Homesick

About this time last year we were having the Spring Break of a lifetime! My family went to Disney World in Florida. It was amazing! Anders was only about 5 months old and we still had the best time! Yes, Christian and I were soaking up the rays in our short-sleeved shirts and our pasty white arms. Yet, we were so protective of Anders that we kept him covered from head to toe. Don't worry, we loosened up a little bit later on in the week and took off his socks and long-sleeved undershirt. Anders thought he'd died and gone to heaven having bare arms! I guess it's somewhat of a tradition in my family to go to Disney World right before one of my brothers goes on a mission. We did the same thing right before my older brother went on his mission to Omaha, Nebraska.

While I do miss that fantastic Spring Break, that's not what I'm homesick for. Every now and again I miss my little brother, Kenny who is serving the Lord on his mission in New York.

Today is one of those days. Here's a list of the things I miss most about Kenny:

• His big, cheesy grin that is constantly on his face
• The way he eats chicken strips with his hands wrapped all the way around it and he tears into it as if it were beef jerky
• His appreciation for Christian's sense of humor. He seemed to be the first one to get it.
• His obsession for anything Nascar (I found this picture in his picture folder labeled "Shake and Bake."
• His Simpson's drawings in church (he could turn anyone into a Simpson's character)
• His impersonations of grumpy relatives (if you don't know who I'm talking about, maybe it's better that way)
• The way he'd make people think he could play the piano because he'd sit down and play "Sailing Away" beautifully.
• Torturing my mom by describing exactly what he did in the bathroom
• Even the NASTY smell of sweat and rubber in his car from his Hockey pads!
• His adorable relationship with Ryder.

I'm so proud of my little brother for serving a mission just as he'd always planned. I can't wait for him to come home and be so excited to tell us in detail exactly why he's so amazing (he loves to do that) as humbly as he possibly can. I can't wait to hear him speak Spanish. It makes me miss him so much when I think about how Anders is missing out on enjoying the close relationship he could have with his uncle. We're so proud of you Kenny!