Happy Birthday to David!

It is another special day . . . Today David celebrates his 32nd birthday!! So here's what I've been able to pull from the hard drive . . .

Here's a photo showing toddler David, an independent thinker. David is always proud to work through problems on his own and figure out his own solution. I think that is something we can see in this photo.

I'm thinking he had a small sit & scoot toy at one end of the yard and he needed to figure out a way to get it back to the house. Of course, he could've sat on it and scooted across the yard. There was probably a rope or handle on it so he could drag it across the yard. But instead, he probably did some physics equations to determine the efficiency of dragging the little wheels vs pulling something with larger wheels. In the end, we can see that he concluded that the most efficient method was to load his toy with the small wheels into the wagon which has bigger wheels. Well done, young engineer!

I don't have many recent photos for most siblings, but since David was here in England just a few weeks back, I have plenty of fresh photos. I thought I'd find a few that really showed the strength and endurance that he displayed while he was here. In these two pictures, I guess you can't really see it, so you'll have to let me explain. . . .

This picture is taken in the very north of England. The wall we're standing at is what remains of Hadrians Wall, a 2,000 year old wall built by the Romans to protect the edge of their empire. The wall was built along the top of the hills that roll along the countryside. David did not let his stiff, aching legs stop him from climbing to the top of the hill. At multiple points along the wall he made it his personal quest to climb up to the wall, which was no small feat.

On Sunday afternoon we stopped for lunch along the Bamburgh Castle which sits on a bluff over looking the North Sea. The nice little spot we found to have lunch was in a little patch of sand dune at the bottom of the bluff. David was a real trooper for sticking with us on this one. . . as hiking in the steep sand was not easy for him to do, especially since there are no handrails to hold as you climb down the steep dunes.

David: I think I speak for everyone in the family when I say that you are an amazing example of faith and endurance. You have been through so much, and through it all you maintain a marvelous positive attitude. Here's to a great 33rd year for you! I hope you continue to regain your health and full-mobility in the coming year.