B+C+B+C+B+C: Happy birthday Brian McKell

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Happy birthday Brian McKell

A tribute to Brianna's Dad, born 26 years ago today
Reasons I love Brian McKell:

-He is so NOT superficial. He doesnt care if our groceries are name-brand or generic. He doesnt mind when I dont feel like putting on makeup that day. He doesnt walk around like a billboard for a namebrand clothing company. I love that.
- He knows when to stand up to me and when to shut his mouth. He has gained my respect because of that.
- He is really, really ridiculously good-looking.
- He is absolutely hilarious without even slightly realizing it. I wish I had an audio recorder with me all the time - he really says the most quirky things. Like yesterday, I asked him "how much TV should we let Brianna watch when shes older?" He responded "not much, and definitely not in her room. There is a lady who works at the airport who says she got pregnant at age 16 because her parents let her have a TV in her room." Then he left; end of conversation.
-Brian McKell is an amazingly hard worker. He puts in 11-14 hours every weekday at Enterprise. Thats 11-14 hours of fast-paced customer service, marketing, car maintenance, car washing, computer work, finance management... and I have honestly never heard a word of complaint from him.
-Extreme loyalty. You will never convince him that SUU is not the best school in the world, Blackforest is not the best deli meat brand, Philippines is not the greatest mission ever, and that voting Republican is necessary for celestial exaltation.
-He may not work out every day (or every week...or month...) but when he is challenged with a serious physical exertion, he rises to the occasion. Eg: last summer he ran a half marathon with me - NO training, and managed a 1:55!
-Brian is SO go-with-the-flow. I could say "B, we are going to go spend thousands of dollars at Home Depot and completely remodel our house. Lets leave in 10 minutes." And he would say "ok - can we go to taco bell on the way?"
- This may be cliche... but honestly: he makes me want to be a better person.
-He is really, really ridiculously good-looking. Did I say that already?

6 comments:

Megan Smith said...: I have to agree about Brian's quirk. His quotes in the family quote calendar were the best! I'm looking forward to more of them. Happy birthday Brian!; May 29, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Ashley said...: Hey, I love the post about Brian, he is such a great guy, and a great brother. He is someone who I miss the most living here, he and I have always been close. I love his jokes and his humor. I have been so proud about how hard he is working at Enterprise. It is great. I also like the part about loyalty. He is committed to the people and the places that he has been and that is great. I do agree with him that I think SUU is the best school. I loved my experience there. I hope that he had a fun birthday!!! I feel bad that I haven't been sending cards like I used to, I will try to get motivated again.

Happy Birthday Bri Guy!!!; May 31, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Debbie said...: momofeightmomof8Taco Bell? Oh no - well, too late - but, next time Brian, I promise. Mom Smith; May 31, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Debbie said...: Taco Bell? Oh no - I sent Subway! Next time Brian - we got you covered for those unexpected trips for major remodeling! Mom Smith; May 31, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Debbie said...: Okay - here's the problem. Me! But I am working on avoiding multiple comments!; May 31, 2008 at 10:20 PM
chelsea mckell said...: And another thing I love about Brian... he is very understand about my mothers oddities.; June 1, 2008 at 9:59 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Happy birthday Brian McKell

6 comments:

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