Jared is 18 years old!!!

Okay, so, life is really getting in my way!!! Jared's birthday was a week and a half ago and I still haven't written. Since I just started this blog and I'm still trying to introduce everybody I thought birthdays were a great time to focus on each person. It just didn't happen this time so... here I go......

Jared's birthday was great for him. He has been wanting a "Zune" (MP3 player) for quite a while since his "Creative" broke early this year. The "poor" guy has had to deal with a broken screen. (Can you tell I don't have much sympathy?) This zune is 80 GB and he is so glad he got it. This gift was a bit weird to give because it is an expensive item. We don't spend that much on gifts so we told him we would pay $100 and he could pay the rest of the $185. That meant we were off the hook for other gifts. He found a brand-new-in-the-box one on KSL.com and picked it up in Woods Cross that afternoon. As soon as he hit the door he was hooking it to the computer downloading all his music. So, he got his birthday gift but we didn't even have the chance to wrap it!!! I guess it doesn't matter because he was happy!!!! The kids gave him a 3 foot long gummy snake and a big container of protein powder. (Don't ask, he wanted it!!!)

Eric actually got up early that morning and made pancakes but didn't wake the rest of the family since we would have been up eating breakfast at 6:30 am. (We DON'T get up that early!!!) Eric and Jared had a birthday breakfast and the rest of us ate when we woke. We have a tradition to make a special dinner of the birthday person's choice. Of course, true to Jared's expensive pleasures he asked for prime rib! NOT! He settled for steak, baked potatoes, veggies, etc. As I was purchasing the steak I checked out the price of prime rib. A roast to feed our family would have cost $60. Wow! (I'm not used to buying beef since we usually have 1/2 beef in our freezer but we are running way low right now.) We ended the day with a yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. They make the BEST fudge nut cakes!!!

I can't believe Jared is 18 years old. I remember when I was 17 and a senior in high school. It was just yesterday. My parents were "old" then . I remember going to my mom's surprise 40th birthday party and thinking she was "old". Now I'm there and UGH I don't feel old!!!! I refuse to get old!!!

So...a little about Jared... He is a senior at Layton High. He is in his 3rd year of participation in the show choir. Choir at Layton High is where it's at. They sing and dance and have a great time. The instructor is a bit crazy but they mostly have a great time in spite of him.

He is also on the LITE (Lancer Improvisational Teenage Educators) team this year. They are a group who put together skits for different issues (drugs, bullying, friendship, etc.) kids face. They go around to local schools (elementary and junior highs) performing these skits to help kids to deal with issues the school feels need to be addressed. It's a peer-tutoring program. He is enjoying being associated with this team of kids.

His classes this year are pretty easy. His hardest ones are Creative Writing and CE English. CE stands for Concurrent Enrollment, which means it is a college class through Weber State University, that he is getting college credit for. His other classes are choir, LITE team, Social dance (ballroom), Gold's Gym (PE at Gold's Gym), Seminary and Auto tech (learning how to work on cars). Looks like a cake walk to me.

Jared is still working at Lagoon (Frightmares) on weekends until the end of October. He really needs to get another job to pay his bills. He's currently working with a neighbor kid with a new sales thing. We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, he is a typical teenager....always on the phone or computer or out being social with his friends (most of them are girls!) He says he is single right now and that he is preparing for his mission but he seems to have at least one girl he really likes. Fortunately for us, she lives in Brigham City. He doesn't have wheels so he doesn't see her much.

We are proud of Jared and his accomplishments. He has goals and aspirations and seems to be headed in the right direction. He has always been determined to get what he wants. It hasn't always been fun being his parents over the years but this determination will take him far as he goes on his mission and works towards his career. He has a great testimony of the gospel. He really "gets" it. We hope he will continue to make good choices. It will be great to see the consequences of those good choices.