Sensational Steve

派克汉尼汾流体传动产品（上海）有限公司
中国上海浦东金桥出口加工区
云桥路２８０号
201206

This is Steve's address in Shanghai, if anyone would like to try to copy it and send him a birthday card :) And here's a picture of Steve with his wonderful, almost fiance Alina:

To try to describe Steve, you have to have an amazing vocabulary. He is highly intelligent, thoughtful, service-oriented, straightforward, funny, enthusiastic, has a zest for life and is very inquisitive, creative, athletic, caring, and completely dedicated. He has a drive and determination that serve him well in any endeavors he attempts. He is not the kind of person you could put in a box and label. He is definitely his own man. As one of the performing missionaries in Nauvoo said, "Steve is one guy who has a lot of layers."

Those are some of the things I love about Steve. His 29th birthday is coming up on the 22nd of January. Happy Birthday, Steve! This is one of my favorite pictures of Steve. He and Caitie are holding Adam and Jarom.

He is an awesome uncle and a great brother. His nephews and nieces adore
him. They all look forward to the times that Steve comes back to the U.S.
I know they are excited (we all are) to meet Alina, Steve's sweetheart, whose Chinese name is Yue Yang (did I get that right, Steve?).

Steve tells us that when you make the "victory sign" in Asia, it kind of means that you are smiling.

From the moment Steve was born, he has been a lively, eager, delightful, full of life person. I feel deeply privileged to be his mother. In high school he would dive into the dumpster across the street from the office building where he cleaned. The dumpster was from a florist shop, and every night he would gather flowers that were still fresh and make beautiful bouquets, which he and his siblings would anonymously deliver, often past three in the morning. I had the honor of helping him to apply for the Montana state Discover Card Gold Scholarship, where I learned for the first time that Steve had set a personal goal to perform an act of service each day. I believe he still does that. (By the way, he was awarded the Gold Scholarship--but that's another story!).
When Steve served his mission in Romania, he literally exhausted himself, giving his mission everything he had. His mission president told me he wished he had a hundred more like Steve. Then Steve went to Nauvoo, just 3 days after returning home.

Steve and Emilie on the day we took Elder Nathaniel Gardner into the Missionary Training Center.

At BYU-Idaho, Steve took top honors in debate on a national level. He decided on a lark to take a Chinese class, and ended up discovering a passion for learning and teaching languages. His Chinese students love him and clamor to have him as their teacher. For the time being, though, he is learning business, doing work for Parker Hannifin in Shanghai.

Oh how we all love our son and brother and uncle Steve! I could write enough more to fill a book (or bookshelf), but suffice it to say: Steve we love you very much and are so grateful you are part of our family! Happy Birthday! And just remember: everything you learn that helps you grow (or saves a sand castle) is worth the SACRIFICE!!!!!!!!!!!!