When people ask me how the pregnancy is going, my short answer is usually A) “Great! Thanks to my chiropractor!” Or, I think I’ll add a B) “Great! I’ve got an amazing husband who massages my feet all the time!”
The long answer goes something like this:
Dancing before, during, and continuing in our courtship, we have a number of songs that we consider “our songs.” The song was either a great dance together or something that spoke to us.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Whenever I have a passenger in my car, I always try to open the car door for them as an act of kindness. While I was single and I opened the door for a girl, the gesture was also a test of what the gal did after sitting in my car.
I remembered opening my car door for Jennilyn the first time and she thanked me as she entered. As I approached my door, she reached over and reciprocated by opening my door for me.
Though it is a very simple act, it is that type of kindness I hope to never take for granted.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
My sadness over Steve Jobs’ death surprised me as it affected me more than I thought. Although I never met him or communicated with him, his ideologies and uncompromising direction in design has greatly influenced my work. I admit to being enamored by Apple’s products, but I equally admired Steve Jobs’ salesmanship and learned two game-changing perspectives.
We are having an easier time coming up with a list of what not to name our baby than actual candidates. Some of them are tempting, but then some of them are just out of our late-night-we-should-just-go-to-bed talks. Here’s a few from the “nah” list:
I’m pretty addicted to gadgets. It’s partly because I’m a male geek. I read blogs about gadgets. I obsess over gadget deals daily. I tend to wander toward kitchen gadgets at Ikea. I enjoy playing matchmaker with gadgets and people who may not need one.
However, I don’t like junk and clutter. So, though I get drawn to the new and shiny things, I think through how a particular gadget will augment my life before I consider buying it. I believe that’s helped Jenni not get worried when I go on and on about gadgets in our conversations at the dinner table.
How amazing you are at four years old with all the funny things you say. You’re particularly cute when you crinkle your nose and wrap your arms around my bicep or leg. Your artwork with markers have grown from blobs to blobs with facial features to blobs with appendages too. I’ve enjoyed sharing magnet-doodle artwork with you as you nimble on your dinner. You’re a great helper with Violet’s diapers and cleaning up toys. You play a hilarious game of hide-and-seek. You’re a budding photographer with your camera. The towers you build with blocks climb higher and higher.
After missing BridgeTown Swing last year when I attended WordCamp Portland, Jenni and I looked forward to reuniting with friends and getting back on the dance floor this year. Jenni’s parents were generous enough to babysit our girls for four days, and the BridgeTown Swing (BTS) staff were also generous by gifting us event passes for my work on the event website.
BridgeTown Swing is one of our favorite west coast swing events. We’ve won competitions, worked behind the scenes, and shared spectacular social dances with each other at BridgeTown. I went in this year with some hopes and expectations that were unreasonable and surpassed.
One couple Jennilyn and I admire, and I have the honor of working for, is Dave and Chris Vernier. While their official titles are CEO and CFO, they are so much more to their company and employees. I’ve once heard someone describe that they love everyone as a friend, and they truly do.
The flexible schedule, generous health benefits, and care for employees has made it possible for Jennilyn to stay at home when we first married because her health was fragile. I’m extremely thankful that we are able to continue as a single-income family so that Jennilyn can be at home with our lovely daughters.
If I were to become a leader of a company, I would want to be like Dave Vernier and obviously have Jennilyn as my co-founder like Christine. Dave and Chris never had any children—but, each of their employees is loved like family by them.
We have been re-reading 20 Rules and Tools for a Great Marriage and were reminded of the rule to go to bed together. This is a difficult one because I need less sleep to function than Jenni, so I like to stay up late and get up early.
Making the compromise has been very beneficial to our marriage so that we remain close. We are able to end the day together, occasionally plan the next day while I brush my teeth for five minutes, and share a precious (more precious now with kids) moment just for ourselves.