My Birthday Blog

OK, so I'm now 40. I think it was my sister-in-law who pointed out over a week ago that this is no big deal, as I've been mentally 40 since I was 17. I'm overwhelmed at how great my family and friends have been; my mother-in-law had a treat for me every day this week (40 cookies, 40 doughnut holes, etc.), my sister brought balloons and a cake to my classroom yesterday, probably 20 of my colleagues joined me to celebrate after work yesterday (in an outing arranged entirely by my awesome wife), and about 20 more have expressed good wishes through calls, text messages, emails, and facebook. This morning I awoke to find that my daughter has made a banner and a homemade card. I must say, this is a whole lot better than we did at 39 (and I guess won't be repeated until the half-century mark)!

In keeping with the recent theme of my blogging, I thought I'd peek back across the last 10 years and see what my 30's have looked like.

1. I've run 5069 miles since turning 30, including several races (but none recently). One of those races (back at 30) was a faster 5k than I ran at the state finals in high school, and will likely be retired as my "PR" (personal record). I hope to approach that level in age-adjusted terms in the next decade.
2. I have drank approximately 912 gallons of coffee (assuming about a quart each day for 10 years). That means I've gotten 5.6 miles per gallon!
3. I've read the Bible cover-to-cover 6 times, 7 if you discount the major prophets (sometimes it's just tough to get through Ezekiel).
4. I've become a father for the third time (and the last).
5. I've seen both my sons baptized.
6. I've taught approximately 900 students (150 in my last year at Garrett, 75 a year for 10 years at Porter-Gaud).
7. My oldest students have themselves turned 30. Many are married and have kids. My first 7th graders will graduate from college this year. I have former students (and athletes I coached) in Ivy-League Schools, in the Navy SEALs, in college athletics, playing professional basketball in Europe, teaching school, coaching, and recently one made a perfect score on the SAT.
8. I've won a public-school conference track championship and 2 SCISA state titles. I've coached 18 individuals and relay teams to state titles.
9. I've been to a former team captain's wedding and another's funeral.
10. I've been to Disney World twice.
11. I've travelled 7000 miles cross-country in an RV.
12. I've left the USA for the first (and 2nd) time, taking my first cruise to the Bahamas and spending 2 weeks in Rome.
13. I have lived in 4 houses (one of which was a rental). I hate moving.
14. I have owned 4 minivans. I have never sold or traded in a vehicle (they've been given away, wrecked, or towed away, but I've never had a vehicle with a dime's resale value when I was done with it).
15. I've blogged 226 times, including today.

That's about enough, I guess. I look back with a sense of general satisfaction. If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know I love the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." Now, I'm no George Bailey, but with the perspective of a little hindsight, I can say it really has been a wonderful decade.