Happy Birthday Uncle Jim!

Sure its a day late, but it still counts!  Doesn't it seem like birthdays are coming along much faster than they use to?  When did we start getting old?

In honor of your birthday, I wanted to share with my blogging family one of my favorite pics of us.  Sure I could go on all day about you high water pants (nice socks by the way), or my rockin' jeans, or our amazing hair...but I will let the picture speak for itself.  Who let their kids go out like this?

Thanks for being my big bro.  Sure I prayed and prayed for a sister growing up but God knew what I needed.  You have truly been blessed with the amazing ability to share our God with others and I hope that your dream of writing a book one day will happen sooner than later.  The world needs to hear what you have to share and in only the amazing way that you can.  It's no accident that you have the ability to talk in stories and to share the word in a way that makes people feel they are the only ones in the room with you.  You are one of the greats and I am proud to say I know you before you become all big and famous!

Now, enough stroking your ego.  Your still that same brother that called me in the back yard giving me the false hope that our neighborhood friends, of ALL boys, had finally decided to let me play...only to slide a ball into your pitching machine and have it hit me square upside the shnozz!  And you are also the same brother that use to scream at me when all I wanted to do was cheer on your make believe team you were coaching in your room (we have proof of that on tape).  And the same brother that use to crawl in bed with me during storms or after seeing "Faces of Death" for the 100th time.  

But you are also the brother that let me be your song leader/closing pray"er" for our church services.  And you let me partake of the elements at home well before my time.  And you shared in my hatred of picking strawberries and tending to that God forsaken garden (sorry mom).  And you were that brother that let me hang out with your hot friends when yall were in high school and I was still that awkward Jr. High girl with braces.  Your that brother that also picked me up in the halls at school and made the biggest deal out of me getting homecoming in front of all those cool friends of yours.  You were also that brother that made me love Sports Center, not knowing one day my knowledge of who Charlie Steiner was would make my future husband fall in love with me.  You are also the brother that I have always been able to call no matter how distant at the moment we feel from each other and feel like you are right there with me.  You are the only one who truly knows and can relate to how I was raised and where I come from.  You are my safety net and I am so proud to call you my brother!  (Random I know but its your birthday and all!)

We hope you had a wonderful birthday and can't wait to see you next week and get a much needed updated picture.  

We Love You!  Mel, Ryan KG & EE