52 Lists: My Happiest Moments + Memories

1. Summer "Weeks" at Grandma Betty's house.  Fishing, picnicking, ditch-flower-digging, Party Plates and The Price is Right.
2. Honor Choirs.  Especially singing The Battle of Jericho and Elijah Rock (with Moses Hogan himself), and The Awakening! 
3. Band!  Especially playing Songs of Sailor + Sea and Hoedown.  Oh, and Coronation March, of course.  I miss band.
4. Mustering up the courage to sing a solo at Carnival my freshman year.  This was a turning point for me, I think.  Also, CARNIVAL.  Oh, how I loved it.
5. Junior prom!
6. My senior year homecoming parade, riding in the convertible, practicing our homecoming court "wave."  
7. My freshman year when my good friend and bandmate, Isaiah, and I found out we both had been chosen for the Sunday Night Praise + Worship team.  We had to reaudition each year, so every year I got the call and invite to continue on the team, I was ecstatic.  P+W in general was so much fun.
8. Prom Dress bowling.
9. The 2005 Passion conference.  Another huge turning point for me.
10. Christmas Programs at New Life!  April and I and the kids had worked so hard.  It was a BLAST performing for all the parents and grandpas and grandmas.  The kids were amazing.
11. The night Mark and I had just gotten engaged, my friend Alisha came over and we retold the entire (exciting) story to her.  She was so selfless in sharing in our joy. 
12. Trying on a million wedding dresses and finally finding THE ONE that had NO lace, no flowers, no silk and POCKETS.  That dress and I were made for each other.
13. The afternoon of our wedding day.  It was so fun knowing ALL of the planning was OVER, and all that was left was to hang out with our friends and family and have fun.  Pictures with Tara and Danielle were the best.  The best part was riding around in a golf cart with Mark in our wedding attire.
14. The moment Mark and I shut the car door to drive away from our wedding reception.  I may have slept all the way back to Sioux Falls.  I was so relieved to be done with the extravagance and so ready to settle into "regular" life with Mark.
15. The last night of our honeymoon, on the beach in Hawaii, eating the best edamame in the world.
16. Square dance night at Young Life's Castaway.
17. Mark and I's Young Life Florida trip over my 29th birthday.  Fireworks at Epcot and the Harry Potter world were highlights.
18. Seeing Will's dark hair as a newborn.  I prayed for a baby with good hair.
19. Will's first Halloween - This was the first time I was really able to escape all the fear of his health issues and celebrate and have fun with him.  
20. The nap Will and I took together after his dedication party.  I remember sleeping soundly, thinking I wasn't afraid anymore, and that I was so thankful to have such a healthy, happy little boy.
21. Having cupcakes for Charlotte's gender reveal.  I had been so sick and scared to be pregnant so soon again.  This was the first time I celebrated Charlotte, and it felt perfect.  I started looking forward to meeting her.
22. Discovering Charlotte's dimples.  I always wanted one of our kids to have dimples.
23. Will's Toy Story party for his second birthday.  
24. Being released from the hospital after Charlotte had recovered from meningitis. 
25. Charlotte's one year birthday party - we had much to celebrate.
26. Will and Charlie beginning to sing songs with me.  Will loves to sing The Solid Rock, and Charlotte sings a mean Happy Birthday...  
27. The day I was gifted my Mac computer.
28. Watching the new Star Wars movie.  The fabric rippling off the Falcon, especially.