Thirty Two Years of You

 "...I hope you don't mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you're in the world" (Your Song, Elton John)

Love you Babe! You are simply the best.

A few old pics as a trip down memory lane to celebrate Brian's birthday! This is a debut of sorts...the first time we've ever seen any pictures of Brian as a child on the blog! (We don't have any...so thank you to his Mom & Dad for scanning them in for us to use/see!)

Brian at 5 years old, with little sister Lauren

Not sure of his exact age, but he looks about 3? He's a cutie!!

I know this was one of his most memorable days! With his favourite team, the New York Mets

I see so much of our kids in him!

I see Grey in his profile!

Maybe around 9 years old here?

Sweet boy. He looks like he was really good, with those angelic eyes, but I know he was a bit of a trouble maker too!

This one was tagged with "1995"...which would make him sixteen. Haha, he's probably more like 10, tops, right?

It's us!

I wouldn't say that Brian has aged since I've known him (we met in 1998) but...in seeing these...maybe he has! Haha. Mostly, I think it's just that short hair makes him look like an 18 year old.

In 2004, right before we moved to Virginia!

He knows I love cowboys! First and only (probably ever) shot of him in a hat!

See what I mean about the hair? Somehow it makes him look more mature, and less like a teen. (Aging him significantly in just one year!) He knows I love his hair on the longer side, so he does his best to keep me happy. That boy is all about his hair. A loss of hair tragedy would rank among the worlds greatest losses I'm sure (well, to ME anyway:-).

In my brother Jared's wedding in 2005. We were expecting Kenna in just a few short months!

With the next generation of our family. I can see in these pics, that the only thing Grey got from my genes is a rounder face!

Brian is the perfect man for me. He is very intelligent, sarcastic, articulate, full of {sometimes crazy} ideas, a great Daddy & husband. He is a great listener, an exceptional friend, and can do his share of talking too. (I like to call him Chatty Cathy, when we're trying to GO somewhere, and he's still talking away!...and he calls me anti-social, lol!). He's kind and considerate, and gives of himself/his time to pretty much anyone who asks him for help. Being from an immigrant family, he has a soft spot for hardworking people, looking for a better life. He's got a lot of virtues...lots for us to be proud of!

He's a student of the Word. He does not blindly accept anything he hears. He weighs it out carefully against Scripture, not against man's theories. If it's in the Bible, he believes it, without excuse, ignoring or "wishing away" a particular thought that seems to contradict. Yet he is very patient with those who don't do the same/hold much different doctrinal views. Patient is not even the right word...basically, he accepts people for where they are in life and in their spiritual walk. There is no condemnation. He likes to see people grow and change, in a positive direction. He will be the first to acknowledge that every one always thinks they are right, and seldom is that the case, entirely. He is able to "when in Rome", without compromise (not always easy). He values a clear conscience, and is committed to showing deference and respect at great personal inconvenience. These are just some of the things I admire greatly about him.

He has wisdom and maturity that extend beyond his 32 years. He also hates high praise, so I'll shut up before he figures out how to commandeer my blog and deletes this! The end of my little birthday tribute:-) But for the record, I love you Brian! I'd rather spend 5 minutes with you than 100 years with anybody else. I'm very glad to celebrate another year of your life!

One day, riding in the car (before we were married), we were talking about how couples have "a song", and we didn't have a song. We stopped for gas as I'll Be came on the radio. We both said "I love this song". Jinx! This was it! It's our song. If only because of the pure coincidence of the whole thing:-), and the other little fact that trying to find another song that matched both of our preferred musical genres was nigh unto impossible. So it's stuck:-)

"...I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life..." (I'll Be, Edwin McCain)