And Ode to my mom and dad

So today is my mom and dad's 29th wedding anniversary. Incredible. My parents, the young pups that they are (dad is 48 and mom is 47), have already been married for nearly 3 decades. I thought it'd be fun to see what was big on December 8th, 1979 as a way to look at how far we've come in the time they've been married:

- "Babe" by Styx was the number 1 song; this is perfect as my parents call each other babe every time they address each other. It would be weird and a bit annoying if they didn't actually love each other so darned much
- "Kramer vs. Kramer" won the Oscar for movie of the year; no, it was not on December 8th, but..
- Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peach Prize. Again not on this exact date, but my mom is basically as nice as Mother Teresa so..
- Wayne Gretzky made his NHL debut - maybe that's why I'm named Wayne..
- Hulk Hogan made his WWF debut! Awesome
- The cell phone, the PC, the Internet, and MC Hammer have all had HUGE impacts on our lives since 1979
- Dad's three favorite things (after Jesus and my mom) have come to be: his iPod, my sister and myself

I seriously can't think of enough kind words to say about my mom and dad, but I will try. I apologize in advance to my mom, who will cry.

Momma, thank you for relentlessly praying for me, even back when I didn't want you too. Thank you for being an example of who I want my wife to be, who I want the mother of my children to be like. Thank you for making be sensitive and a crier. Thank you for letting me and dad watch lots of sports.. Thank you for putting up with me while I was stupid, when I was whiny, when I was terrible at school. Thanks for..having me..I'll forever read Psalm 139 or Jeremiah 1 with a special tug in my heart for my mom who knew I was fearfully and wonderfully made, even if not everyone else did.

Daddy, thank you for relentlessly praying for me, even back when I didn't want you too. Thank you for the mightiest man of God I have ever met, or ever hope to meet. Thank you for living a life that challenges me to be more humble, more obedient, less worried about the THINGS of this world and more worried about the people who are dying in it. Thank you for showing me how great baseball is, and raising me on the Beatles and Stones and The Boss and CCR and Queen. Thanks for sticking it out with mom and Erin and me when it wasn't easy - I know you were never going to bail, but you gave up a lot so we would be more than cared for and happy in all the moving and lean years. Thanks for sacrificing more than I'll ever know to bless us with the life we have. Thanks for being the man I want to be someday. Thanks for going to Georgia Tech and moving to Gainesville so I would cheer for the right teams. God has blessed you for that. Richly.

I love you both

Wayne/Bubba/Cutest Boy in the Whole Wide World (you're welcome mom)