"Bullseye!!!" Top 10 of 2010 #2 & #1

#2 What a surprise!

I flew back in November to surprise Jennifer…and boy were we both surprised. We had been so careful as to “protect” ourselves. Then my last night there…well we got a little… how shall I say this, less fastidious on the consequences for a few good reasons. Well they seemed good at the time anyways. After all, we still wanted to travel the world, and being situated in Dubai (right in the middle of everything) made that all possible. So this is a little PG-13 in the form of imagery, nevertheless, afterwards I turned to her and proclaimed. I think I just made you pregnant. She of course blew me off. I didn’t really want to believe it myself. So I fly back to Dubai the next day. As Im having my morning chat with God, I very clearly and matter of factly heard Him say, “Jennifer’s pregnant.” So all of sudden, I start convincing myself maybe I can’t really hear from God. Then He clearly said “Whether you want to accept it right now or not, she’s pregnant. You’re going to need to adjust.” So there I was for the next few weeks telling myself that I didn’t hear from God. Don’t get me wrong. I certainly want more children, I just wasn’t sure I wanted them this fast. Jennifer and I because of our current living situation haven’t really gone through the proper “honeymoon” phase. Although whenever we’re together, there is usually a smile on my face. Nevertheless we just haven’t been physically next to each other all that often. I think its like a total of 3 months in the nearly a year now we’ve been married. So even when she told me she took a test at the doctor and it was negative, somehow I still knew. Then something wonderful happened. I was on a scout at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi and I got a text informing me she was pregnant. Instantaneously my fear went to excitement. I was going to be a father again!. Sure Jennifer and I were a little stunned but we feel so incredibly blessed. For me this just shows how faithful God really is. As many of you know my story, the most precious thing in my life was my wife and family. To have them ripped away from me was devastating. I felt like the character Job from the Bible in many respects. But as I went through my grief, pain, and anguish I focused all of my positive energies on God and tried not to dwell on the negative. The trick was getting the focus off of me and onto God and others. (That really is the key to happiness, getting the focus off yourself FYI) Like Job, I feel like Im getting a double portion of blessing and a second chance. I don’t want two wives However, one is quite challenging enough. But the fact that God honored me with such an amazing wife like Jennifer is what really is remarkable. The details of Jennifer I think really show God’s faithfulness. She is drop dead gorgeous, an electric smile with these deep blue eyes and long flowing blonde hair, amazing body, incredibly passionate, funny (sometimes,) goofy, great with kids, 12 years younger than me, heart for God, Mensa-level intelligence, great career, able to admit she is wrong and apologize (though Im at fault most of the time). What are the odds that I’d find a girl like this that just so happens to work for a company that has it’s Middle East headquarters in Dubai, (less than a mile from where I’m living). Yet the absolute best thing about Jennifer is that she loves me. After going without love for so long, it feels so good to be adored again. Its like that first drink of water after you’ve been wandering in the desert for days. So not only did God bless me with the most wonderful wife in the world, but now the effortless addition of child. Im also thankful that I have a stable career going now. In the film/tv industry that is really saying something. So the baby is headed our way at the beginning of August. ….Oh…I almost forgot the funniest part. When I heard the news in December of the verified pregnancy I was in a state of shock. So I sat down across from Reg, my boss in our home office. I said, Jennifer’s pregnant. He had this puzzled look on his face. “You mean from your last trip in November.” I nodded my head. “Bullseye!!!” He proclaimed. That summed it up quite nicely.

#1 Marrying Jennifer OK, this might seem anti-climactic at this point. But still I had to be accurate. I know Jennifer had this at #2. There is a reason why it’s number one. I did a lot studying and went to a lot of classes on child-rearing. The fact that hit me the most was from Growing Kid’s God’s Way. Amongst their many strong theories was the most important aspect to raising a child. That was for the father to love the mother. The child should be an addition to the family (Parent Centered) not what the family is based on (child-centered). Knowing that mom and dad love each other will give the child security, and confidence. Take that love away and you have scared, insecure, innocent kids that just had their stability stolen from them. Its made worse when the relationship breaks and there is hatred and bitterness involved. It’s a toxic poison that is easily spread. I hate the fact that I was partially responsible for doing this to my own children. I hope that someday I can be reconciled with them and have a relationship that God intended a father to have with his children.

OK back to #1 Since it was the second marriage for both Jennifer and I. We didn’t want a large wedding. So on March 18, we went to the courthouse in Raleigh NC, sat before the judge, and became husband and wife. Not only will this go down as the #1 highlight of 2010, I think I have the #1 of the decade wrapped up as well.

Following Christ had to be the best decision I have every made. Marrying Jennifer is easily the second best. I believe #2 was only possible because of #1.