So, yesterday I turned 26 years old.  Let me say that I went to bed the night before anything but excited.  I’m not big on (my) birthdays.  It’s not that they aren’t cool, and… who doesn’t like the attention.  It’s just that in the last 26 years, I only have good memories of a handful of them.  So, I don’t ever really have high expectations.  Let me say, even if I did have high expectations, yesterday would have blown them out of the water.  So, here is my recap.

I woke up around 6:30 am to the sound of my wife’s voice. I was very confused, I guess I was in a deep deep sleep.  When I opened my eyes, Andrea is standing there with eggs, Sausage, french toast and a side of syrup. (morning gravy)   Wow.  Off to a great start.  I ate it quickly, still wondering if I was dreaming, got up to  kiss my wife, and she left for work.  I hopped in the shower and did my morning routine to head in to work.

Work was good.  Only one person said happy birthday, which is fine by me.  I like being low key, and I don’t expect every person to memorize the day I was born as something special.  It’s silly to think co-workers would do that anyway.  At work, I’m really busy, and I start to fall behind on several projects I have going.  One of them is one of the few I have with a deadline.  I plugged in my iPod.  Turned on Jack Johnson and hacked away.  And before I knew it, I was ahead of schedule!  That pretty much rocked.

Around 11:30 (A total guess)  I was working away and I hear someone approaching my cubicle.  That’s pretty normal, so I turn down my music, and look to see who is coming.  Who else walks around the corner but Andrea! (Who is supposed to be at work)  I was shocked, confused and surprised.  The last person I expected to see at that moment was her.

She informed me that I was being kidnapped for the day and we were playing hookie.  Sweet!  So, I packed up my stuff, and hopped in her car, not knowing what to expect next, or where we were going.  Our first destination was an Indian restaurant, with an all you can eat lunch buffet! I should go ahead and say, my favorite style of food is Indian so this was AWESOME to me!   I ate until my pants didn’t fit, and off we went….. slowly.   Then we went to Dave and Busters.  There is always a little kid in me who wants to see how many tickets I can win.  I know it’s a little weird, but I love winning tickets.  I love it.  And, what better way/time to win tickets than with your lovely wife, on a day you should be at the office working?

We played silly gimmicky games, and “Deal or No Deal” several times, along with ski ball, basketball, trivia, and air hockey. And, for the first time in Andy/Andrea history, Andrea beat me at air-hockey.  I would like to say that I have several excuses for why she beat me, but the fact is, she won.  Fair and square.

After that, we headed home.  (I was tired)  When we got home, I smell nothing but the suh-weet aroma of homemade chili.  Let me say, I am a chili expert.  I eat chili as often as possible (Ask anyone) and my wife makes the absolute best chili in the world.  It was only about 3:15, so we didn’t eat.  Instead, we turned on the T.V. and sat on the floor and played Super Mario 3 on my nintendo.  We did that for about 30 minutes then hopped up on to the couch and dozed off for an hour or so.  What a relaxing/fun afternoon.

around 6, I woke up, we ate the chili, and let me say, it was the best of the best.  Man.  I don’t know how she sneaks all of that flavor into one little crock pot, but, MAN, is it good.

After that, we hung out, watched Wheel of Fortune and jeopardy.  Decided we wanted coffee so to Starbucks we went.  (I had a gift card, and we didn’t have cream, so we decided to not make the coffee)  When we got home from Starbucks, we watched what was left of Ugly Betty.  Then we watched Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and snuggled up in the bed.

I’ll leave my super sweet 26, right there.  But, all in all it was a full, fantastic awesome birthday.  By far the best birthday I have ever had.  And it’s all thanks to my beautiful wife.  Head over to her site, and give her some love.. (Oh, and congratulate her on her air hockey victory… I don’t anticipate her winning again.)

I was telling Andrea yesterday that when I was younger, I honestly did not plan on living past 20.  Every action I took and every decision I made was on the thought that I was going to be dead by 20.  I wasn’t planning on offing myself when the day came, I just assumed that my lifestyle didn’t really have room for more than two decades.  I knew that how I was living was going to kill me, and I was ok with that.

I told her that every year past 20, I considered ‘bonus years’.  Years that I had never planned on living.  Today is my 6th bonus year. This year is a little different for me, because now, I am not only living, I have a life!  I have a wife that loves me, I have a family that cares, and I have friends that seem to give a crap.

Days like today, I do one of two things.  I look back on my life, and think about how I haven’t really done that much with my life. (Ultimately I realize I am only XX years old, and that my life has been SO full by now that most of the stories from my life I tell, people don’t believe.)  Or, I sit down and really praise God.  I mean, REALLY praise him.  I was not supposed to live past 20.  It wasn’t in my game book.  I have died.  My heart has stopped.  More than once.  I have been to the slums, lived there, been at rock bottom.

Jesus Christ came down, picked me up and pulled me out.  Jesus Christ was my intervention.  Because of Him, I am living my 6th bonus year.  Because of Him I sit here this morning, not just worried about being 26 but I actually think about when I turn 30 and 40 and 50.  I think about my children, and my children’s children.  I think about spending the rest of my life with a beautiful woman.  I think about living, I think about serving, I think about HIM.

Today, on my 26th.  I am not going to get down on myself because I haven’t done this, or I haven’t done that.  Today, on my 26th, I am going to move forward to live a life of serving Jesus Christ with my whole being.  Today I am going to celebrate the life that He has given me, (and it is a BEAUTIFUL life.) Today, I am going to look forward to serve.  Today, I am going to appreciate every heartbeat, every breath, and every thing, good or bad that happens.  This life is in ‘bonus years’.  I am not going to sit around and waste any more of them.

Thank you Jesus for saving me.  Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you! I love you God!

Amen!

• The more I look around, read blogs, talk to people, the more cynical I get.
• I read about my friends, and get judgmental.
• I have a hard time praying for the people I am judging.
• I have a hard time having trust in people.
• In the morning, when I get ready, I listen to worship music. By noon, I’m not acting most of that worship out at all.
• I have been so focused on pointing at others lately, I have taken little to no time to really focus on me.
• I have a hard heart, and am filled with just as much anger and judgment as the people I say piss me off.
• I feel guilty about all of this…… Most of the time.
• I feel like I am really a bad friend.

There.  Those are my struggles.  Since I can’t seem to bring myself to pray about this stuff, maybe you can.  Do you have a list?  Post it as a comment, and maybe together we can pray through this stuff and grow together.  Maybe in this life we need this kind of stuff.  Maybe we all need each other a lot more than we like to admit.  So.. Let’s get started.

I’ll blog on my thoughts later.  But, can I just say that today, if I’m doing this right, you can watch the inauguration right here.  SO!  If you’re at work and can’t get to cnn.com or something, thank me later. I also embedded a chat box on the site so if you so desire, you can join in praying for our new president. I know typing doesn’t always get the point across. I’ll be here. Will you join me?

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Let me say, that over the last 6 months or so, I have met some pretty cool people.  Not at the grocery store, not at a bar, not even at my church.  But right here online.  I was talking to Andrea about it last night, and I was telling her how amazing I thought it was.  I have met people who I really connect with.  People who really care and really share the same ideas as me. (For the most part…. hehe)  We can agree on a lot of things and for the ones we can’t, we can agree to disagree.

Right now, I’m just amped that I have a group of people who will hold me accountable.  Ask me serious questions about my relationship with Jesus Christ, and pray for me.  A group of people who can come to me and share their troubles and can ask me to pray for them, and a group of people who love God and love people as much as I try to.  The best part, a group of people who are broken, rough, people who don’t have all the answers, but live every day trying to better themselves.

It’s great.  I have a brotherhood.

It’s pretty insane.  So, anyway, today, I wanna say thank you guys.  It’s been a crazy bumpy road since we have all met, and you have all offered advice, prayers, and just… support.  It means a lot.  So… here’s to my ‘internet friends’.