Half-a-Century + One

Happy birthday, Greg!

I know that my blog is generally written to our kids, but this one's for you!

So far, for our kids' birthdays, I have been trying to remember and share with them about the day they were born. Since I wasn't there for that event in your life, though we were only a few hours drive from each other, I thought I'd try with this 51 year old brain to remember about our beginnings.

Easy...18 years old...first day of college at Westmont...all Page residents together downstairs...I saw you...fell in love...you didn't...waited a long five years...we started dating!!! Yep...patience...It paid off!

Strange to think that we have known each other for 33 years! And, we have been married over half of our lives! And, I wouldn't trade you, our years together, our struggles, our joys for anything!

You, Greg Wright, are the most amazing person I have ever known. You are far from perfect, and, I know you will take that as the compliment it is meant to be. :-) I have great respect for you, and I love so many things about you! I have never known anyone who loves their work (maybe it shouldn't even be called that) as much as you do! And, that whole learning thing, where you try to explain frontal cerebral cortex firing to me??? And, the way you love, encourage, build up, challenge our children! And, how you can't talk about Ali without getting choked up. And, how you seem to burst at the seams when you talk about Gregory! And, how you and Nick study Jesus together every Thursday morning, and both of you love it and look forward to it! And, how you rearrange our furniture so you and our boys can sit outside, watch soccer on TV and smoke cigars. And, how you never give me weird looks when I wiggle all around and can't sit still for very long and "squirrel" and steal all the covers and spend too much money on clothes and don't know what's for dinner until 6 o'clock every night and don't initiate sex enough. Stuff like that. You are loyal, stable, reliable, trustworthy, hard working, lots of fun, super sexy, and you have a great butt! You are an amazing husband, friend, boss, walking buddy, life partner!

But, the thing I am most thankful for about you is your love of Jesus Christ! He is so obviously central to your life. You have abandoned yourself to Him, and that effects everything! Our times together in the morning are precious moments! I love how we are quiet as we read, then one of us will say, "Can I just read this to you?" or "Have you ever thought about...?" or "Listen to this cool verse" or "What's for breakfast?" ;-) I love that we share Jesus in our lives together!

So, Greg, happy 51st birthday! How fun that we get to celebrate YOU today! You are the love of my life, and I look forward to as many years as God allows us together...celebrating...just doing life together!

oxo~Me

ps~I LOVE it when you catch up to me every year! It's always a long 3 weeks.