A Very Special Birthday

In my family there are a couple of birthdays that are celebrated each year with just as much joy and fanfare as the days we were born. One of them is Christmas Day, when we celebrate Jesus coming to earth. Every year for as long as I can remember as a child we made a birthday cake for Jesus, and sang him the happy birthday song. The cake was always red velvet, and we jockeyed for the perfect position to be the one who blew out the candle first.

The other one is today. The 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Happy Birthday Marines!! November 10th has been a special day in our house as long as I can remember. I was born into celebrating this birthday with a dad who joined the Corps several years before I arrived on the scene. The military life is all I have ever known, and I love it. I love the celebrations, the toughness of Marines, the camaraderie and the tradition, the Marine Corps family, the adventures, the balls, the uniforms (nothing finer than guys in those uniforms!), the ingrained values of courage, honor and commitment, and the prestige of being a small part of one of the greatest fighting forces on the planet.

My dad chose this life in May of 1980, and for the next 31 years served our nation as a United States Marine. Even though he is now retired from active duty, he will never stop being a Marine. The same is true of our family – you can take the family out of the Corps, but there is no taking the Corps out of the family, especially not this one. Just come to our house sometime and you’ll see. There is something special about Marines, something you only truly understand when you are a part of the Corps. I really don’t think I can put it into words. Dad was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant right out of college and then married my mom 2 weeks later. They immediately moved across the country from Arizona to Quantico, Virginia, and thus the adventure began. With duty stations following in Georgia, Arizona, Japan, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Northern Virginia (it really is like a different state up there), we definitely racked up our fair share of addresses, friends and adventures in those years.

I am so proud of my dad, and consider it an honor and privilege to be a part of both of these families. My dad, my grandfather, and so many other men and women I know have given their lives to ensure that we can be free. Freedom is not free, and I am thankful for their service and their sacrifice. It was not always an easy life, but it was full, and it was ours.

Thanks, dad. Semper Fi, and Happy Birthday!

Assuming Command of MALS-29 in Jacksonville, NC

Matt and my first Marine Corps ball in November 1998

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the early days....love the short shorts and the knee socks.

The new "major" dad

A Cupcake Crawl Adventure with Amanda

For my birthday, Amanda decided to take me on a cupcake crawl through Broad Ripple. We went to 3 cupcakeries and indulged ourselves in pure deliciousness. For 2 hours we chose to forget that anything else was happening in our lives, and just enjoyed our time together talking, laughing (a lot, as usual), and eating cupcakes. It was a fantastic.

Thanks Manders, for a delightful and lovely birthday afternoon adventure! I love you friend and am SO glad you are in Indy!!!!

I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking….

Starting off the crawl at Parcha Sweets, score card in hand!

Cupcake #1: S'mores.....and we definitely wanted S'more after that!!

First bite! (don't worry, we only did this once)

S'more Scores

Cupcake #2 at SweeTies Gourmet Treats: Sweet Potato

SweeTies scores....not our favorite, but still tasty

Stop #3 - It's no cupcake crawl without The Flying Cupcake!

Pumpkin Spice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had two this time because Kim joined in the fun!

All done....the finished scorecard, empty plates, and very happy tummys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26: Fingerprints

To finish off this little 26th birthday weekend series, here are:

 26 Fingerprints of God’s Faithfulness

In the past 26 years He has….

1. woken me up each morning

2. answered my prayer to see the world

3. guided my steps each day and in every decision

4. blessed me with the most amazing family

5. provided for each of my 18 surgeries

6. never given up on me

7. given me rest in weary times

8. placed people in my life who encourage, challenge and bless me in countless ways

9. gave me more than I could have asked or imagined for my first home “on my own” here in Indy

10. designed me with a spirit of adventure and independence, able to handle constant moves and life changes growing up

11. provided solid Bible teaching in almost every place we’ve lived

12. kept every single one of His promises

13. continually provided outlets for me to nurture and serve others with the gifts He gave me

14. taught (and is teaching) me what it means to wait with hope

15. placed people in my life as anchors and role models of who He wants me to become

16. provided for my financial needs in full-time ministry

17. always been enough

18. listened and heard every prayer I’ve uttered

19. designed a special place outdoors (parks, trails, benches, forests, beaches, lakes,  etc) in every place He has sent me, knowing that I best connect with Him when experiencing His creation

20. filled my days with surprises

21. shown me how to love people well

22. given my life purpose

23. planned a path for my life that He knows and will bring to pass

24. loved me enough to discipline me when needed

25. perfect timing, even when I think otherwise

26. promised me a future and a hope, and has more in store for me than I could ever ask or imagine!!

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.”   – Gen 28:15

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and my covenant of peace will not be shaken’, says the Lord who has compassion on you.” – Isaiah 54:10

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy!”   – Zephaniah 3:17

amen.

26: Life Goals

Emily’s 26 Life Goals:

1. Learn to play the piano

2. Jump out of an airplane (with a parachute, of course!)

3. Read the Lord of the Rings series

4. Swim in every major body of water on earth (Done: Atlantic, Pacific, & Indian Oceans, Mediterranean & Caribbean Seas, Gulf of Mexico)

5. Live overseas again

6. Work with orphans

7. Grow a vegetable garden

8. Write a book

9. Learn Greek and Hebrew

10. Memorize Romans (started this week!)

11. Fly an airplane

12. Run a half-marathon

13. Talk less, listen more

14. Visit every continent at least once (Only 2 more to go! Well, 3 if you include Antarctica)

15. Learn the art of packing light

16. Keep up with old friends better

17. Master the charcoal grill

18. Sail a boat somewhere fun and exotic

19. Be on Cash Cab

20. Continue sending real letters/notes to people

21. Sing in public

22. Learn how stocks work (unlikely)

23. Invent something

24. Go to Israel

25. Read the collected works of Alexandre Dumas

26. Find something everyday to be thankful for

26: Lessons Learned

For my birthday weekend I thought it would be fun to share a few lists (since I love lists so much): 26 things I have learned, 26 goals for the future, and 26 ways God has been faithful to me thus far.

So, without further ado, please enjoy…

Emily’s 26 Life Lessons Learned (so far):

1. Life very rarely turns out how you think it will when you are 10, (or 20)

2. There are few problems that cannot be solved with a good dose of Dark Chocolate

3. God knows what He is doing, so I don’t need to keep asking Him for a road map

4. Sometimes it is better not to ask what is on the plate you’ve just been given…just eat it and ask the Lord to keep it down

5. There will always be so much more to learn

6. Memorizing scripture is never a waste of time, and you just might be surprised how the Lord will use it in your life in the future

7. The old adage “You get what you pay for” really is true 95% of the time; the other 5% you’re just lucky

8. There are times when the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap

9. Math will always be hard

10. Perfection will never be achieved, so I should really just stop expecting to get there

11. Attitude often reflects and/or affects your experience

12. Life is supposed to be an adventure. Enjoy it.

13. There is an ever increasing lack of things to watch on television, but there is always another good book to read

14. Knowing all the answers doesn’t make you intelligent, just annoying

15. It’s not wrong, it’s just different. Unless it is wrong.

16. To truly appreciate the sky, go to Africa

17. Winter happens for a reason

18. There are few greater joys than cuddling with a newborn baby

19. God is still good when He says “No” or “Wait”; it is up to us how we respond

20. Not everyone is given the gift of leadership – some people were created to follow

21. There is no place like home

22. Sometimes the greatest lessons are only learned through the deepest pain

23. Conflict is a good thing (aka: It’s ok to disagree)

24. You will never regret time spent with people you love

25. Always be willing to try something new

26. Life is uncertain, so eat dessert first! (thanks dad, for teaching this one by example!!)