Happy Birthday Buck!

Happy Birthday you big lug.

 Can you believe it? You're 35! That's like, kind of old. Kind of. I mean if I said that to an 80 year old they would laugh but I met you when I was 21 so 35 feels kind of insane. But you've got some great grey hairs coming in and that must mean that it's time for us to truly grow up.

I hope you're feeling accomplished when you think back on your past 35 years. I mean, you've done a lot! You were BORN and learned to walk and eat food. You went to school, got your brother in lots of trouble, had a high school girl friend, drove a mustang, moved from state to state, found God, found me, and found yourself with FOUR crazy children that call you "daddy." And you've done a marvelous job at providing for us all in every way.

So to celebrate here's 35 things I hope will happen in the next 35 years:

1) Your hair will finish its silver transformation

2) We'll travel 

3) To Ireland

4) And the Maldives

5) Tanzania

6) Mostly that we'll go everywhere

7) And serve a senior mission together in Armenia

8) That we'll go skiing together

9) And perfect the recipe for chocolate chip cookies

10) We'll start our own little business, on the side anyway

11) And that you'll really get to make lots of things out of wood

12) And one day take up water color painting

13) We'll becoming a hard core back-backing-wilderness family

14) Maybe we can learn to pilot a hot air balloon together

15) And hike to base camp. Just base camp though

16) I think we should try out one more pet one day

17) And have the best emergency preparedness kits tucked away

18) Let's serve lots and lots of people

19) Continue Pizza-movie night together even when the kids are gone

20) Learn to grow lots of plants indoors and outdoors

21) And have the most impressive, weed free garden

22) I hope we start to hold hands again all the time once they aren't so busy with little kids

23) And that cuddling, winks, and pinches on the tush will be an astronomical number

24) We will have grandchildren

25) And so many printed photo albums

26) You will love your career but retire debt free by age 55 ;)

27) By then hopefully we will have been able to go on a trip into space

28) I like to say that nothing bad will happen but it will and I hope we find the good from all life's trials.

29) And really get a hold on our health and be super fit old people

30) We'll touch all the oceans and seas

31) Finish reading that F. Scott Fitzgerald book together

34) Have a hobby together

and

35) Finally find a game that we love to play together all of the time

Because, what more could you ever want out of this life, right?

 I love you. I've been around for 13 of your 35 years but also I'm in this for forever so that means no beginning or end so I think that's why it's feels like I've always known you. It wouldn't be a true love letter if I didn't end it with a sappy line, right? I hear that 35 year olds appreciate that kind of stuff. ;) I also hear that they really love seeing a bunch of photos of themselves from the past year.

Happy Birthday Buck!