Happy Birthday Elder Mars

This is a vintage photo of my youngest brother, the 10th of 10 kids, Ben. You might think that because he's the youngest, he is pampered, spoiled, and self-centered.Pampered? Maybe a little. Spoiled? Not so much that he doesn't appreciate it. Self-centered? Not at all. We definitely had fun together. During my last year of high school and for the next few summers, I took my younger siblings on "dates." We raided the Entertainment Book and collected all kinds of coupons for free stuff, and we would go out on the cheap. We would often go for a round of bowling (free for kids, coupons for the rest of us), then to a few restaurants (free pizza here, free fries there, etc.). The above photo is from a date where we went to a restaurant that offered free meals to anyone in a coconut bikini. Today Ben turns 21. He will not be getting drunk and having a wild party. Instead, he will be knocking on doors, talking to people about Jesus Christ, doing service projects, and studying scriptures. Ben was assigned to proselyte in the Hartford, Connecticut mission; since then, the Hartford area mission has combined with Boston. Elder Mars has been within a mile of my house and been in church buildings that we attend, but we have not crossed paths (missionaries aren't supposed to contact family other than a weekly email while on a mission). He finishes his two-year mission in a few weeks, and then he will get to stop by my house, say hello, and finally meet Phoebe (she was a home-bound newborn when he left). Happy Birthday Elder Mars!