Family

 Forever,

Always

May

I

Love

You!

  There are only but so many things you will always have in this life.  And those things are to be treasured more than any other thing this world can ever offer.

Those not pictured here are never forgotten:

• Steven - @ Work.  Thank you God for work! And thank you, God that you still work miracle in marriages.
• Neil - In heaven with Jesus!  Thank you, God for salvation!
• Jake - Just to the right of the camera man.  Thank you, God for little boys who teach us so much about your love and grace!
• Levi - In heaven with Jesus!  Thank you, God for the mysteries of life.  If we had all the answers to un-askable questions, we would never need you.  Help us to trust.  Help us to understand that to be with you is better than life itself!

Thank you, God for my family!

Our 10th Anniversary!

I picked up my cell phone today and dialed our favorite Mexican restaurante for take-out. "Nachos compuestos para dos, por favor.  No guacamole, sour cream seperado," is the same order we have been placing at this same restaurant ever since we made the trek to the Forest of Wake, NC (we've never actually eaten anything else here...never) back in 04.  I tell the caballero on the other end of the line that my wife will be picking up the order.  I tell him that she is wearing green today and that she is "muy bonita!"  I could sense his smile from my end of the phone.  He repeated it over and over, "Okay, I will look for a beautiful lady to walk through my door."

The kids and I were on a separate errand and just happened to be in the neighborhood of the restaurant.  As she got into her car she spotted us down the lot.  We just smiled and waved.  Her face lit up with that same angelic smile - her trademark smile - you know, the one that lights up a room!  Yeah that's the one.  She said she just got the royal treatment.  The gentleman at the restaurant was overjoyed when she walked in the door.  He said that her husband told him to look for a beautiful woman to walk through his door, and here she was.  Ashley told him it was our anniversary and immediately got a celebration from the man, and a hug, too.  Then she turns the corner and there I am.  That's how we roll.

Ten years ago, Ashley and I committed before God, family, and the rest of the world that we would love and serve one another faithfully the rest of our lives.  We blinked and ten years went by!  Here we are, more in love now than ever before.  God has so richly blessed me with a beautiful wife and four beautiful children.  I am overwhelmed at His goodness to me!!

So what did we do for our big ten, you say?  I took Ashley to one of the most romantic cities in the country. Certainly one of the coolest towns on the east coast - Charleston, SC.  The whole family came as we made a family vacation out of it.  We stayed at a very elegant getaway condo on Daniel Island, right by Charleston Harbor (again thanks to Ben and Kaylee's friends in SC).  Ashley and I got to get away for a very special date earlier this week while Ben and Kaylee took the kids out for pizza and bowling.

Our special date began with us getting on some fancy clothes, well, island fancy that is.  Fancy in Charleston is not fancy like anywhere else.  No suits or ties....dresses, sandles, and untucked shirts is more like it.  We began with a evening stroll on the breezy shores of Sullivan Island.  The sun was setting and the beach was a beautiful glow with the evening sunlight.  The breeze made it cold, so I had to hold her hand a little closer you know.  I loved it!


From there we ventured to the other side of the city for a dinner at California Dreaming.  We were seated at a table just by the river - the Ashley River.  The river and it's marinas were all in lights, and the nighttime cityscape made the view perfect.  We shared a delicious meal as we talked about the first 10 years and the next 10 years.  We decided that on every 10th anniversary we are making the trip to Charleston.  We talked about our love for one another.

We ended the night with mint chocolate chip ice cream, and yes ladies, a little TV - Atlanta Braves baseball to be exact.  Again, another demonstration of Ashley's love for me.  While that part wasn't planned, I can honestly say it meant a lot to me.

We returned from our adventure from sunny South Carolina late last night, refreshed and already missing our island retreat condo.

The next 10 years and beyond....

I covenant before God, family, and the world, that I will love and serve my bride, Ashley Dawn Erdman, faithfully the rest of my days.  No matter what happens.  No matter what comes our way.  There is nothing she nor I will ever be able to do to take me from her side.  Nothing.  The journey has been a wonderful adventure this far, and I am so glad you are by my side.  With my hand in yours and yours in mind, let us continue on to face one day at a time with humility and love, all the rest of our days.  I love you, Ashley.  You are the love of my life!  Happy Anniversary!

In Honor of Neil

On Monday, April 22, my uncle, Neil Barlow, breathed his last and slipped away into the presence of God.  Neil was survived by his devoted wife Jane and their son, David.  Over the last few days, I have replayed in my head memories of times I have shared with Neil over the years.  Some of them made me laugh.  Some made me cry a little.  Most of them made me smile.

Anyone who knew Neil Barlow could tell you that he absolutely loved sports.  As far as I know, his passion for sports extended to three main teams - the Washington Redskins, Carolina Tarheels, and the Atlanta Braves.  There were probably others, but these undoubtedly were among his highest passions for sure.

I can recall quite well those Sunday afternoons at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house when the Eagles played the Redskins.  My dad was an Eagles fan, and could get pretty loud during a game.  Neil was certainly vocal during any game - especially Redskins games.  So when you put my dad and Uncle Neil in the same room when the Eagles were playing the Skins, you were in for quite a treat!

One of my favorite memories of Uncle Neil was from a long time ago.  I had come along with Jane, Neil, and David on a trip to Atlanta.  Jane was going for business, and she invited me to come along to hang out with David and assist with Neil, whose health had already begun to decline.  While there we all went to a Braves game together.  Oh man, was I loving it!  It was my first MLB experience and we had a blast!

Well, the next day of our trip, we had the whole afternoon and evening free.  Jane, being the captain of the voyage, asked for entertainment and dinner ideas from the crew.  David was pretty young, so I'm sure he probably didn't get a vote.  Me, I was the help, so I was happy to just go with the flow.  But Neil, on the other hand, he knew exactly what he wanted.  He wanted another Braves game, and there wasn't anything that was going to get in his way!  Jane could not understand this, we had just gone to a Braves game.  But once Neil decided he was going, that was it.

As a side note, I must say I really can't blame Neil.  I mean we were right there in Atlanta.  And any baseball fan knows that the only thing better than a night at a MLB game is two nights of MLB games!  Also, I liked to think Neil was not too sure how many more Braves games he was going to be able to see.  So he might as well get in as many as he could.

So we decided that Jane and David would spend some time together, and since Neil couldn't go alone (although he certainly would have if he had to) I was elected to go along - not exactly forced against my will, though.  We had nothing but a few dollars in my pocket and a credit card in Neil's.  Here we were....a young teenager and a handicapped man with a craving for Braves baseball.  I'll never forget the stress of having to interpret the station maps on the Atlanta MARTA train that went right by our hotel.  We had to take a bus from a station to the ball field.  And while it sounds a little scary to be in such a big city, I remember not being that worried or feeling that scared.  It was an adventure!  And Neil was leading the way!

We didn't have tickets, of course, so the first thing we did was stop at a ticket booth.  Neil had the card and simply passed it through the hole in the glass and said those two magic words "Best available."  In other words, he was telling them, I don't care how much it costs, get me the best seats you have!  To some of you reading this, you might be wondering how in the world anyone could spend over $100 dollars in baseball tickets, but to Neil, you couldn't put a value on being in that ballpark!  He was going in, and he was going to have the best seat he could buy!  And boy did we have great seats!  In fact, we got to sit about three or four rows up from the seats we bought because Neil was in a wheelchair!  So we got to enjoy the legroom and space that the handicap row affords, just behind home plate, one section up.

I could not even begin to tell you who won the game.  I saw some of the best players in the world play, but I honestly don't remember who they were.  But I will never forget getting a footlong, large Coke, and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the best available seats next to my Uncle Neil who yelled and yelled.

........my mind takes me from those happier days of Neil's life to days recently when Neil couldn't even speak.  But he didn't have to, though.  His eyes would say it all.  He would strain to keep his head up and still and his eyes would light up at the sight of my children when we would come to visit.  Every one of us knew that even though on the outside Neil was fading by the day, there was still a deep desire inside that frail body to walk up to a ticket booth with card in hand and ask for the best available!

And now he is still.  No more shaking.  No more pain.  No more endless bowls of applesauce, and certainly no more embarrassing bed baths or bathroom situations.  No more of that.  Only rest.  Only great pleasure in the best available seat right next to Jesus.  One thing is for certain, though, I will cherish that memory of my time with Neil, and will be flooded with that memory again when I find myself at Turner Field, yelling at the baseball game with a footlong in one hand and a Coke in the other.