Surprised by Laura

Laura

Laura's birthday is September 1st.  She is married to Derek's third brother Brandon (the 4th child in the family).  Laura is a rather amazing person who I am somehow always managing to be surprised by.  She is smart and capable, and so I find myself being shocked to discover that giving lessons makes her really nervous.  This same Laura is perfectly willing to get up at a family reunion and sing karaoke while doing the air guitar.  I guess we all get nervous for different things.

Laura is very musical and I knew from the time I met her that she could play the cello.  She and Brandon have done a fun number for the family reunion before and she plays in a quartet in the town where they live.  At some point I discovered (to my surprise) that she is also a talented pianist, having played pieces that were much harder than I would dream of playing.  Then, at the reunion, she borrowed Devin's violin and played along with Brandon and Brynn (one of her daughters).  The funny thing is that she probably doesn't really feel remarkable for any of that -- but I think she is very gifted.

Laura has a very artistic eye, and a skill for writing about things in a way that makes them sound very appealing.  She has a blog, and I very much enjoy her photos and writing.  She also has music on her blog.  I like that because I am always discovering new songs that I like (that I then buy), or I discover that she is playing a song that I have just bought because I like it.  We apparently have similar tastes in music.

Laura and Brandon have four children.  They have three beautiful girls and one busy boy.  She works hard at being a good Mom and I think she is a fun Mom too.  Laura loves water, and loves staying on the beach and so they brave camping so that they can stay by the ocean.  She loves reading and shares good books with her children by reading to them.  She loves music, and she helps make sure they practice, and occasionally does musical numbers with them.  She loves the gospel and so she does things like help her family memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  She shared a book of poetry with me and I was impressed that she had some of the poems memorized!  I think it is great that she is good at sharing the things she loves.

Another way that Laura sometimes surprises me is that occasionally I see a look in her eye that is almost mischievous, but is maybe more just her good humor showing through.  I think she is good at seeing the humor in every day things, and is also good at sharing fun stories. 

Laura is a wonderful person.  I am not sure why it is that I am always being surprised by her.  Perhaps it is because I do not get to spend enough time with her.  I'm surprised to find that a person I already think of as talented, has more talents that I didn't know about!  Laura is great.  I love her.  Happy Birthday Laura!