the happenings

1. i learned how to ride a bike before my sister (3 yrs my senior) did. she negates this claim
2. i used to have one of THESE when i was a kid. shoulder pads and all! i wore it one thanksgiving to the park in beaumont. a girl asked me if i really played for the cowboys. i told her yes.
3. i’m OCD about how cables are rolled, but you should see my room at home.
4. i had more surgeries before the age of 18 than some people have in their lifetime
5. i absolutely hate mornings. that includes everything up to 11am.
6. i once sliced myself in the shin with a golf club, even though i swung at a tree limb, out of anger
7. i used to find my birthday/christmas presents early. sometimes it happened before they were wrapped. one time i found a bike in the bathroom before i was supposed to get it.
8. my idea of good lunch is a deli soup/sandwich
9. i get nervous about speaking in front of 10 people, but not when i’m involved in production in front (or behind) thousands of people.
10. i’ve never had a “real job,” i always have done some sort of production work. i’d be terrible at customer service, or a desk job.
11. i once mowed an old lady neighbor’s yard for money. she fired me. for no reason
12. i like to fly. on airplanes.
13. i once heard jingle bells of reindeer on my roof, no lie.
14. my first recollection of live music was either a 4 him, point of grace, greg long, and jaci velasquez show or michael w. smith on the ‘i’ll lead you home’ album at a franklin graham deal. i cant remember which one was first.
15. i almost died by riding my bicycle off of a cliff, in an attempt to impress a girl and show her how cool i was/am.
16. i hate to read.
17. i was a cub scout, partly because my grandfather was an eagle scout. i didn’t make it past cub scouts
18. during a little league game i asked my dad for a powerade because all the other kids’ parents bought them one. he said “hit a home run and i’ll get you one.” the next at bat i hit an inside the park homerun. he bought me a mountain blast powerade with the sport top. i never hit another home run.
19. i’ve been to 13 states. i’d like to visit every one
20. in lousy-ana we had school district-wide art contests. i never won. not even honerable mention
21. today i turned 21

credit where credit is due-tony morgan for the idea to write this, mom and dad and Jesus for making this day possible, and lasalle parish school system for keeping me and my art humble.

although today isn’t is as celebratory as i would like. today i will get 2 less ‘happy birthdays’ than i did  this time last year. every year for as long as i can remember, my nana (dads mom) has sent me a birthday card, sometimes with money, but she always called me the day of. roger (bro-in-law’s dad) also always made a point to text or call me the day of. needless to say, i miss both of them like crazy, and frankly i miss being able to share life with my 4 grandparents.

i’m incredibly grateful to be able to share today with my mom and dad. they’ve sacrificed so much for me, and i thank God everyday for them. i love you mom and dad, and i’m proud of you!

today i’m older, wiser, and of course better looking. i’m grateful for the things i’ve accomplished, the places i’ve been, and for the people i’ve had the opportunity to do life with. i wouldn’t change a thing, and i definitely look forward to seeing how God’s going to use me the rest of the journey.

cheers