001 to 2004 and I loved it. Part of my heart belongs to Rexburg. That precious hick town helped me become who I am today. He's going to have the time of his life, I can already tell. He's going to develop genuine friendships with people from around the world. He's going to learn so much and have his testimony strengthened at the feet of men who are (or will be future) prophets and apostles. He's going to get 18 years worth of White Christmas' that he missed out on in California... in one semester.

For family night this week, we had a lesson about the importance of an education. We shared how happy we all are that Uncle Nathan (and daddy and Wendy) are working hard to learn good things that will help them the rest of their lives. There are a ton of scriptures about education, but Wendy was most fascinated by what we read in D&C 130:19... that the knowledge we gain in this life will even benefit us in the life to come, even after we die. Then we made uncle Nathan's favorite Sunday night dessert to send to him: homemade chocolate chip cookies! Wendy wanted to know if Nathan could take the cookies with him when he dies too :). She also suggested we just send him just the cookie dough because he always sneaks a ton of it when we make it on Sunday nights at my parent's house (I thought that was cute, just shows how much she knows her uncle... it could also be because she's his partner in crime and can never stop herself from eating all the cookie dough until it's been balled up and put in a hot oven.) We sent him the cookies (most of them) with a the picture above, and some letters.

In my brain, Nathan will always be the raspy voiced, tanned skin, sandy blonde, cutest ever 7 year old boy he was when I left home for Rexburg in 2001. This picture (above) was actually up in my room while I was away at school. I know it probably wasn't always fun having 3 big sisters who think they're your mom, but I loved getting to help raise him. I was 11 years old when Nathan was born so I was old enough to remember him at every stage of his life and it trips me out when my own kids are at those stages. It kinda slaps me in the face and makes me realize that my kids will be grown up before I know it. I love this kid, his love for the gospel, his passion for politics, our mutual appreciation for movies (and books and disneyland and dessert), his friendship with my parents and his desire to do good. I can only hope my kids follow his example some day.

*2005

Love you Nate the Great.