Zac on Zac: Seventeen!

Zac is such a treasure!  We receive compliments on what a great kid he is all the time, and we agree!  Sure, there are things we get on his case about, too much time on his phone and keeping his grades up, but we wouldn't trade those simple annoyances for all the wonderful things that make him who he is.  He is a great conversationalist, and really intelligent and witty (and a little sarcastic!).  Adam and I love talking with him and hearing his mind.  It was great to see him really step up during our Parks trip this summer when Adam had to get home to work, he filled in that male support role, and I appreciated it greatly.  He is so helpful and never complains about being asked to lend a hand.  He is confident and comfortable with who he is, even if that means he's not hanging with the coolest kids at school.  However, people who are like him and are drawn to his light see this confidence and his kindness and like to be around him.  He loves being with his family (hooray for that!), and he is a fantastic big brother.  Zac sets such a great example for the younger Conlins!  He also loves being with his church friends.  Sometimes, when his school-friend group is getting together, he is OK to miss out, but he is always disappointed when he can't make a get together with the church-friend group.  He loves 80's and 90's rock, which Adam and I appreciate greatly, and, of course, he's a huge fan of Broadway musicals.  Zac is faithful and enjoys growing in his faith.  He sees it as an opportunity to improve who he is and send out love into the world.  He is accepting and caring, without embracing the vices that plague so many teens.  I wish I could really convey what a solidly good human he is with words on a page, but you really just have to know him to know how much goodness and light is inside him.  Which makes it extra funny that his favorite story genre is horror!  He is smart and a great problem solver.  He gets frustrated that his grades don't always reflect how hard he tries and how much he knows, but he is honestly doing really well in school.  He is an exceptional writer and has loved his Forensic Science and Rocky Mountain (outdoor sports) classes this year.  He gets his creative juices flowing through music (singing, guitar and alto sax) and has recently taken up sketching.  I can see him going in so many directions with his future.  He has a passion for technology and loves programming and coding, but he also loves people and I can see him being a great teacher, too.  "Good day to you, Professor Conlin!"  His plans?  First, he'd like to serve a mission (ideally somewhere French-speaking), and then go to college at his top pick school: BYU, but he is open to USU or UVU also.  He is going to be happy and find success with whatever he decides or unfolds for him.  I know this because he is an optimist to his core, and therefore he will find joy in it all.  You are adored and admired by your parents, Zac!  And forever will be.  

And now for Zac's Birthday Questionnaire:
How old are you?  "Seventeen years young."
What makes you happy?  "Food, soccer--especially when I play, being with my family, having time by myself to play my games without my mom bugging me about being on my phone."
What are your favorite things to eat?  "Mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, fudge-covered marshmallows."
What is your least favorite thing to eat?  "Brussels sprouts and tofu."
What are your favorite things to do?  "Playing soccer, do musics, be onstage, see movies, ice skating, mountain biking."
What is your favorite TV show?  "The 100."
What are you really good at?   "Soccer, acting, being a leader and a friend."
What is your favorite movie?  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
What is your favorite animal?  "Dogs."
What is your favorite color?  "Orange."
What is your favorite song?  "No one song, but many of the Broadway musical songs."
Who are your best friends?  "Nathan Barker, Justin Otis, Mickey Fitzpatrick."
What do you and Mom do together that you love?  "Play tennis, watch movies (even though I get bruises if we see a startler)."
What do you and Dad do together that you love?  "Play racquetball, play music together."
What is your favorite sport?  "Soccer."
What is your favorite book?  "Ember in the Ashes."
Where is your favorite place to go?  "The Conlin Cabin or the Simonds Lodge."
What makes you feel scared?  "Bad grades."
What do you want to be when you grow up?  "Software developer, technical writer."
What words would you use to describe yourself? "Leader, talented, handsome, funny, friendly."
What is the most exciting thing you got to do this year? "Baptize Tommy and go on our National Parks trip, and go ice skating--because I love it now."
What do you want to tell the future you? "Do what needs to be done first, then do what you want to do."

Celebrating the One Who Made Me Mama: Zac Turns 17

It is just one year from now that our Zac will be a full-fledged adult!  Seventeen has arrived, and with it, an extra nostalgic and clingy mom.  Ha!  I am sure I am getting annoying with my longing looks and stops by his room just to chat, "So, what's going on in Zac-world?," but he's got a year-plus of it to endure, so he might as well get used to it!

We celebrated our boy well on his special day (and the day after), right in the heart of finals week at school.  Among the studying and test-taking, we found time for some hard-earned and well-deserved fun for our amazing kid.  His birthday breakfast was at six-o'dark-thirty, so pardon the sleepy faces, but he received his most-wanted (and only) gift, an Apple Watch, and we took him to lunch at Panda Express after his finals were over.  The day after his birthday was the release of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, so what better way to celebrate our Star Wars fan than with tickets to the pre-release night showing (December 14th)?  We sat in the fancy reclining seats in Regal's RPX theater--every explosion shook our whole bodies!  It was a great movie and Zac loved it.  Side note: Luke and I missed the last 20 minutes of the movie, when he was taken out by a stomach bug just before it ended--but thankfully, we made it to the trash cans, and the theater gave us vouchers to see it again in its entirety.

Happy 17th, Zac!  We hope you know how loved you are!

You Only Turn 40 Once!

Turning 40 isn't so bad when life is so good!  Other than the annoying physical symptoms of an aging body, like creakier joints and fresh wrinkles all the time, I haven't been dreading this birthday a bit.  Family, friends, food--those are the delightful things my birthday season has been filled with, making it uplifting and celebratory of 40 great years.  The days leading up to my birthday gave me a chance to be especially surrounded by the things that matter the most and my guys took such good care of me on my big day.  I am deeply grateful for every one of the past 21,024,000 minutes that I've been granted in this life.  I know it is more time than many get, and they've been filled with so much light.  Life is far from perfect, but aren't the unexpected sweetnesses and the struggles that improve us what truly make it beautiful?  I wouldn't change one thing. 

Below are pictures of few more ways I was spoiled on my 40th: a chocolate mint torte at the PTO holiday luncheon and a few sweet cards, flowers and gifts (one particularly thoughtful one was from my friend, Cami, who, knowing I don't drink, gave me a card saying "Every woman deserves a little bubbly on her 40th" and a bottle of sparkling cider); a surprise dinner to the Melting Pot with some of my best girls (arranged and pulled off brilliantly by Kelli, including Angie, Ashley, Diane and Alexia); and showers of love by my men--the 6 very best parts of my soul who all jumped in serve me extra well and to make me my favorite foods; plus cards, calls, posts and texts from so many of the good and loved people in my life.

Celebrating 40 in Denver

I knew something was going on when we were having our weekly Sunday night family calendar discussion and the "Camping Trip" details for the upcoming weekend were vague and, oddly, included me.  If it were summer, I wouldn't have thought twice, but camping in the winter is more of an adventure for the Conlin men than me.  But I thought it was probably dinner and a movie to celebrate my birthday.... 

On Friday morning, Adam said, "When you get home from your work Christmas party, you need to be packed for an overnight and dressed up!"  That's when I knew it was something better than dinner and a movie!  And it sure was! 

Adam took me to Denver, leaving Zac in charge of the whole crew for the first time, for a grown-up night on the town.  We stayed in the lovely classical-modern Hotel Teatro, just around the corner from the Buell Theater, ate dinner at the 5-Star Rioja restaurant and then saw Chicago the musical at the Buell.  As an added perk, it was the first night of the Festival of Lights, so the whole city was lit up and sparkly.  After the show we walked around downtown to take it all in, and made a stop at the Christkindl Market.  In the morning, with no parental responsibilities, we lazily slept in before having brunch at The Nickel on the main level of our hotel.  We decided to take a daylight walk around the charming Christmassy city before heading home.  It was perfect!  And Zac did a great job holding down the fort.

What a lucky lady I am to have such a thoughtful hubby!  Life with him makes turning 40 a breeze!