Thursday, November 26, 2009

Things I am thankful for . . .

My family - at the risk of "overkill", I absolutely LOVE my family (I know, I know, I say that in nearly every blog and column, but when you know you've got something great, you want to scream it from the mountaintops). When I say family, I mean my wife, Heather, who is the most incredible person I have ever met. My children, Jackson and Chloe, who never let a day go by without an adventure or a memorable moment. My mom and dad. My extended family, my in-laws - who defy all stereotypes about in-laws, and my brother - Sam - who has provided with a never ending list of stories from our childhood - and his family Loren (who I notoriously spell her name), and their children - Owen, and Aili (probably killed the spelling of her name as well - which leads me to being thankful for a FORGIVING family).

My Dog - Tucker. I've always owned and loved dogs, but Tucker is special to our family and despite all of his attempts to shed his doglike nature and applying a petition to be recognized as a human, we love him as the family dog nonetheless.

Diet Coke - I know it probably keeps weight on that I would be better of losing, but I LOVE Diet Coke - we all have to have our vices, right?

Pizza . . . scrambled eggs, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, french fries, french toast (who said the french never did anything right), biscuits, mexican food in general, but burritoes have a special spot in my belly (especially from Moe's), and on this special Thanksgiving - Pumpkin Pie. The comment attached to Diet Coke (about weight loss) probably applies here as well, but I LOVE food!

Bikes - how can a simple two wheeled mode of transportation take the weight of the world off of my shoulders? I don't know, but I love to ride.

Superman - he stands for all that is right, how can you argue against that?

The Penguins of Madagascar - I have never been a big cartoon fan, but with a three year old son you don't have a choice and these guys crack me up - wait for it . . . wait for it . . .

Teaching - I have been priveleged to teach at two local higher education institutions as adjunct faculty and I just LOVE it! Not sure I could ever do it full time, but I really enjoy being in front of a class of bright, energetic young adults that are interested in learning and sharing what limited knowledge I may have on a particular subject, in this case it is the law and nonprofits.

Friends - I could spend the next 10 pages listing the people I am thankful for in my life and still forget somebody, so rather than risk that, I'll just say I feel like Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life (at the end of the movie, not the part where he is considering suicide)!

Lastly and most importantly - GOD. His grace has saved me despite my absolutely treacherous record of missing his guidance. When people ask me, "how are you doing?", I usually answer, "better than I deserve!" and that is absolutely 100% true. I don't deserve salvation, I don't deserve my blessings, I haven't earned any of it, but I am more thankful than I could ever possibly express!

And if you are one of the two or three people that actually read this blog - I am thankful for you as well. Stay tuned, 2010 is already a big year with a few BIG announcements, adventures, and major changes already in play.

As they say in the peloton, keep the rubber side down!

Thank you all!

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