Happy Thanksgiving

Among the chaos and confusion of November, I thought it would be nice to sit down and write some nice words about some of the things I am truly thankful for this Thanksgiving.

• I am thankful for my family. My wife Darlene and our four incredible kids (and the crazed dog) have made my life so rich over the last three years. I still can't believe that my life has changed as much as it has. Darlene, I am so happy and proud to be your husband and I am so thankful that you have stuck around through all the craziness and kept me straight. I love you.
  
  
• Steven, Jewel, Jessica, and Sage, I love you all so much and I am so glad I get the chance to be your dad. I know I am too hard on you guys sometimes and I will promise to try and do better. I always wanted a family and with you guys beside me, that's what I have. I love all of you.
  
  
• Gracie, you're an insane doggy clown. You lick me too much sometime, but I'm glad you're part of our family. I love you.
  
  
• I am thankful for my parents and my in-laws. Darlene's folks are with us today, and my parents are crossing the Panama Canal on their cruise. I'm thankful that they're all young enough and energetic enough to travel and experience the world in their own way. I love all of you.
  
  
• I'm thankful that we have found a church to guide us and give our kids a path to walk on. The Shirey kids decided last night that they wanted to give their hearts to Jesus. That was such a huge step for them to take and I think it reflects the maturity that they have gained by being part of such a vibrant church community. Darlene and I continue to enjoy Christmas choir, and I am so glad that we are able to go each week. To my church family, I love you as well.
  
  
• Finally, I'm thankful that we all have our health, that Darlene and I have good jobs, and that we all have each other. It's been a wonderful three years. There have been ups and downs, but at the end of the day our lives are all so much better than they would have been otherwise because we are able to share our lives with each other.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in 2008.

November birthdays (and other business)

I told you last week about Darlene and I joining the Christmas choir at church (I haven't decided if I want to sing in the regular choir or not). We practiced again last night after church. It went well. We had four men there and five or six women. It's a good group of people with a good mix of vocal ranges. On top of all that, the songs are a lot of fun to sing. I think it's going to be a good time.

I also want to correct some omissions from my blog the last few days. Last Thursday (November 6) was Jewel and Jessica's birthday. Tuesday (November 11) was my mom's birthday. I should have mentioned these at the time and I didn't. I was so caught up in NaNoing and blogging about NaNoing that I forgot about those important birthdays. Today (November 13) was another important birthday--it was Darlene's mom's birthday. Our moms were born two days apart in the same year. I think that's kind of cool. To you four wonderful ladies, Happy Birthday from your stepdad/son/son-in-law. I love you all, and I'm very glad to have you around. I hope your next year is as full of wonder and joy as your last one was.