OMgoodness everyone.

What a week!

We survived the snowmageddon (bug) of a lifetime.

No lie it was some of the coldest temperatures that Texas has ever seen. Not only that, the freezing cold and snow covered the entire state!

Many people went without power for days at a time. Water pipes freezing and leaking in people homes became a problem. Some cities even ended up with boil notices because of water sanitation issues.

But here’s the thing. We never lost power during the entire ordeal! Sure it was drafty here and there, but overall we stayed snug and warm.

Our struggle came because – I kid you not – we all passed around an awful stomach bug during the entire ordeal.

H got pale and feverish. K started throwing up. Mom started throwing up. T got pale and sick. I gloated that I was going to survive it unscathed. And then I got sick right along with everyone else.

I wished we had spent more time playing in the snow and building fires and being silly, but I’m just glad we all survived.

Valentine’s Day 2021 was for the birds.

But I’m glad I got to spend it with you.

I love you.

-Dad

Ok, so I turned 40 yesterday.

I feel like I should say something pithy and profound about it, but I feel at a bit of a loss.

The small view of it is that it’s just another day.

We each only get so many days here – whatever that number is – and this was simply one of them ticking off the calendar.

In a larger context, I could extrapolate and say that my life is (approximately – and on average) half over.

But that misses much nuisance too. Right?

I mean, I could live to 100. Or, I could die tomorrow.

In that context, I think the decades fade away and time is increasingly relative and three-dimensional.

For the now, I want to remember going to the movies and watching The Croods: A New Age to celebrate.

We rented out the entire theater and invited the Daves to come along. We spread out all over the place and didn’t worry about being inappropriate.

I want to remember ordering chicken fried steak for lunch and mom making me pancakes for dinner.

And I want to remember blowing out the candles on the birthday cake that you girls made for me. The light from the trick candles popped and danced in your eyes and we all laughed when they kept faring back up.

I want to remember the look of anticipation on your faces as I opened my gifts (a pie and a t-shirt) and they way K exclaimed “Is that all you got?”

I can’t wait for so many more years with you.

We have a millions things to do.

Just know that I love you, and God loves you, and you are wonderfully and perfectly made.

I love you.

-Dad