{"id":1318,"date":"2015-07-01T19:29:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T19:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2015\/07\/happy-birthday-number-15.html"},"modified":"2015-07-01T19:29:00","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T19:29:00","slug":"happy-birthday-number-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2015\/07\/happy-birthday-number-15.html","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday Number 15!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Yes, I know. \u00a0Gay marriage continues to be the club with which the New Way bludgeons the old religions of the past. \u00a0The ACLU is talking about ending this religious freedom rubbish \u2013 which is refreshing. \u00a0At least it\u2019s being honest. We\u2019re making friends with Communist Cuba. \u00a0Russia continues to intimidate. \u00a0Pope Francis has declared a global government to be the hope against the evils of Corporations. \u00a0There\u2019s just so much to talk about!<\/p>\n

Well, I\u2019ve been busy with the important things. \u00a0Those things we never read about in history books, but we have some vague idea that they happened. \u00a0Contrary to popular belief, the Middle Ages weren\u2019t dominated by Inquisitors wandering up and down and torturing people every day in every village. \u00a0Nor were American settlers spending every waking hour trying to imagine ways to beat slaves or slaughter Indians or burn witches at the stake. \u00a0Just like today, we aren\u2019t all about gunning down people in churches, or blowing up buildings in Iraq, or executing innocent prisoners in gas chambers. <\/p>\n

For most of us, life goes on. \u00a0As it did in Colonial America, in the Middle Ages, in Ancient Greece, or anywhere. \u00a0And so in keeping with the ages old tradition of actually living life rather than imagining that human existence is only about what the latest scholars decide should be on the next chapter heading, we decided to set aside an entire weekend to celebrate our Fifteen Year Old\u2019s birthday. <\/p>\n

Last year, things happened, crazy and wacky and worrisome, and we never quite got around to really celebrating his number fourteen. \u00a0Even though he insists it was still a good birthday, we know better. \u00a0So this year, he merely asked for a couple Lego sets, a Nintendo game, and a tropical feast. \u00a0So we went to work. \u00a0And in a burst of blessed fortune, we had one sunny day between a dozen rainy, cloudy days. \u00a0And here is the result.<\/p>\n

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A football player who wanted flowers on his cake. \u00a0I love it.\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Happy Birthday number 15!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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In keeping with the tropical theme, we made (alcohol free) margaritas\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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The brothers get in on the margarita act<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Our youngest struggles with the drink\u2019s umbrella while his older brother looks on<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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He\u2019s reading \u201cLe Morte d\u2019Arthur\u201d, but I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s getting it all\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Our birthday boy with friend\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Hand made sign says it all\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
It was tiki time, and that night, we did fondue with tiki light and torch light around the deck
(followed by some awesome stargazing at a gorgeous nighttime sky)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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The beginning of his creation; so much more to do<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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The obligatory shot of the world\u2019s most tolerant wife wearing a Hawaiian shirt and lei (we all did, at our son\u2019s request)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We love you kid. \u00a0The doctor says he thinks you\u2019re better, and we hope so. \u00a0You\u2019re that little burst of sunshine that has always brought more to us than we ever could to you. \u00a0Happy Birthday! \u00a0May God bless this day and a million more.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes, I know. \u00a0Gay marriage continues to be the club with which the New Way bludgeons the old religions of the past. \u00a0The ACLU is talking about ending this religious freedom rubbish \u2013 which is refreshing. \u00a0At least it\u2019s being honest. We\u2019re making friends with Communist Cuba. \u00a0Russia continues to intimidate. \u00a0Pope Francis has declared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHappy Birthday Number 15!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yes, I know.  Gay marriage continues to be the club with which the New Way bludgeons the old religions of the past.  The ACLU is talking about\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2015\/07\/happy-birthday-number-15.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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