if there's anything I miss when college football season rolls around, it's waking up early in the morning to watch College Gameday on ESPN with Mark and Mark leading us all in a heartfelt 8-clap and him "having a plan" for every situation when the Bruins find themselves losing.
if there's anything i miss about not living by mark now that I have a baby of my own, it's having someone to tell my 9 month old to get a baby job.
if there's anything i miss when it comes time for a long weekend, it's stallion road trips.
if there's anything i miss on weekends, it's going on double dates with mark (complete with stallion brownies afterwards) because no one knows how to come up with better, off the wall, more hilarious things to do on a weekend than Marky. Or on Valentines Day...or at a Stake Dance...I could go on and on but those were some good times Marky.
If there's anything I miss from being on our missions, it's the hilarious antics/ tales of Mark from Montana. I tell you what. I may have lived south of the Equator but Mark was the one in a foreign country. And even with his kook show companions, he made it all seem so funny. He was so much fun to be serving a mission with, even if we were a million miles apart.
If there's anything I miss from Mark during the really hard times of life, it's how he was always so patient, kind, funny and always there. From driving to and from Utah in 24 hours with to being my closest friend right after i graduated college. Mark alone would put up with me when i was taking ap tests or trying out for cheerleading each year or when i was stressed out of my mind the night before my wedding. and then he went and married one of my favorite people in the world so I could be related to her forever. Now THAT is love. :)
Mark is the most pure hearted kid I've ever known. He has the best, most contagious laugh. He is an example in everything he does, but he never gives it a thought. He's an example just because he is Mark...his very way of existing is something to aspire to be. There is no one with more honorable intentions than this kid. We love you Marky and hope you have the best birthday ever. Come on, folks. What else do we love about Marky?
7 comments:
Happy BiIrthday Mark! I miss living around him too...there aren't many people in this world who are as selfless and genuine as Mark. His heart is made of pure gold and is probably three times the size of anyone else I know. I remember a time in our lives when things weren't going to well...it was shortly after 9/11 and rick was having trouble getting a job and Dad had just received an unfortunate letter from the IRS and didn't have a job either. It was not good times for us. Mark was around to suggest some very inappropriate but hillarious solutions to the problem. It makes me happy every time I see Aurora becuse she reminds me so much of a young Markie. She has those same mischievous eyes and adorable face. So, happy birthday little bro. Stay 29 forever!
Mark~
Thanks for sharing your birthday cake(s)with us yesterday. I love you so much. You're the best "big" brother. Thanks for always looking out for me and offering to "take care of" all the losers that I've come across in my life. We still need to go TPing you know.
I'll never forget when Mackenzie was a baby and Mark would tell her "Mama knows child, mama knows" everytime she'd cry. And who can forget that it was Mark who sent me my first Father's Day card while he was on his mission. So awesome! I just love that Mark will defend his family to the end--blood is definitely thicker than water.
And who can forget Marks close resemblance to Uncle Eddie?? I mean... it's uncanny!
We love you Mark!
Where do I start?
Okay, how about when Mark and I shared a room together. I was in high school - you know the age when you get up for seminary. Mark was somewhere between 6 and 9 I think. I got a brand new digital alarm clock. Mark was fascinated by it, especially at 2 in the morning, when I woke up to hear "Dale, it is 2-2-3." Then, "Dale, it is 2-4-5." He was so proud that he could recognize the numbers. So was I. Wait ...
Moving forward two decades - Let me just say b-ball last Christmas, CC stake center. Mark, nice tackle! How you doin?
OK, now back one decade - Three words for you: Apollo 13 Marathon!
Now back one more decade - Oscar Meyer commercial. Classic! How about Madonna of the Wasps video. Seriously, who came up with that anyway? I think that producer has been sacked.
And for all you ladies out there ... Mark has got some serious pickup lines. They are irresistible, just ask Carrie. :)
Mark is as generous as the summer day is long.
And Mark will get your money. Don't ask how he's gonna get it, but he's gonna get your money. (Don't ask what that baseball bat he's holding is for. You are better off not knowing.)
HBD Mark!
Mark...it's not hard at all for me to know where to begin. How about my childhood when you incesently nagged me to "hug hug hug hug hug" and repeatedly asked me if I wanted any gum. I hold you responsible to my current obsession with both hugging and gum. Oh, and we can't forget the banana boxers with the rip in the bum. No, sadly we can't...no matter how hard we try.
And onto post mission Mark, who became my hero when I realized he had the kindest heart of all humans I had come in contact with. And I genuinely mean that. Just ask Aaron, I've told him on multiple occassions that his character is as flawless as it gets, second only to you. If I can find myself a husband as genuine and thoughtful as you, I'll be the happiest bride there is. Speaking of the dudes in my life... My favorite recent memory of Mark is from a few months back when I had just broken up with Aaron. I was on the phone with mom all upset about it and I guess he overheard the conversation. I got a call from him a few minutes after I got off the phone with mom and he spent the next half hour telling me how I'd find my prince charming because I had my pick of men. What a good big brother to tell me those lies :)
Oh Marky Larky had a dog named Barky, I love you!!!
Well, being Mark's younger brother has its advantages. I got to be on the receiving end of many a pass from Mark, including the Hail Mary best pass of my lifetime where he chucked the ball so hard that he yelled sorry when he let it go because he had thrown it so hard. I always knew that when Sam Bowie and Jerome Edwards and Vlade took the court against the pathetic teams of the NBA and still managed to lose, I would have someone there with me. The only reason I can bring this up without crying is because the Lakers are winning again. That was a traumatic time to be a Lakers fan. And then, there was the time that Mark ended up reffing one of my church softball games. Some guy started talking trash to me and Mark went over there and threatened to kick him out of the game if he didn't stop. (Who gets kicked out of a church softball game?) He doesn't even have to be playing to get involved in the extracurricular activities. And then there was the 1 million and 12 times that Mark and I played against Justin and Brett in any sport you can possibly imagine...of which we managed to be on the losing end 1 million and 11 times. But I will always remember the look on Mark's face when we won that 1 time. Mark had Justin and Brett right where he wanted him all 1 million and 12 times, but the score only came out in our favor 1 time...not quite sure how that happened, but whatever Russ...we finally had something to be proud of. Indeed it was a proud day for me and my family (except for Justin and Brett). So many good times. Even if him and his "It was my hand comments" sometimes got us into trouble, we always found a way to have some fun.
Sorry for the late post Mark, but happy birthday. I too have so many great memories growing up with Mark.
My absolute favorite memory without a doubt is the way Mark could egg someone on to no end. When the person (Dad) had finally reached the boiling point Mark somehow find a way to turn his back prior to physical contact so that he could acuse you of coming from behind. Of course there were the endless swats he would give Dad from the bottom of a dog-pile just to prove he still "had him right where he wanted him."
As nice as Mark is on a daily basis, he can and will flip the switch when it comes to sports. I can remember sitting at a UCLA game with him in the first quarter with the Bruins up by 7 and Mark chanting "Scoreboard" to all of our neighboring fans of the enemy. Maybe a little early for the scoreboard chant but Mark knows, Bruin fans have to celebrate anything and everything that is going well.
We also took it to the neighborhood kids many a times with some pickup games of nerf football.
What about the time when Mark and his buddies were heading the the beach at like 9pm for a bonfire. I recall Dad saying, "Mark, I don't think that is a good idea." Mark replied, "Sure it is Dad. It will be fine. See you later." And then he left. Classic!
OK, one post mission memory and then I'll wrap it up. Mark was looking for a little weekend fun and thought it would be a good idea to invite me to a singles dance with him. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to be his wing man for a night. The only problem was, I WAS MARRIED. Oh, and he asked me right in front of Katie. Good times.
So Happy Birthday Mark. You laugh was contagious when we were young, but you have kept us all laughing through the years. Love you buddy.
Sorry, one last memory and despite what I said in my previous post, this IS my favorite memory. You see we used to have paper routes as kids. One night, Tammy, Mark and I were t doing our monthly collections. I knocked on the door and a man answered.
Me: "Hi, I'm collecting for the Signal."
Customer: "I think I just paid you last week."
Me: "Oh, let me check my book, What is your last name?"
Customer: "Donkey"
MARK: (while looking at us with wide eyes)"DONKEY!....DONKEY!....A HA HA HA HA...DONKEY!...A HA HA HA.
To this day I have no idea if the man really had paid us, but I turned around and never again attempted to collect from that house.
Classic Marky moment.
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