Party Month 2017 #4

Sarah turns 17 today! And I've been celebrating her life and its change upon me since 2000--and on my various digital platforms since 2005.

So I sit down and wonder what else there is to say? But she is always becoming something new and teaching me something else from her point of view. There is always that to look forward to.

Sarah is getting ready, in earnest, to leave her childhood and start making her way on her own. One more year of high school ahead and then big changes are coming for us all. We don't know the answers to all of those questions yet. But I grow more confident that she is equipping herself to handle that world.

And I hope she comes home occasionally.

Happy birthday to my favorite Sarah! I am proud of who you are.

Party Month 2017 #3: XXII

Rye Beach, Huron, Ohio

Last night I posted this image on Facebook. And I meant it as a joke, playing off the idea of look how much Lynda has changed since we first got married 22 years ago! (Because, you know . . . she's Iron Man now . . . )

But I got paranoid and worried that people would take it the wrong way and interpret it to mean that boy, how has our relationship changed and I wasn't prepared for this when we got married 22 years ago!

That ISN'T what I meant. But, let's be honest. It is still a true statement.

My 24-year-old self couldn't (and definitely didn't) know what lay ahead for him more than two decades after July 8, 1995. At the time, he was more focused on walking down the aisle to what was in front of him without tripping or looking foolish. But even with the future an unknowable thing, he need not have worried. As long as he reached his destination at the end of that church aisle, beside that altar, the rest would work itself out.

And that HAS been true.

Come what may, having Lynda beside me has made it all better, has made the harder times bearable, has made the joyful times even more joyful. Our family is all that I ever imagined for myself and it has given me more than I knew I wanted. And it all comes from saying "I do" 22 years ago today.

I did.
I do.
I will.

I love you. I thank you.
Happy anniversary Lynda--my love, my friend.

Party Month 2017 #2

Happy birthday to Lynda--our second installment in the month-long series of celebrations that I call Party Month.

I've been fortunate enough to know Lynda for almost thirty years now and I've written about how amazing she is in the past. So, I have to be honest and say that I am sitting here trying to come up with something new to praise her for and I've struggling to avoid repeating myself. But those qualities that I have celebrated in the past remain true now.

Lynda is a wonderful friend and a great wife; she's a fantastic mom and an excellent partner. She's a dedicated and hard-working colleague. She's so great, you run out of ways to explain it. If you know her, you already know what I mean.

I know I've said this before, but this definitely bears repeating at least once a year. Meeting and marrying Lynda was (hands down) the best decision I ever made.

I love her and am glad to enjoy a bit of her reflected glory.

Here is hoping you have a wonderful birthday and that you find a bit of time to relax and reflect on what makes you so special to me and to everyone else who knows and loves you.

Party Month 2017 #1

It is the end of June, and that means that the Martin family has entered another Party Month. First up--as always--is Grace's birthday (which occurred this pas Monday while we were on vacation in Huron, Ohio on the banks of Lake Erie).

Grace is now 14 and is preparing to become a freshman in high school.

This summer she's been mostly occupied with getting prepared for her first year of marching band. She is going to play bass drum 2 (the second smallest) in the percussion battery. As is true of everything she does, Grace is working hard and accepts from herself nothing but the best performance. Her expectations for herself are high--and she is facing a bit of a learning curve as we gets used to marching for the first time (not to mention doing so with a heavy drum strapped to your upper body).

But I have no doubt that, given time, she'll be showing others how to do it right.

Grace, in other aspects of life, is doing her thing with determination and confidence. She is growing in her political awareness and her personality is changing to match. Get ready for an ear-full if you disagree with her on political or social topics. She'll be polite (to you at least--if not always to me), but she's not going to back down from her opinion and she won't hesitate to let you know what she thinks. All great qualities to have and I am extremely proud of her.

Socially, she has maintained her friendships with a strong group of middle school friends--a rarity in my limited experience. These girls have remained tight through all of the ups and downs of those most difficult school grades and I am happy that she transitions to high school with a reliable set of old friends, while beginning to meet some new band friends for the HS years ahead.

In short, Grace is awesome and only gets better as the years go by. I am so very, very proud of who she is and what she is becoming. It's great fun being around her and watching her grow.

Happy (belated) fourteenth birthday to you Grace. And thanks for kicking off another Party Month in style!

Introducing #HatofSummer 2017

If it is spring, then it must be time to vote for the Official Hat of Summer for 2017. Please watch the video below to see what your five choices for 2017 are.

A few things to note:

1. You may vote for the #HatofSummer with the poll that I mention near the end of the video. (When I mention the poll, look for the clickable banner to appear and unfurl in the top right of the video. When you click on that banner, the poll will appear.)

2. If that is hard to do--or if you are watching the video on a cell phone (where these items are not touch-functional), there is a separate link in the video "dooby-doo"--that spot below the video screen where informational text is displayed. That link will take you to a Survey Monkey poll that allows you to vote there for one of the five #OfficialHat2017 options.
You can also click here to go to that poll.

3. If you have no previous experience with my #HatofSummer video campaigns, you can click here to see the full playlist of previous #HatofSummer efforts.

I do mean it when I say that I want you to share this year's #HatofSummer video. Post it on your own Facebook page. Tweet it out. Put it on Tumblr. Let other people know. The more votes, the more fun.

You can vote as many times as you like! Stuff the ballot for the hat of your choice.

Here is this year's choices: