The Cheeseburger Song

We got netflix a while ago and we've been trying to interest Silas is shows other than "Spongebob" because frankly I can't stand that show! So I looked up kids movies and saw a veggietales show today. Silas is watching it right now and it reminded me of Laura singing "The Cheeseburger Song" in her Scottish voice. :) No one could belt it like Laura. And she could always remember all the words to the veggietales songs, too! Just a funny memory that I thought of today.

Giggling Girls

Last weekend we had Audi, Zephyr and Hanna stay with us while Ben and Em were out of town. Watching Hanna and Audi play together and stay up late giggling reminded me of when Laura and I were younger and we would sneak into each other rooms/beds and stay up late paughing about whatever silly thing little girls laugh about. Dad would get frustrated because we weren't as quiet or sneaky as we liked to think we were and we'd keep him up when he had to go to work in the morning. He'd stomp down the hallway and open the door and say, "If you girls can't be quiet and go to sleep I'm going to make you sleep in different rooms!"

Of course we didn't want to get in trouble so when we heard Dad moving around one of us would say, "Quick! Pretend you're asleep!" And hurriedly "fall asleep," adding in a soft snore to ensure fooling Dad.

Or, because I was never any good at stifling a laugh, Laura would whisper, "Laugh into the pillow!" and shove a pillow over my face. Later I always swore Laura was just trying to get rid of me with the pillow bit, but at the time it only made me laugh harder. :)

I also thought about how Laura and I would drag our mattresses into the living room and stay up late (well, she would stay up late, and get mad because I always fell asleep halfway through the first movie) watching movies.

I miss those nights, but I'm so greatful for all of those great memories! I Love you, Laura!

Music

I'm not an accomplished singer, by any means. I do miss singing Ben Fold's "The Luckiest" while having Laura accompanying me. And I miss listening Mom sing a song about the temple (I don't recall the title) while having Laura accompany her. Laura, you were an accomplished pianist. I could never get an accurate read on just how much natural talent you had (a great deal, I suspect) because what I did observe was how hard you worked and how diligent you were about practicing. It was always a little magical when you would start learning a new piece of music for me to listen to the transformation as you mastered the intricacies of something that at the beginning was just a little beyond your current skill level. It never took very long, of course, before your skills expanded. I remember how nervous you would get at piano recitals, even though you always played spectacularly and rarely made any miscues. I never could figure out a way to get you to relax, not worry about any wrong notes, and enjoy performing. Being a perfectionist sucks so much joy out of life, even though it can produce great results. I'm sorry I don't have recordings of your music to listen to now. I really miss hearing you play. Thank goodness I have the memories of your playing with all your heart and soul. I'm sorry I could never prevail upon you to sing with me in church. But I'm glad for the times we sat next to one another in meetings and harmonized as we sang hymns. Music remains my favorite part of worship and I feel you close when I sing. But I miss hearing your part and how good you could make me sound. Thanks for the magic. Love, Dad

April Fools

Lindsey reminded me recently of a time that Laura surprised me on April 1 by putting clear plastic wrap over the toilet. When I woke up and went to the bathroom, I was met with a very unexpected surprise that woke me right up! Apparently Laura was waiting in the living room waiting to hear noises emerging from the bathroom. When I charged into the living room to catch the culprit, it was obvious who was to blame because Laura was doubled over with laughter to the point she couldn't breathe. Lindsey tells me I pulled Laura by her feet into the bathroom and demanded that she do the cleaning up. Lindsey, my memory of this isn't as clear as yours. So I'm counting on you to weigh in with additional details or to correct any mistakes. Laura was not the only April Fools culprit. Every single year Lindsey would put a rubber band around the sprayer on the kitchen sink. When I went in for a glass of water during the night or in the morning, I would turn on the tap only to be shocked awake by an unwelcome shower. Lindsey's other little trick was to fill the sugar bowl with salt. As if breakfast cereal didn't already have enough sodium, Lindsey made sure we had an awful surprise to start the day.

February 11

Happy Birthday, Laura.

Remember how mad at me you would get when I repeatedly confused the date of your birthday (11th) with the date of my anniversary (12th)? I don't know why I couldn't keep your birthday straight, especially when my anniversary wasn't until July.

You would have been 25 years old today ... just getting started in life.

I wish I could celebrate this quarter-century milestone with you. Instead, I'll be having a piece of dark chocolate in your honor.

All my love,
Dad

I've been thinking about you a lot lately, Laur. I miss you. It's funny how sometimes I still have this urge to call you about something out of the blue. Or I can't remember which movie this one line was from and I want to get on facebook to ask you. I don't know if I'll ever get over that.

We went to the temple for you while Mom and Dad were here. Of course Dustin and I got lost and there was tons of drama and we ended up making everyone have to stay for a later session. When everyone was trying so hard to make sure everyone else was calm I imagined you rolling your eyes and yelling, "Shut it, all of ye!" You always knew how to handle the Oviatt family functions. :)

I love you.