Today is Michele's Birthday!

Today is my sister, Michele's birthday. I've been waiting for months for this day so that I could brag about her.

A non-exhaustive list of the things I love about Michele McCann Anderson...

• Michele is a fun, dedicated and loyal friend. Relationships with other people have always been the most important thing to her. She is sensitive to the feelings of others and always goes the extra mile to help people feel loved and included. Years ago, while I was still at BYU, I met a guy from San Jose that I had never met before. He had grown up in Michele's ward and as soon as he found at who I was, he told me about how much Michele had reached out to youth in the ward who were having a hard time. He could think of many instances where she had made a big difference for people who were struggling. Talk about big shoes to fill.
  
• Michele is SO FUNNY! Whenever she calls, I always know that I will be laughing in no time. She always can find humor even in the most dire of circumstances which is why she is the perfect person to talk to when you really need a good laugh. My Mom always says that when Michele comes to visit, she has a way of lifting the spirits of everyone around her. I would have to concur. Sometimes she is funny without even realizing it. My favorite Michele quote is something she said before we ended a recent phone conversation: "Oh, Lauren, I have to go! I have to clean the house before the cleaning lady gets here". Priceless.
  
• Michele is extremely generous. I could probably embarrass her with stories of the many generous things she has done for myself and others (and so I will). One example of her generosity involved the aforementioned cleaning lady. Originally, the cleaning lady was only hired to help Michele out for a year after she had her 3rd child. That 3rd child is now almost 8 years old. The cleaning lady is from Guatemala and works to send money home to her family. Michele can't bear the thought of canceling her service. To extenuate matters, she has given the cleaning lady so many piles of old clothes, etc., to send home to her family that the cleaning lady has told her that they have enough and they don't need anymore! :) She has a big heart.

Michele is easy to talk to, very outgoing, sensitive to the Spirit, a wonderful Mom, stands up for what she believes in, focuses on the positive, fashion-forward (seriously...waaaaay more hip than I could ever be), and doesn't hesitate to use her MANY talents to bless the lives of others. I'm so lucky to have her as a sister. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELL!