To My Son Someday...

Son,

Please know that I had to learn the following the hard way.  I can only hope that you will be able to understand these words and take them to heart.  If you do, you will be the man you are meant to be, and you will love the way God meant you to love.  It may seem like I am on a soap box;  I am not better than anyone, I just want you to know some things about love and choices.  Please know that I am taking this opportunity to make myself accountable for how I will love your Mother.   

Women are a gift from God.  Their beauty has captured our minds since creation.  They are intoxicating.  Few things in life can make you feel the way a woman does.  She can make you the happiest or saddest you have ever been.  Find the right one and never let her go.  Never take this gift for granted.  Appreciate your woman, and all that she is.  

Relationships are compromised when you allow yourself to fall into the trap of allure.  The "grass is always greener" syndrome.  There are many women in the world who are incredibly beautiful.  It can be easy to see other women and let your mind wonder.  This is a trap.  Never fall for it.  When you let your mind stray from your one true love, you plant a seed of destruction.  At the end of the day, no woman is as beautiful as your woman.  Be proud of your choice, and put effort into letting her know that she is the captivating light to which you return.  

Focus on loving your woman with a fierce passion.  Do not let your love stray - not even for a minute.  Attraction is one thing, but the minute you start to wonder what life would be like without your woman, you have done great damage.  Stay centered, stay satisfied.  Loving your woman the right way takes effort and deliberate action.  It is a choice you make every day.  You can devote time to your relationship and make it stronger, or you can think of other women and make your relationship toxic.  If you find yourself making your relationship toxic by thinking of other women, man up and get your head right.  If you are truly unhappy, it is your own fault.  You are the only one who can control your happiness.  Do not ruin a woman's life because you are unhappy.  Get your mind right, and love your woman right.  If you are not able to focus on ONE woman, and put all of your effort into your relationship with ONE woman, you should not be with ANY woman.  The woman you choose deserves all of you.  All of your effort.  All of your love.  Be a man and give it to her.  All the other women are static.  Noise which keeps you from focusing on the woman God gave you.  Choose to be happy with what you have rather than wasting time thinking about what you don't. 

Being happy with what you have does not mean you are settling.  Settling implies that you have compromised something when choosing your woman.  By no means should you compromise who you are when choosing the woman you plan to be with forever.  It is okay to make some small compromises, but if you have to change something about yourself, your beliefs, values, or morals in order to be with someone, you are not with the right someone.  Be true to your self.  Be honest to yourself and know who you are before you even think about being with someone else.  She deserves a man who is confident in who he is and does not need her to validate who he is as a man.  If you are using the woman in your life to make you feel like a man, you need to do her a favor and move on.  Take time to find out who you are as a person before you bring another person into your life.  You cannot love anyone in the right way if you do not know how to love who you are.

My prayer for you is simple: Love yourself so you can love your woman as she deserves to be loved. 

Peace,

Your Dad

Wedding Day Redux

Well, it has been one incredible month of marriage! I thought I would take some time to review the amazing day that was April 28, 2012. 

It was an early start...I tried to stay out late the night before, hoping that it would make me tired enough to sleep past 6:30 AM.  My plan backfired.  My eyes popped open promptly at 6:30 as usual.  My mind was going a mile a minute as I was going through the day ahead.  I was about to become Jennifer's husband.  I was about to unite my family with her's forever.  The anticipation was indescribable!   

I had to be at the hotel to get dressed at 11:00 AM, so I had a few hours to burn.  I did a quick workout and got cleaned up.  Shaving my face that morning will forever be locked in my mind.  I thought for sure I was going to gash my face and bleed uncontrollably for the rest of the day, because that would be just my luck.  Wedding photos with a hacked up face, or little pieces of toilet paper on all the nicks and cuts.  I eventually convinced myself that it would be nothing Photoshop couldn't take care of, but for a few minutes I was pretty stressed.  I made it through with only a small nick.  Whew. 

We got to the hotel on time and enjoyed some Jimmy Johns before we got tuxed up.  As we were eating, I noticed one of my groomsmen (who will remain unnamed) did not have on the awesome argyle socks I had given him the night before at the rehearsal dinner.  This prompted me to ask, "do you have your socks?" to which he replied, "No, was I supposed to bring them?"  Now let me preface the following by stating that this particular individual is a Lilly Scholar, an Engineer, and one of the most intelligent people I know.  That said, he has about as much common sense as my right pinky finger.   

Why on Earth would I have given him argyle socks if he was not to wear them in the wedding?  Of my seven groomsmen, he was the only one who did not have his socks.  Furthermore, he did not have ANY socks other than his low cut white socks.  He said he assumed the tux rental came with socks.  But for the gift of argyle socks the night before, this was a feasible argument.  However, he had in fact received socks the previous evening, and I do not randomly gift socks to others if said socks are not a requirement.   

All said and done, it turned out okay as his wife was kind enough to bring him the forgotten socks.  The following picture would not have turned out so perfect with one set of pale, hairy legs and low cut white socks... 

Once we were all looking our best, we headed to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) for pictures.  The B'Maids and G'Men each had their pictures taken separately, then we all got together for group pictures.  That was, of course, after I got to see Jennifer in her dress for the first time in a private "reveal".  She was absolutely captivating in her dress, and I will always remember that first look at the IMA.  We were able to get all of the wedding party pictures taken at the IMA after I got to see Jennifer.  It was the perfect setting for some really amazing pictures.  Our awesome photographers, Sarah and Rachel (LinneaLiz Photography) did a great job of capturing our day.  It also worked out well to have nearly all of the pictures done before the reception so as to reduce the amount of time between the ceremony and cocktail hour. 

The wedding party all rode together in a party bus from the IMA to St. Luke's United Methodist Church for the ceremony.  After a slight mishap involving the driver's lack of directional knowledge, we eventually ended up at the Church for family photos before the ceremony.  It was great to see all of our family together in one place.  We could not help but feel surrounded by love.  We were especially blessed to have Grandma and Grandpa Stewart in attendance.  They are a true inspiration for our marriage as they recently celebrated 70 years together! 

At 4:30 PM, I married the love of my life...We could not have asked for a better ceremony!  We are blessed to have two friends, Carl and Olivia, who happen to be amazing violinists.  Olivia also plays the guitar and sings, and was kind enough to share her talents during the Unity Stone portion of our ceremony.  We are also blessed to have our pastor, Jamalyn, as a close friend.  She was the officiant, and delivered a truly amazing Homily which meant more to us than we can ever describe.  Everything about the ceremony was meaningful and surrounded by love.  God's love, our Family's love, and the love of our Friends.  I can remember standing at the altar, looking out at all of the people who were there for us.  Their love and support will be a part of our lives forever, and we are blessed to know so many people who will always be there for us. 

Our Faith is the foundation of our relationship.  It was important to us that we integrated our Faith into as many aspects of the ceremony as possible.  We were fortunate to be able to include the Creed, and were blessed to be able to take and offer communion as our first act as a husband and wife.  Communion was made even more special as a family friend, Pastor Jimmy, delivered an awesome message before breaking the bread and pouring the wine.  It meant so much to have him there with us, and we will always be grateful for his support.  One of our favorite aspects of the ceremony was the Unity Stone.  Neither of us were thrilled about using a unity candle, or doing a more modern sand ceremony.  Not that either of those things are a bad tradition, it's just that neither carries much meaning to us.  We wanted something which served as a symbol of our relationship, not just an run of the mill tradition.  After much thought, we decided that we wanted to highlight the aspects of our relationship: Faith, Family, and Love.  We set out to find a way to model our relationship in a concrete form.  Faith as a foundation, Family as the second level, and love at the capstone.  It became clear that we needed a stone statue which had three levels representing the aspects of our relationship.   

Susan was very supportive of our idea and found a stone sculptor in Pennsylvania who was willing to carve our three stones.  He did an amazing job, and we could not be happier with the end result.  We will forever have this carving as a symbol of who we are and what our relationship means.   

After the ceremony, we dashed out of the Church under a shower of flower petals and sped away in an awesome BMW Z4, which I borrowed from my roommate (and violinist), Carl.  We took a spin around the block, reflecting on the ceremony and how blessed we were to experience such an awesome and meaningful event with family and friends.  Neither of us could believe what we were experiencing.  It seemed so surreal...We were on cloud nine! 

From the ceremony, we headed back to the IMA in the party bus with our wedding party.  We celebrated together with our family and friends who were kind enough to be a part of our wedding party and share in our love.  A quick drive and a few bottles of champagne later, we were back at the IMA for a few more pictures.  Then, it was on to the Deer Zink Pavillion for the reception! 

There was a cocktail hour of which we were able to catch the tail end.  It was great to catch up with guests and talk to everyone for a few minutes before we headed in for the reception.  After a few drinks and some conversation, the reception hall opened and our guests took their seats.  I still have a difficult time convincing myself that the reception was actually ours, and took place in real life...It was absolutely gorgeous!  The wedding party was announced and introduced to the tune of "Your Touch" by The Black Keys.  Jennifer and I made our grand entrance and immediately cut the cake.  I was responsible for making the cut, and I completely botched it - I cut a sliver so small we could barely get the cake server underneath it!  We were able to wrestle out a piece and share our first bite together.  We did the champagne toast sans champagne (as the flutes were empty) and headed back to our table for the served meal! 

There are not words to express how great of a job Kahn's catering did for our event!  The food was incredible, and the service was top notch.  We went for a plated meal consisting of beef tenderloin, potatoes, and veggies.  My description does the meal absolutely zero justice as it was far more elegant than I am able to put into words.  Everything about the food and cake was perfect! 

The toasts followed the meal.  First up was Heather, Jennifer's best friend and Maid of Honor.  She did an amazing job with her speech!  She was able to reference a letter that Jennifer wrote to her future husband while in high school.  It was classic!  To have a friend that has known you for so long and can speak about you like you are her sister/brother is absolutely amazing!  Heather's speech was meaningful and entertaining.  What more could you ask?  Next up was my brother and Best Man, Justin.  He had a tough act to follow, but also did an incredible job!  He has always been my best friend, and has been nothing short of incredible.  The final toast was Jennifer's father, Jim.  His toast was one of the most heartfelt and incredible speeches I have ever heard in person.  With Jennifer being his only girl, I know that day had incredible meaning and emotion tied to it, and everyone in the room experienced his emotion through his speech.   

The final formal aspect of the evening was our first dance.  Boy was I nervous for that!  We had been taking dance lessons for a number of months, and I thought for sure I was going to forget every bit of what I learned!  We danced to "Waltz for Jennifer" by FFH.  We of course did the waltz, but it also had some foxtrot peppered in for good measure.  Once we took the dance floor and the music started, I zoned in on my bride and everyone else in the room disappeared.  We strolled around the dance floor, and I felt like we were on a cloud.  I got lost in her eyes, and was completely enthralled.  I do not mean to brag, but I do not believe I missed a single step - even when I slipped on her dress at one point!  It was absolutely incredible, and we completely nailed it!  Whew :)  At that point, the last bit of stress for the day was gone, and it was time to cut loose and have some fun with friends and family! 

The live music was masterfully played by Souled Out Band.  They pumped so much energy into the room I could hardly believe it!  They did not miss a single detail, and at one point even got out wood blocks and cowbells for the kids to play!  It was so much fun dancing the night away to their music.  And dance the night away we did.  At one point Jen and I noticed the dance floor clearing off and the room emptying out...We were wondering where everyone was going, but then looked at a clock and realized it was almost midnight!  So. Much. FUN! 

April 28, 2012 was one of the most amazing days of my life!  I am guessing the only day(s) that can even come close to it will be the day(s) our future child(ren) enter this world, and believe me, there will be many future children since the only way we can ever show enough gratitude to Jim and Susan for such an awesome day is to fill their hearts and lives with the love and laughter of grandchildren!  We are so blessed to have such an amazing family, and we look forward to many years showing them all how much they mean to us. 

Looking Forward...

I wonder what our first argument will be as a married couple?  I am guessing it will pertain to travel arrangements for our honeymoon - not because we fight a lot, but because travelling can be stressful.  Granted, our arguments are not usually major as neither of us care to argue much.  We tend to get over things quickly and get back to having fun!


I am guessing I will incorrectly wash an item of clothing and ruin it (or an entire load) at some point in the first few months.  I will probably do it again in 10 years or so too...


It will likely take me some time to get used to always putting the toilet seat down...I should probably just make the guest bathroom "my" bathroom...My apologies to any visitors who find the seat up.  Caveat emptor I suppose.


I also wonder how many times I will forget to flush the toilet, not because I do not normally flush it, but because I have been spoiled by automatic toilets at work.  They flush with even the slightest movement, often before one has finished using the commode.


I will probably forget to stop and buy milk, or pick up a prescription, or drop off a letter at the post office.  


I will try to curb my spontaneous spending, but will inevitably splurge on something we do not need because that is how I roll.


Numerous times, I will ask her to repeat herself after I am unable to hear what she said, as it seems I am losing my hearing early...At least she is somewhat use to this as her Dad has already set the standard - "You want to go to Kansas?!"..."No, campus!  I want to go to CAMPUS!"


I will forget to set out the trash...


I will borrow her car and return it with the gas light on, thinking I will be able to fill it up before she needs it...but she will need it before I get around to putting gas in it.


Thinking about our future together, I know there will be many, many things I do which cause frustration.  I also know that at the end of the day, none of it will matter.  She loves me, and will forever.  I am looking forward to many years of love, happiness, frustration, experiences, travels, and everything else our marriage will bring.  I am looking forward to taking care of our marriage and paying attention to it more than anything else in this world.  I will actively participate in our love every day, and work my butt off to keep our marriage strong.  It will not be easy, but things which are best in life usually aren't.  The pay off from hard work is what makes them the best, and I cannot wait to make our marriage the best thing we both have ever experienced!


Looking forward to everything our life will bring...

#Countdown

My apologies...It has been many, many months since I have posted anything...It has been pretty crazy, finalizing wedding details and meeting all of our obligations in the planning process.  But here we are, a mere 21 days until I marry the love of my life!


I have been counting down the days on my Facebook profile...It helps the time pass.  I got the idea of a countdown from the Pastor who will be conducting out ceremony, Jamalyn.  In one of our premarital counseling sessions she mentioned how she used spare change to count down the days until her wedding...As in, "Five Nickels, One Penny" until I marry Jennifer!  I thought it was a great way to keep track of the days, so I stole the idea :)


As the day draws near, it is easy to get lost in the excitement.  I am trying to take a moment each day to remind myself what our wedding is actually about.  I am also trying to take each opportunity to thank those around us who have gone the extra mile to make our day special.


I am excited about the ceremony we have planned.  It is going to mean a lot to Jennifer and I to make such a grand commitment to each other in front of so many friends and our family.  We are also blessed to know Jamalyn so well because the ceremony will mean that much more because she is the one officiating. We are able to include aspects of our Faith that we might not have been able to if we did not have such a close relationship with our Pastor.  It means a lot to us, and we are grateful for the blessings we have.


We are also blessed to have such supportive parents.  Jennifer's parents, JIm and Susan, have gone out of their way to make sure our day is amazing.  Susan in particular has dedicated countless hours to the planning, and I appreciate every single bit of effort she has given.  I know we are going to have a ceremony as beautiful as my bride, and I absolutely cannot wait for April 28 to finally be here!


Two Dimes, One Penny
#Countdown

Siblings...Forever My Family

I was blessed to be born into a family as amazing as ours.  To be fortunate enough to have three best friends from the start of life is truly one of the greatest gifts from God, and I thank God daily for each of my siblings.  I love how I can count on each of them for different reasons, and how I know that they will be there for me no matter what, just as I will for each of them.

To My Siblings:

Adrienne, you are the natural born leader.  We turn to you for nearly everything, and you never let us down.  You are strong, wise, intelligent, hilarious, and dependable.  I see the way you manage your family and life and it is an inspiration.  When I think my life is crazy and there is not enough time in a day, I just look at you and realize that there is always a way to fit everything in.  I know you work hard to keep going, and I admire your drive.  I don't know how you do it all, but I respect you for doing it so well.  Thank you for laughing with me and being a cut up.  I like to think we both got a little of Nana's banter skills.  Thank you for all that you do, and all that you are.  You are a blessing in my life, and I thank God for you.

Erin, you are a constant reminder of God's work.  You have proven to me time and time again that God continues to work in our lives.  Life has dealt you some tough cards from time to time, and you continue to be your happy self.  It takes a lot to keep you down.  You are one of the most resilient people I know.  I love that about you.  I can always count on you to be there for me when I need to talk.  Your words helped me through the most difficult times in my life, and your strength has been a constant inspiration.  I love to see your spirit translate into Ashlyn's personality.  I see so much of you in her, and it is truly amazing.  Thank you for always having wise and kind words for me, and for always listening.  You are a blessing in my life, and I thank God for you.

Justin, you have always been an amazing big brother to me.  I have been blessed to have such an amazing role model to look up to.  Your creativity and ingenuity has always amazed me.  Your natural ability with all things technical has always been one of your traits which I most admire.  I have been blessed to have a best friend that I can always count on.  There have been numerous times you have come through for me, and the support you gave me during the most difficult times in my life was beyond amazing.  You gave me a roof to live under, and a shoulder to cry on.  I love to see the happiness you experience with Lynnette.  I have always thought that you deserve nothing but the best, and it is great to see that you have found happiness.  You are a blessing in my life, and I thank God for you.

I know we all have had, and will continue to have, struggles in our lives from time to time.  I also know that each one of us can always count on the others to pick us up when we are down.  I just wanted you all to know how much you mean to me...

I love you all, and look forward to sharing the rest of our lives as a family.

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond...

What follows is a story of loss; a story of a precious metal, and

precious stone, lost.  What follows is not a story of love lost.  What

follows is a story of an opportunity for love to grow, in spite of an

unfortunate and frustrating circumstance.

On the third of June, two-thousand eleven, I proposed to the lovely

Jennifer Ann.  It was one of the best days of my life, and certainly

the best birthday I have ever had.  On that day, I gave her a ring.

The ring symbolized a seal over her heart; I made a promise to love

her with a jealousy unyielding as the grave.

Song of Solomon 8:6

6 Place me like a seal over your heart,

  like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death,

  its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire,

  like a mighty flame.

The ring and its radiance symbolized all that we are, and all of the

love that we share.  It symbolized my promise to be hers and hers

alone.  It symbolized the seal over my heart.  I will love no one the

way I love her, for all of my remaining days.

Jennifer's job is demanding.  It is difficult, physical work.  I am a

desk jockey.  At most, I need to be concerned about carpal tunnel, and

maintaining an ergonomically correct position so as to keep from

getting poor posture.  Jennifer has to avoid numerous dangers as well as

wrangle/handle/control livestock on a daily basis.  She must be

concerned about 1,300 pounds of equine mass running her over, jumping

on her, kicking her, or giving her a black eye...I admire her work

ethic, and her ability to remain calm around large animals.  I know

for certain that I am the wuss in this relationship...

Anyway, Jennifer's job is demanding.  She must often put on rubber

gloves, and frequently must wash her hands to rid them of all the fun

stuff she encounters. As such, her ring must often be removed

throughout the day.  Sure, she could wear the ring on a necklace while

at work - but what fun is that?  It needs to be on display, for the

whole world to see!

For the first six months of our engagement, Jennifer wore her ring to

work every day.  Aside from a couple of scares when she forgot that

she had put the ring in her pocket, it seemed that it would be okay to

wear at work without the risk of losing it.  For the first six

months...

Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 4:22 PM I received a text from

Jennifer.  It was not good news...The conversation played out as

follows:

As you can see, she took it pretty hard.  How was I to react?  Yeah,

the ring was expensive.  Yes, it would be a hassle to replace.  There

were so many things I could have gotten frustrated about.  I will

admit that at first I was a little frustrated by the news, but I took

a minute to think about it from her perspective.  I imagined that her

mind was going a mile a minute.  I knew she was upset, so what good

would it have done to come down on her and make her feel worse?

Nothing in this world is worth more to me than her trust in me, and I

was not about to berate her and make her feel as if she could not come

to me with problems and trust me to react with compassion.  I did my

best to comfort her, but she remained fairly distraught.

Thank God for insurance!  Not to out shine Aaron Rodgers and his

discount double check commercial, but let me tell you...State Farm was

absolutely amazing!  Big shout out to Susie Ricke and her staff for

helping us out and giving us such great service!  State Farm certainly

has us for life...

Within a matter of days, we were able to replace the symbol.  The

wonderful people at Shane Co. were kind enough to bring in diamonds from

their other locations for us to examine.  Granted we had no idea what

we were looking at through that jeweler's loop, but they made us feel

pretty good about everything.  Sure, the commercials are annoying, but

I really do feel like we have a friend in the diamond business...

I meant every word of what I said.  The ring was nothing compared to

what it symbolized; sure, the ring was lost, but our love was not.  My

heart is still sealed off from others, and I will still love no one

the way I love her.  No one will ever know me the way she knows me,

and I do not need a ring on her finger to know that.  She will always

be captivating.  I will always be drawn to her, and love her with a

jealous fervor.

Song of Solomon 4:9-11

9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;

  you have stolen my heart

with one glance of your eyes,

  with one jewel of your necklace.

10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!

  How much more pleasing is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your perfume

  more than any spice!

11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;

  milk and honey are under your tongue.

Jennifer: No matter what happens to the material items in our lives,

nothing in this world means more to me than you, your love, and your

trust in me.  I will never do anything to compromise our love.  I want

you to know that you have stolen my heart; I want you to know that my

heart is sealed off from all others.  Our love will shine on, like

that crazy diamond.

For Always...Bryan

Forever My Home

It has been several weeks (months?) since my last post.  Life has been busy.  Life has been great.  I can only hope that my handful of devoted readers and supporters are still around :)

In my formative years, I was blessed to have the opportunity to experience many different houses with my family.  My Dad had a bit of ADD when it came to housing...We moved a total of 6 times from the time I was born until I was 18, and no, my Dad was not a career military man.  Fortunately, we always stayed in the same general area of Indiana, and I only had to change schools once in 5th grade.  

I always enjoyed the experience of getting to know a new house, but one house in particular will always be my favorite.  It will forever be the house that comes to mind when I think of home.  I have more fond memories of this one particular house than any other.  Countless family events, sibling clashes, the barn with horses, the pasture, the gully, the pond, and the wide open freedom for my imagination to run wild as I acted out Indiana Jones or played the part of a ninja in the yard.  It was certainly an incredible place to grow up, and for that, I am thankful.

I love the fact that my Dad built this house with his bare hands.  In fact, family legend states that the logs for the house were delivered on the day I was born in June of 1983.  This fact, as well as the fact that Dad was the builder, made the house extra special for me. 

The house sat at the end of what I thought at the time to be the longest driveway in existence, and it only seemed longer when I started school and had to walk down to the bus.

In its original form, the house had four bedrooms and a bathroom on the top level, with the master, living room, dining room, family room, laundry room, and kitchen on the main level.  It was completely open on the inside, with two of the bedrooms upstairs overlooking the living room.  There was also an open view of the kitchen from the hallway upstairs.  The entire concept promoted togetherness.  It also allowed me to master spying on my sisters' boyfriends to insure they didn't get fresh with my sisters...

Eventually, my Dad added on a garage and four seasons room with a hot tub, as well as a patio.  Overall, the house had everything.  A wood burning stove, a wrap around porch with a view of the entire property, a treehouse with a rope swing on the pond.  On Sunday afternoons, I always looked forward to sitting on the porch with Dad as we shot snapping turtles in the pond with a .22 rifle.  Different times indeed.

There are far too many memories for me to list, but I will always remember feeling loved and safe in this house.  Our family of six spent time taking care of the two horses, one calf, and one pig we kept in the barn, but I am sure Dad probably did most of the work...My brother, Justin, and I would talk our laid back Uncle Don into playing catch with us as we sat on the roof of the house, just outside the windows on the front.  He would toss the ball up to us and wait for us to throw it or roll it back down.  We always looked forward to the times Aunt Dori and Uncle Don would come up from Alabama for a visit.

There may have also been an incident (or possibly several separate incidents) in which your's truly rode his big wheel across the front porch completely naked.  Only one such incident was confirmed on film, and I am sure the image will make an appearance during the slide show which will be shown at my and Jennifer's wedding in April.  You all now have something to look forward too...

I remember how we would watch Cosby together and eat home made pizza.  I remember how Grandma and Grandpa would come over and we would all play Rook for hours.  There were countless nights I spent at the dinner table asleep as I refused to drink my milk and was not allowed to get up until I did.  It turns out, warm milk is even worse...

The picture below is from Christmas of 1984 when I was one-and-a-half.  Apparently we managed to successfully assemble a gingerbread house.  Adrienne, the first born and Family Commander In Chief, is on the left, followed by Justin, the third born Know-it-All.  Erin, the second born Easy-Going Free-Spirit is next to him, and lastly, your's truly - the last born adorable little guy on the right. 

That wonderful picture was taken in the living room, which is pictured below.  My Aunt Dori recently came across the picture above in a keepsake box which belonged to my Mom's Mom, Nana.  It makes me smile to know that Nana treasured memories of her four grandkids in that house as much as I treasure the same memories.

It feels great to take a moment and reflect on such great memories.  I was, and continue to be, blessed with an amazing family.  I am further blessed to have the honor of marrying Jennifer and becoming part of another amazing family.  One of the most amazing things about Jennifer is the fact that she was raised with nearly identical values as I was, and that, I believe, is the basis of our connection.

As I look ahead in life and think about the future, I can only hope that I am able to provide for my family and create a home which my children can remember fondly.  I do happen to be the least handy man on Earth, so I do not believe I will be able to construct such an actual house as my Dad did.  Even if I cannot physically build my family a house, I will certainly provide for them the requisite love and faith needed to make it a home.

I will always remember the log house, and all the love my family shared for so many years there.