birthday girl

Today is my wife’s birthday.  As we talked the other day, we realized we have been together for almost 18 years.  She knows pretty much everything there is to know about me – my likes, dislikes, quirks, emotional shifts…everything.  And she STILL loves me!

I’m not going to tell you how old she is today (I’m not THAT dumb), but I can tell you she doesn’t look nearly as old as her birth certificate says she is.  I’m lucky to be loved by her and to get to spend my life with her.  She is an incredible woman.  If you see her or catch her on Twitter or Facebook, tell her “Happy Birthday.”

Happy birthday, sweetheart!  I love you!

weekend tradition

When I was growing up, we had a tradition on Saturday morning of cooking pancakes.  My dad would make great pancakes and sometimes would let me flip or pour the batter.  I’ve tried to carry this on with my boys and they love it.  The first thing I showed them when they were little was how to “make the water dance.”  This is where you sprinkle some water on the hot griddle and it bubbles and dances and then disappears.  They still think this is pretty awesome and that I have some Harry Potter-like wizardry (at least until they learn how this is done in science class).

That’s one of our weekend traditions.  What are some of yours?  Either from your childhood or some you do now.  I really want to know.  Leave me a comment and let’s share.

a little christmas fun

Bet you didn’t know our family had this kind of talent.

where have i been?

Last week, we took some time to go on a vacation with the family to Surfside Beach.  For those of you not familiar with the SC coastline, that’s just south of Myrtle Beach but quieter and more family-oriented.  We had a great time – in fact, here’s a quick recap of the week:

• Left Greenville Sunday afternoon.  Stopped at Rush’s in Columbia for a milkshake (can I get a witness?).
• Laid on the beach.
• Ate frozen lemonade from the people pushing the cart on the beach.
• Walked on the beach.
• Ate seafood.
• Ate ice cream from Painter’s just about every night.
• Walked around Broadway at the Beach.
• Played putt-putt.
• Searched for shells.
• Tried not to get taken by the rip currents.
• Huddled under the small beach umbrella while it rained for a short time.
• Laughed – a lot.
• Rode the body board.
• Tried to skim board.
• Walked on the pier. Our oldest son got to throw back a tiny shark a man caught.
• Saw the new Harry Potter movie.
• Got a little teary seeing the empty land that used to be the Pavilion in Myrtle Beach (LOTS of memories there).
• Played games at the arcade.
• Drove back home on Saturday, stopping at Rush’s in Columbia for a late lunch (we really love that place).

It was great to be away, spend time with family, and just enjoy being disconnected for a bit.  But it’s always good to be home.

Family Dinner Ramblings

Last night we went over to my parent’s house to eat dinner.  My sister is in town for some training and her two daughters drove in from Spartanburg & Greenwood.  It was a semi- family reunion because we don’t get to do that often (usually only on holidays).  My sister’s husband was still in Bluffton and my brother’s family is vacationing in Orlando so it wasn’t quite all of us.  But we still had a great time.

My mom knows how to cook…and cook LARGE.  There are always leftovers (I’m definitely thankful for that).  She’s 74 and can still cook circles around Emeril, Julia Child, and anyone else.  Last night we had ham, mac & cheese (homemade in the crockpot), sweet potatoes, pea casserole, bread, fruit, and homemade peach cobbler.  Anytime anyone comes over it’s a feast.  You should see what Christmas is like!

We had a great time eating, talking, and reminiscing.  I tried to explain to my dad about Twitter and blogs and Facebook.  He understands the concept but just doesn’t get why people would want to do that.  It made me wonder what technology is out there that my children will think is normal that I won’t get.  Who knows?  Maybe they’ll invent one of those technologies.

Thanks Ashley & Kimberly for reading my blog.  (They’re my nieces and I promised a shout-out.)  Thanks to the rest of you too.

Lessons from a Five Year Old

Today was the first day in a while I’ve spent alone with my five year old son.   As a family, we spend most Saturdays together and I’ve spent short periods of time alone with each of my two boys, but rarely have I gotten to spend an entire day with one of them.   As a result, I learned some valuable lessons from him today that I thought I would share here:

1.  Laugh hard at least once a day.  There is nothing like hearing a belly laugh from a child – especially yours.  We had several of these together today.

2.  Learn something new.  I taught him the game Toss Up, which is a fun little dice game.  Even though the box said it was for ages 8 & up, he picked it up quickly (and ALMOST beat me!).  He shows no hesitation in learning – he soaks it up!

3.  Be spontaneous.  Whether it’s a song that pops in your head, a chance to step in a puddle, or just dancing to the music that’s in your head, go for it.  Sure, other people might think you’re strange, but chances are they aren’t having near as much fun as you.

4.  Hug those you love often.  I must have gotten 100 hugs today at least!  Most were unprovoked and BIG bear hugs.  His love language is definitely touch.

5.  Say “I love you” for no reason.  This one kind of goes along with the previous one, but I thought it warranted its own number.   There were a couple of times today he just looked at me and said “I love you, Daddy” for no apparent reason.  He wasn’t trying to butter me up to get something – he was just genuinely letting me know how he felt at the moment.

In case you couldn’t tell, it was a great day.  We have all day tomorrow together, too.  I wonder what we’ll get into.  🙂

Graduation Day

My 5-year old “graduated” from preschool on Thursday. While he doesn’t really understand what that word means, he knows he’s moving from one place to another after the summer. He is so excited about going to elementary school in the fall. I have to admit – I am SO PROUD of him!

While his next step will bring more challenges, new friends, and learning objectives he can’t even grasp yet, he doesn’t see that. He is EXCITED about taking the next step!

We all have one, you know (a next step). It might be spiritual, emotional, physical, related to our career, education, etc. Sometimes the next step is unclear or scary. How often do we embrace that next step? I’d dare say we resist most next steps – even if we know in the long run it will make our lives richer. We think we’re fine where we are – no need to mess up a good thing, right? I don’t know what my “next step” looks like completely, but I have some ideas about what they are in some areas of my life. But how excited am I about taking the next step, or actually moving to change something in my life so I can take the next step?

What would happen if we embraced the next step instead of ignoring it or running from it? What could be accomplished for God? What impact could we have in our world? I challenge you (and me) to quit running from it or ignoring it. Instead, let’s graduate, move forward, and chase them so we can be who we’re intended to be. What’s your next step?