WC #13: Happy (Belated) Birthday, Cameron!

Here goes the second installment of makeup blog!  The second birthday I missed, due to technical difficulties, was the birthday of my first son-in-law, Cameron Carter.

Cameron, 2013

Cameron Lee was born to Brian & Lorene Carter on July 11, 1978, which officially made him the oldest "kid" in the family after he married Samantha. He generally celebrates with a slurpee on his birthday for 7-11 day. 

7-11 Convenience Stores celebrate Cam's
birthday every year, offering EVERYONE a
FREE SLURPEE!

I'm not sure what we all expected him to be like when we first met him, but I know I didn't expect him.  Cam is the definition of contradiction.  Not intentionally... it just seems that there are so many facets to his personality, you can never know exactly what you're going to get. (I did say facets; not split!)

I don't have any pictures of Cam
when he was little, but can't help but
imagine he looked a LOT like this young man!
Peyton Carter, 2013

Sam 'n Cam met in a class at Ricks College (aka BYU-Idaho now) in Rexburg, Idaho.  Sami was in her second semester and he was a newly-returned missionary, home fresh from his two years in the Dominican Republic.  Sami was always very comfortable talking to boys; most times she got along with boys better than girls, so naturally, she started talking to him and decided he was kinda cute.

Several months later, over Christmas, Sami was home (in Vernal, Utah) and went to a church dance with some of her friends from high school and much to her surprise, ran into Cameron who was there with a friend of his. (Cameron was from Star Valley, Wyoming).  Next thing I know, there's a budding romance and I have a daughter getting married! Wowza!

They began dating after that fateful dance and by Valentine's Day, love was in bloom.  As the story goes, Cameron kept asking Samantha what she wanted for Valentine's Day.  A hopeless romantic, she wouldn't make it that easy for him though and refused to say.  He in turn had told her that if she didn't tell him, he was going to get her a spatula! (Little did she understand the significance of said spatula)  She said that that was fine; to get her a spatula to which he countered that she at least tell him what her favorite color was so he could get one in her favorite color.  On Valentine's Day, he certainly DID present himself to her with a hunter green spatula in hand.  She found out much later that he got the idea from an ad for "Spatula City," whose tagline was "Nothing says I love you like a spatula."  The following day, he did, in fact, tell her that he loved her.  Ya just never know what you're gonna get from Cam....

The Carters
2008

Then Cam had to pass the ultimate test; we thought.  I always told my girls they had to have their brothers' approval on the men they wanted to marry. It wasn't too hard to get Brandon's & Barton's approval.  They loved Cam practically from the beginning.  They thought he was hilarious.  Turns out the real test was Megan.  Ya see... Cameron has this goofy grin. And he really enjoys saying and doing goofy, ridiculous things that make people laugh.  He's so good at that, that no one really realizes how intelligent he really is.  He's downright SMART.  Unfortunately, Meg didn't see that to begin with and actually declared him stupid!  That was long ago though.  Meg and Cam have since bonded, she enjoys his sense of humor, she was there for him when Sami went through her heart surgery a few years ago and she's an advocate for him now.

So, you've heard a couple of Cam's contradictions so far.  He says "I love you" without the words.  He camouflages his intelligence with his goofy side.  He has the vocabulary of a sailor and tries to come off loud and harsh and strict with his kids, when in reality he's a softy and his kids, especially his daughters, can wrap him around their little fingers.  And though he doesn't drink any HOT caffeinated beverages, he has no qualms about downing several cans of Mountain Dew in a day!  Even though this ad is from LONG before he was born, I thought he might enjoy this original Mt. Dew TV commercial from 1966.  Yahoo! Mountain Dew!

He's a die-hard San Francisco 49'ers fan and I think the family rooted for them in the SuperBowl last year just because we were all so happy for HIM that his team finally made it after all his years of dedication.  He enjoys most all sports, but football is definitely his top game, although he didn't play himself.

And this poor sports-minded dude married into a family without an athletic bone buried anywhere within it. (The next generation is showing some hope though...) Instead, he comes into a family that leaned toward music and theater!  I can't imagine the pain he suffered attending all the boys' high school plays and concerts, partly to support them, but mostly to support his wife's pride in her baby brothers.  And then, horror of horrors, once when this grandma was visiting, she thought Andi would enjoy the Disney movie "High School Musical."  I thought poor Cam was going to flip. He didn't want that crap in his house... but I got Andi hooked anyway. And remember what I said about Cam and his daughters???? Not only did he watch it with her; he became a fan himself!  So much so that this kind-hearted softy of a dad actually took his daughter on a date to see "High School Musical on Ice!"

So, Cam... even though it's a full week late... I want to wish you a belated Happy Birthday.  I want you to know how much I love and appreciate you and all that you do to support your family, as well as the support you provide for the rest of us.  You're a fabulous addition to our family.  You fit in well and you never disappoint us.  Be happy Cam!  "We're all in this together!"