Stephen logged in to Erin's account

Alright. I've been silent on this blog for what seems like a year now, and I've got a few things to say. Perhaps it's been because I've been in what seems like a hole for the past 9 months, but I think that it's about time those of you who read this blog hear from the guy that Erin has had to put up with for the last 6 years of marriage. Consider this a "things you didn't know about Stephen" post.



1. I'm actually very giving. It doesn't seem like this, because I have virtually no time to give, even sometimes for my closest friends. But I love to surprise people, particularly with gifts they're not expecting. Like Erin's birthday present of the computer on which I'm typing. I look forward to a day that I can use my income to bless others.



2. I'm very particular about things. Now I know that many of you already know this, but perhaps not to what extent. For instance: the kitchen table is precisely located equidistant between the dishwasher and the garage door. It has bothered me for several days that it somehow has inched closer to the dishwasher, thus making it more difficult to load. I'm sure that this is the farthest thing from Erin's mind, but this type of thing can drive me nuts.



3. I could quite possibly be the deepest sleeper ever. I'm somewhat afraid that my house could be crashing down around me, and I would still be sound asleep. Erin has said that we have apparently had lengthy conversations in the night, to which I cannot recall the slightest detail.



4. I love sports, but perhaps not as much as my wife. Don't get me wrong, I follow Tiger, the Huskers, the Colts, the Packers, the Lakers, some tennis, and the Olympics. But Erin is perfectly content to watch NFL football on a Sunday with two teams that she couldn't tell you the name of the quarterback for. When I first met her, she could play the theme to ESPN's Sportscenter on her clarinet. Is this strange?



5. I double-balance my checkbook. Yes, I know, it's a lost art (or craziness). But every week or so, I balance my checkbook with my online account page, and then every month with the paper statement. I can't stand when there is a check that has been outstanding for over a month. I find that this often happens with babysitters. Why they hold on to a check for months on end before cashing it seems strange to me.



6. I have two degrees in music and I don't particularly care for classical music. Now, I should qualify that by saying that there are certain pieces that I have and always will love in the classical realm. But if someone offered me free tickets to the Lincoln symphony orchestra, I'd probably say no unless they were playing one of those pieces. I think I became burned out on it all.



7. The human body fascinates me. How God designed multiple systems that work together in the most intricate way is cool. I love when I'm sitting in the lecture hall and a lecturer says something like, "well, we think that this does this, but we really just don't know." I just smile and think of how awesome our God is.



8. I love frozen foods. I do not mean the heat-them-up meal kind of frozen food. I mean frozen grapes, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, popsicles, frozen fruit cups, and so on. Every morning I have a bowl of Cheerios with frozen blueberries on it. It could quite possibly be my favorite meal. Yes, I just used the word "frozen" seven times. Oops, that's eight now.



9. I have a strange sense of humor. I think Laffy Taffy jokes are hilarious. I love telling them. I love that people are laughing more at me telling the joke than the joke itself.



10. My wife is amazing. Now, for you regular readers of the blog, you already know this. But I'm serious - she can be thinking about 18 different things, and still have the time to figure out how to say something to me in the right way that is what I need to hear, good or bad. Did you also know that she might be the best mom in the whole world? It's true. She is amazing.



That's all folks - hope you enjoyed a few thoughts from Stephen.