LIFE IS GREAT!

Eric Liebhardt:

Born at approximately 2:00 pm
weighing 9 lbs 2 oz (or something like that. Mom doesn't remember)
and 19 1/2 inches tall.

My birthday wish for this year: everyone should own one funny hat.
My birthday wish for last year: I don't remember, but I'm sure it had something to do with a certain girl.
My birthday wish for next year: I don't know. But I'm sure it will have something to do with open hearts and willing minds.

Cake this year: No cake. We had apple pie made from the apples from our backyard.
Cake last year: I don't remember. Probably a Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker mix.
Best birthday cake: DQ ice cream cake is the bomb-dot-net! Or fudge brownies and cookies 'n' cream ice cream. Mmmmm.

[Almost] every year, Mom asks what I would like to eat for my birthday dinner. This years menu included the following: Dutch oven potates [with bacon and cheese!], dutch oven BBQ pork (pork shoulder roasts should always be cooked in a crock pot. They're waaay more tender that way.), dutch oven elk [apricot, honey, pineapple- dad's recipe] (I was skeptical at first, but it was delicious!), rolls, strawberry jell-o salad (the best thing ever), green salad, a variety of soft drinks and punches, and apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Mom and Pa outdid themselves this year.

Presents acquired this year: My presents was the presence of those I love! I had lots of family from all over the country come, albeit they were in Salt Lake for a scrapbooking expo, but they still made the four hour drive to Cedar! Gramma from Georgia, Aunt Donna from Georgia, Aunt Laura from Texas, Katie, Casey, and Hayden from NV, Tandy, Lexi, Braeden, and Ella from CA, Uncle Robert, Aunt Janet, and Sarah from UT, Gail, Seth, Caroline, and Jonathan from UT, plus my local family: Nick, Mom, Dad, and Gramma L. And I had my non-family family: Isie and Venice , and Katie. I would have invited about twelve hundred more people (we had enough food, too), but I didn't have a way to contact several because I lost my contact list when I lost my phone...
And I got a surprise phone call from my brother, Damian, who is serving overseas! We had a nice fourteen minute, eleven second conversation. He just called to wish me a happy birthday! My family is great!
But. I did get a few great things: a box of LIFE, a new scripture case (mine was falling apart), and some money (which is very helpful for the mish), and Isie is in the process of making a quilt for me to take on my mission (yeah, they told me to bring a blanket. Weird)! And Nick made a funny card with lots of insults on it. Oh, and Mom purchased 92% of my necessary mission clothes. Thanks Momma! I love you!


Only ten days til the mission! On Thursday, mom and I were talking about how, often times, Elders will come home from their missions looking different/fat. Mom said, "What if we don't recognize you when you come home?" My response: "Mom, I'll be wearing a name tag." Duh. She worries too much.

I also got to attend a session at the Salt Lake Temple with Mom and Gramma A. on Friday morning. It was so great! I'm glad I got to go before the mish.

So. Pictures of the celebratory day of birth? Yes? Ok!

All of my nieces and nephews! This is the last time that we will all be together for at least two years! Hayden (on Katie's lap with Katie hiding behind him), Caroline holding Jonathan, Braeden, and Lexi holding Ella.
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(Not a birthday picture, but still cool.) When Tandy and the kids came to town, Tandy really wanted to go eat someplace that she couldn't eat at in SoCal. So the Grammas, me, Braeden, Gramma L, Lexi, Tandy, Ella, Nick went to the Pizza Factory. I had a Calzone. Twas delish.

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Katie, Venice, me, Isabel (Isie). We are so good looking.

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We're still good looking.

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We then played Harry Potter and were going to make a short movie, but we ran out of time because we were going to go to the CES Broadcast fireside. I will definitely post the pictures/video of us being wizards and looking into the pensieve later, but this post is already waaay to long, so I think I'll stop now. It was a great birthday!