Happy 40th Birthday to My Wife

I could not let this month end without mentioning a very important and memorable birthday. My lovely and adoring wife of roughly 17 years has reached the gently-ripened age of FORTY.

The Big 40…

I don't get overly stressed out about birthdays, or growing older. As I've often quoted the old adage; Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. But the fairest of the fairer sex in my household has had a minor spot of trouble worrying over this specific toll of the bell.

I dutifully attempt to be empathetic, but I can't truly understand. There is nothing and no one that I've met on my travels upon this Earth that has matured more marvelously, aged more gracefully, grown wisely and remained just as beautiful as she has ever been. I love her deeply and will continue to do so for as long as she will have me.

For this past month --and to a lesser extent the last year-- we've been enjoying some adventure. It helps to remind yourselves that you are still young enough to have fun and be crazy. We date until our wallets hurt. We take chances. Oh, and I've neglected to mention it, but I'm in a band now (Bullseye Womprats) and Lisa really digs being a band wife, go figure. This has been an especially busy summer; gigs and pool parties and dancing. There has also been haunted tours (last October) and holiday parties (more dancing) and making new friends and meeting new people.

Through it all, I could just stare at her and marvel at her all the live long day. And I'm not embarrassed to say it. My life is better with her in it, always has been, always will be. Years ago, I joked that she was the other half of my brain. And she is the other half of my heart. We are a pair in a way I cannot describe. It's almost like she is… She is…

Han Solo

…to my Chewbacca

Chris Chambers

…to my Gordie Lachance

Buttercup

…to my Westley

Inigo

…to my Fezzik

Abbot

…to my Costello

Chocolate

…to my Peanut Butter

Hawkeye

…to my Hunnicut

Teller

…to my Penn

Siegfriend

…to my Roy

Oates

…to my Hall

Electron

…to my Proton

Kirk

…to my Spock

Juliett

…to my Romeo

Chicago

…to my St. Louis

New York

…to my New Jersey

Dr. Dre

…to my Snoop Dogg

Penny

…to my Leonard

Monica

…to my Chandler

Rachel

…to my Ross

Claire

…to my Jamie

Khaleesi

…to my Sun & Stars

Queen

…to my King

Thank you baby. And here's to many more happy birthdays.

Birthday, I Turned 38

Today is the 38^th anniversary of my birth! A lot of great stuff happening lately and this message was shared with me by my mom. It's a story I've heard before, but perhaps not recorded here.

Ah yes I remember this day, a Saturday, Feb 21, so well, so many years ago. Dinner with Grandma Joy, Ruby, and your Dad. They got to eat salad, steak, and potatoes while I ate jello and timed contractions. At 8:00 pm, your Dad and I went to Christian Northwest Hospital and on Sunday morning at 5:30 you made your entrance into the world. You came in screaming loudly. Happy Birthday, Jimmy. I love you!

That's 5:30am for those that might have missed the detail. So let's see, that's nine and a half hours of labor? I guess if they went to the hospital at 8pm, it'd had started at some point earlier. Regardless, it all happened and I'm here and it's been 38 years since.

My dad actually started off my day by posting this picture.

Not bad, eh? I wonder what I'd say to myself if I could peel back the years and talk to the kid in the sideways cap. Good things are going to happen for you. Except some bad things are going to happen too and whether they all even out in the end depends greatly on your point of view. Well, that's not very helpful or overly wise. Advice? Encouragements? Admonitions? Warnings? I don't even know.

Many good things have happened this past year, but in sum total I have not been overly fond of ...life, to put it mildly. And I'm choosing not to go into the bad stuff here, for a multitude of reasons. Instead, I'll try and direct my mood a bit by writing a bit about the good stuff.

---

I'm extremely proud of my kids.

Reese continues to excel at high school. She was in "Dracula" a play at her school, which was a pretty big deal for a freshman. She got invited to attend a summer workshop thing at the film academy in New York that she'd like to attend for college. Like I was at her age, she's a smart socially awkward teenager, but she embraces it in a big way. She appears to know who she is and who she isn't and is comfortable with it. I recently heard one of the kids in the church youth group comment that she's one of the smartest in the group, and they all appreciate her for her randomness, comedy and variety.

Olivia is blossoming in a beautiful way. She embraces her art and stories. She's got a vivid imagination, is soft-spoken and caring. She's also still very interested in horses and spent a few weeks in Chicago helping at the stables there. She loves animals and if she had her way, we'd have about three or four more pets (beyond the dog Max).

Sammy is a rambunctious ball of wind and energy. He's doing well at pre-school and loves fun. And he has no filter. He'll come right up to you and tell you exactly what he's thinking, even if his descriptions make no sense. We've started keeping track of a few Sammyisms that I'll post here. Some are hilarious and some are scary with no context. Trust me when I say he says these without fear.

• If there were aliens here in space they would be dead.
• Do you know what even can float in space? Robots!
• Do you know what even can float in space? Bird and cats!
• Do you remember that cat? That cat that was in the street? And it was dead?
• I'm floating dead in space.
• I want to tell that cats floating through space dead with fire.
• Do you know what even can float in space? THE WHOLE PLANET!
• If our planet was a rocketship, we could even float in space.
• Do you know what even can float in space? A car floating in space.
• Do you know what even can float in space? Ranch with a car driving.
• I want you to sit with me because of the floating eyeball of death.

Wow. I don't ... I don't even know what to say about any of these. I'll try and keep a running list, updated with new ones as they come up.

What else? Lisa and I have been working to get our finances in a much better state of order. We got entered into a class with videos by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace University, that despite all our bad habits has been really helpful and transformative. We are not going to be rich any time soon, but I can honestly say that we'll be less worried about money. Or perhaps it's more accurate to state that we will be worrying about money in a very different way. I'm actually surprised I haven't written about this previously? It seems hokey on the surface, but this has been a really big deal.

Okay, it is pretty late now and I've got an early morning. In a quick reread before I post this, I realize that I sound pretty depressed up higher on this page and perhaps I was laying it on a bit thick all things considered. Rather than revise, I'll leave this as is. Does it all balance out, this year and everything preceding? I'll refer to a quote I heard somewhere and have bastardized many times since then. I can't even find the original.

When life has got you down, just remember that it all evens out at the end. If it doesn't seem like it right now, just remember that it's not yet the end.

Simple. Happy birthday to me.

35 Years Old ... Really?

I turned 35 years old almost a month ago and I realize now that I didn't write about it. I usually do. There are two facts that I could point to for an explanation. First off, I have a really great new job that I've been at for a few months and I love it quite a bit. It's keeping me pretty busy, but it's a very good sort of busy. It's more responsibility than I've ever had and it suits me. I find myself looking forward to the day each morning. I plan to keep that up too.

The other possible reason is that I didn't really think it was a very big deal. IIRC, I was more actively dreading and equally excited about my 30^th birthday.

This year, I'm more excited about the kids' birthdays. Sam turned one in December of last year and is now a moving little dervish, destroying all in his path. Reese turns 12 in May and Olivia turns nine in November. It's only March now, but we've had some pretty amazing and exciting things happen so far this year. I could write a million words on these things but I'll post some quick notes instead. Reese did a science fair project with a potato cannon! Lisa entered into a "Biggest Loser" contest at her work, but was already losing weight rapidly. I'm more than a little jealous. Sam likes to dance, and does so whenever there is music. Olivia reads voraciously now, just like her sister. My nieces and nephews are also growing so very quickly lately, with birthdays year-round.

It feels very good to write. I should be doing this more often. I am writing pretty regularly at work, but this is more personal.

Happy Birthday Star Wars

Thanks ...you know why.

I Am An Uncle

Last night we got a call from my brother Jon. He and Kelly had been in the hospital since the night before. The news is that I am an uncle. Jon and Kelly's daughter's name is Lillian Grace Arconati. I've seen pictures that my mom took and emailed. They go home tomorrow. The girls and I will visit them tomorrow after I get off work.

Today, Once Again, Is My Birthday

I've blogged about my birthday before.

• 2006/01/24 - Gasp!
• 2006/02/25 - What? A Surprise Party for Me?
• 2006/02/22 - Thirty Years Old
• 2005/02/22 - Happy Birthday to Me

Today I turn 31-years-old. It's an entirely uninteresting number, but the last year has been anything but uninteresting. I mark this year as one of the best (this fall's baby news), and yet also one of the worst (last summer's miscarriage). A new job that came and went (more on this later). There have been many funny memories (Reese's Musical Debut) and many weird ones. The weather seemed out to get us, not just once but twice. This year was the beginning of a Ministry project for me which continues to this day as Web Master for Ferguson Christian Church.

Twice as much life has happened to me that I have not blogged about. I'd sound disappointed that I haven't written more, but most likely that's a good thing. I'm out living my life rather than posting about it. I'm playing with my kids, not just writing about them.

In closing, I'm going to steal an idea from another blogger that relates to birthdays.

It occurs to me that I can't be entirely certain that you, the world outside of my head, exists at all much less exists outside of my ability to perceive you. It's entirely possible that all of you are also turning 31 today. From the bottom of my heart I wish you and yours the same kind of luck, love, and happiness that I enjoy. Happy 31^st world!

I couldn't have said it better myself.