happy birthday mark-y mark!

Pretty sure my father-in-law doesn't read my blog... but I love him. And it's his birthday. So he still gets a birthday post.

Some reasons I'm celebrating Mark today:
-he is the best papa you can imagine! He's loved burke since long before we knew that burke was a baby boy... In fact, he and evette waited all night in a waiting room at Skyridge sitting in super uncomfortable charis in order to be there to get the "It's a BOY!" announcement in person.
-his gift of discernment... whether we're talking politics or current events or theology, Mark has a special talent for getting to the core of an issue and holding it up against the standard of God's word.
-his love for food- anything fried or wrapped in bacon tops the list currently... though Mark has always taken loving food (and talking about the foods he loves) to a whole new level!
-his wisdom- I feel like his input on making major decisions has been invaluable to Adam and I over the last 7 years...
-did I mention that he is a fantastic papa?
-his perseverence in adversity- it's no secret that mark has had a ROUGH go healthwise... between the various kinds of cancer and his heart attack a few years ago, I feel like he is no stranger to pain and uphill battles... and yet, he's handled all of it with such grace and faith. It's an inspiration...

There are many more reasons that I love Mark, but I think he'd appreciate me just hitting the high points... he's that kind of guy! :) Happy birthday mark-y mark!