Dont forget old acquaintance, appreciate them!

I am sorry, I know it has been a while since I have posted.  I actually have gotten a lot of emails asking about where I have been.  There has been a lot going on, and I have tossed around my next blog for a week a so.  I have written, rewritten, started over on it a few times.

First, let me say it was a wonderful Christmas. You probably expected me to have written a blog about it by now, but Im not going to.  That doesn't mean it wasn't great, it was.  It was amazing to have so many that I love here with us.  We missed Patrick and his crew, but it made us happy that he was happy.  Even if he was far away.  I actually don't want to write much about Christmas, this one I  want to keep to myself.  It was special  However, I will share one aspect of it.  As we gathered around the dinner table on Christmas night, we all expected my F-I-L to give a speech at his table.  He is a man of many words, it was a speech that Lombardi would be proud of for sure.  With all of us hanging on to the anticipation of what he would say, so much so that you could cut the tension with a knife, Pop leans over and says "super." That was it.

Brooke and I later went to Birmingham to see an old friend.  My old friend has found himself someone he is going to marry. We couldn't be happier for the both of them.  Sam was a big part of our family for a short period of time, and we have done a pretty good job keeping up with each other since we moved to different parts of the world.  Congrats, Sam- we all wish you the best.

That brings me to tonight, NYE.  Lots of people don't like NYE, and I have never been a big partier on this night.  Regardless, I love NYE and I never knew why, until today.  I remember being in the 7th grade and sleeping over at a friends house (God rest his soul).  He was having a bunch of us guys over, and I wanted to call my parents at midnight to wish them Happy New Year!   For the record, I was the only one who called his parents.  Well, Mom answered the phone, and its safe to say she wasn't in a festive mood.  I think she had been asleep for a couple of hours. I learned to never call them again on NYE, that's fine.  BUT EVERY YEAR my mother calls around dinner time and says "don't call at midnight, we will be asleep," yadda yadda yadda.  I get it Mom, 20 years later you don't have to worry about me calling.  To be honest, its funny.  I am proud of myself that I got off the phone tonight in such a hurry that she didn't have time to remind me not to call.  Brooke thinks I should.  She said not only should I call, I should bang pots and pans.  I will explain that on another blog.

A bonus tonight was that Brooke and I got to go see a move.  She can't remember the last movie she saw with me.  We went to go see "This is 40."  Loved the movie, loved it.  There was so much of my life in the movie.

1) At one point the father is arguing with his wife and daughters (who all teamed up on him) and he looks at them and says "sometimes I wish that one of you had a d*ck!"  I totally can relate.
2) The couple is finding it hard to keep the passion alive in their relationship due to..... life.
3) Some of their arguments are verbatim to ones we have had.  It was actually reassuring to me that apparently we are not alone.
4) He farts in bed
5) The soundtrack is great.  

In the end, they realized how much they love and need each other.  If they stopped trying to change the things they don't like about each other and appreciate the things that they love, their relationship is freer.    These past few weeks have been good for me, for all us. Being around Brooke, having some time just to ourselves, has helped me remember why she is so special.  I took her to see "Knocked up" when we were pregnant with Reagan.  We saw "the sort of sequel to KU" as we enter our 10th year of marriage. We have come a long way, and Brooke has been an inspiring partner in my life. As we flip the page to a new year, I am excited of what is to come with us, and I look forward to having more alone time out with her.

But I love NYE, and I read a quote today that really summed it up.  It hit home with me on why I love this day. "An optimist stays up till midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."

So, as I sit here at my in-laws house, I find myself in a state of deep contemplation.  Ive loved the trip down here,  as I always do.  I think about the changes and the great things that have happened this year, and I am excited to see what the new year brings.  We have one more hour (CST) before 2013.  I will sit awake and watch the ball drop (alone).   I may not have anyone to kiss tonight, but tomorrow I will have plenty of girls to kiss.  That's fine by me.  Brooke is happier when she sleeps- that will make us all happier.

I hope you have reflected on your past today, and I hope that you are excited about your future.  In the end, I couldn't have said it better, Pop- "super!"

Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.