Question 4

What memories do you have of your mother (her name, birth date, birthplace, parents, and so on)?

Dylan:

Heather: I started this blog post a long time ago and had a surprisingly hard time with it. My mom is so incredible and I couldn't come up with the words to do her justice. She has been such a wonderful example to me of a mother, sister, wife, and daughter of God. Diane Marie Paul was born on April 3, 1959 in Seattle, Washington to Frank Alfred Paul Jr and Marlene Phyllis Hoff. She has 5 siblings. Her family joined the church when she was 3. Her Dad died in a car accident in 1979. Grandpa died before my parents had married, but knew my dad and had even mentioned in passing that he would like Diane to marry Glen Harston :) My parents got married March 31, 1980. My Mom is an extremely hard worker. In fact, she works probably too hard. She is so diligent in serving others. She is goofy and loves to laugh, but is also strict when the time calls for it. She has learned (probably from raising 9 crazy kids) which battles are worth fighting and which ultimately aren't a big deal, which I feel like has given me a unique perspective at a young age and has helped shape my optimistic personality. My mom has a way of getting to the heart of things, doing something about the part she can control, and relying whole hearted on the Lord for the rest.

It's no small task to feed our crew, and my Mom took the challenge head on. She loves to make bread and would spend one day a month grinding wheat, making dough, and baking. ALL DAY LONG. I loved coming home from school on those days and walking into a home that smelled so divine. Since she spent all day making break she typically ended up with 40+ loaves. Which was a good thing because about 4 steaming loaves would be devoured that evening. I always felt the love of my Mom but with 8 other siblings, we didn't always get a ton of one-on-one attention. Mom went out of her way to make our birthdays something really special though. She would make us a huge birthday poster that would be hanging on the wall when we woke up (how she made them and hid them from us until that time I have no idea!) we got to pick whatever we wanted for our birthday dinner and dessert and Mom would deliver! For Scott's birthday (maybe 3 or 4?) he asked for chips and cheerios. So, we seriously had chips and cheerios for dinner!! My first year away at college I got a package in the mail on my birthday. It was a loaf of homemade bread, homemade german chocolate frosting with a boxed of german chocolate cake to make for it, and a birthday poster to hang on my wall. I am so grateful to my Mom for teaching, both by word and deed, how to be an independent woman, but also always being just a phone call (or video chat!) away for me when I need, or just want, to talk to her. I have such a great relationship with my Mom. She is one of my best friends, a wonderful supporter, and an excellent example. I love you so much Mom!