For those faithful readers out there, you know that I have not been a very active participant in this blog.... Honestly, I just don't think anyone will want to read what I have to write. I'm sure someone will find this post at least mildly entertaining and will disagree with that last statement, but it doesn't matter because I won't believe it. Seriously, I won't believe it, so save your breathe... or your typing energy, in this case.
You see, I know that I think about things--weird things--that normal people just don't think about. Things like hinges. Yes, hinges. You see, the three hinges on American doors are evenly spaced, but maybe you didn't notice? Well, here in Korea, there are two hinges located near the top of the door and one near the bottom. Which of these two hinge-hanging methods is better? On the one hand, it seems as though the evenly spaced hinges provide more stability, but on the other hand, a door with only a top hinge is more stable than a door with just a bottom hinge, so shouldn't there be more support up higher? I know people don't want to read these things because they are just ludicrous.... Honestly, how many other people do you know that are so concerned with the stress placed on hinges?
But today I'm not here to tell you about my random thoughts, or why I shouldn't blog, or even hinges, despite the fact that I could write a dissertation on each of those subject. No, today I am here to tell you about a couple of the many wonderful women in my life, but most importantly my amazing wife Liz--so please just ignore that first crazy part.
First, my own Momma. My Momma was blessed with five children--four girls and me. (As her only son, I'm her favorite by default.) My Momma has always been a terrific listener. She will sit and listen to me ramble about all the wonderful and horrible things happening in my life, and she has given me encouragement through it all. My Momma always took such good care of me when I was sick. She packed my often meager school lunches with care and tucked me in at night until I was probably far too old for it. She has been the model of patience and virtue; a stalwart Christian woman who wants nothing more than to have a loving family. I love you, Momma; happy Mother's Day to you!
In addition to my own Momma, I've had other mothers just about everywhere I've lived. When I left home to join the military, my first assignment was located in Monterey, California. Charlie and her husband were leaders at the local single's ward (an LDS church congregation) when I arrived there, and they opened their home to the many single adult "children" who attended there. Charlie is a very strong woman who has overcome a lot of adversity in her lifetime; she passed on much of her wisdom to me and all of her other children. She was there during a time of great difficulty for me and we shared many happy and sad moments together. Perhaps the greatest thing she did for me was establish a home where I felt I belonged during a time I thought I couldn't fit in anywhere. Happy Mother's Day, Charlie!
There have been many other women who have been a significant blessing in my life, but I'll just name one. Alicia and I met at school when we were in Monterey. We were in the same class and got to see each other every day. We didn't talk at first. I think she thought I was a weirdo (see introduction for supporting evidence). Sometimes we still wonder why we are friends since we really have nothing in common, but I think it boils down to the fact that we find each other so amusing. When we talk we are constantly laughing! Alicia and I have been through a lot together and she has always been a true friend to me. When we were in school, she really pushed me to do more with my life. Thanks to her persistence, I fulfilled all the requirements for and received an associates degree in Korean, making me the first Malone in my family to earn a college degree. Alicia and I are still great friends, and I can never thank her enough for being such a support to me. Thank you, Alicia! 사랑해!
Ah, now to the bestest, most awesome woman of all time, my adoring wife Liz! But first, some back story.
I was having a conversation with a friend at work the other day in which I described myself five years ago. He quite pointedly stated that the person I was describing didn't sound anything like me, and I couldn't have been happier to hear it! You see, five years ago at around this time of year, I finally decided that I would ask Liz on a date. I really had nothing going for me at that time--significant debt, no education to speak of, no plans for life, no confidence worth mentioning.... But Liz is such an awesome gal that I just couldn't let her slip away without trying. I asked her out on a date, we had a wonderful time, and the rest is history. Flash forward five years to the present day and I am now debt free; I will be completing a Bachelors in a few weeks; I'm off to BYU for an MBA starting in August; and I've never had more plans, ideas, and confidence, and I owe it all to Liz. Some might say that I'm giving her too much credit, after all, she didn't earn the degree for me or pay off my debt. To those I simply say, if you knew me five years ago, you'd think otherwise. I am a firm believer that behind every good man is a great woman and that while people can do great things by themselves, they can do truly amazing things with the encouragement of loved ones, particularly from a loving and supportive spouse.
Liz has been taking care of everything around the house allowing me the time to focus on my education. She's been steadfast in preparing meals for me to take to work for those ridiculously long hours away from home. She's been there through every semester and before every test wishing me luck and reassuring me that I can do anything I set my mind to. She's kept me calm and encouraged me every step of the way the last five years. I can never, ever thank her enough for her love.
And now, Liz is also the mother of our daughter. With my retarded schedule, Liz has largely held the burden of taking care of so many things including caring for Zara. Cute and entertaining as she often is, Zara can be quite frustrating to deal with especially when she won't sleep, but clearly needs to.... Liz is a wonderful mother who quite obviously wants the best for her children. The way that Liz interacts with Zara is quite beautiful to me, and I love my girls very much! So, thank you Liz, for being such a wonderful wife, and now a wonderful mother as well!!
And Happy Mother's Day, Honey! I'm so grateful you said yes the second time I asked you to marry me, and I'm so grateful you are the mother of our daughter! I look forward to the addition of any other children we get to have and for the many years ahead that we will get to spend together! I love you very much, Liz!! Now... as for your Mother's Day gift....
I've had trouble with gift-giving recently because anything Liz wants she can--and usually does--just go get whenever she wants it. It's become harder and harder to think of gifts to give her for that very reason. Plus, many of the staple gifts like books and CDs... well, as close as Liz and I are, I won't pretend to know what music and books she would like. I've only read a couple of the same books as her, so I can't even begin to suggest a book for her based on her tastes. And most of the bands she loves are groups I've never heard of before, and I don't know where she finds the music anyway since you never hear it on the radio. She has an Amazon wish list, but half the stuff on there isn't really things she wants, just things she put there to remind herself about.... The point is, finding gifts for her has become much more difficult for me lately; its a dilemma that I'm sure many spouses and significant others out there can appreciate.
So, Honey, my gift to you this Mother's day is intangible, because it's the only way I can give you something that you can't buy for yourself. My gift to you is to write at least one blog post a month for the next year--that's 12 blog posts. For the purposes of this gift, however, any additional blogs written in the same month will not count toward the total of 12, so I may write more than 12 during the whole year, but there will be a least one each month. Oh yeah, and this post doesn't count, but I will start this month. Who knows, I may end up enjoying this whole blogging thing, but I'll still need some more of our followers to start looking at their hinges in a different light before I'll be convinced that my writing is worth reading.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!
