A Birthday Today!

1/31/2020

Today, Jeff and I celebrate Andrew's birthday. He's 39 today. The years have gone by so fast. But maybe, that's a parent thing. How could Andrew be 39, when Jeff and I are so young (you can start laughing now).

Andrew was a good baby. Problem was, we lived in a very small house at that time, so when Andrew cried, it woke up everyone.

Andrew and Scott are only 18 months apart. It made sense at the time, and is still true today, that in our opinion, have babies close in age. If, you're diapering one bottom, you might as well diaper two!

As Andrew and Scott grew up, Andrew became a defender of his brother, and vice versa. To say that they were friends through the years, would be an understatement.

After Andrew graduated from high school, college was the next logical step. Andrew, wanted to be the big fish in a small bond, and the college he selected allowed him to be that big fish.

Andrew graduated with two degrees. My memory's not too sharp, but I think one is business administration (?). I can't remember what the other degree was in. At the time, the Dean wanted to give Andrew one diploma, and Andrew stood his ground, and received two diplomas. Jeff and I had both framed, with dark green moire fabric. After graduation, Andrew had several jobs, and I could be wrong here (and likely am), but none of the jobs really held his interest.

One of his best job, at the time, was working for Marriott. It was while he was working there, that he met Wendy, and married her. It wasn't long before Benjamin was born, a true delight for Jeff and I.

He eventually left Marriott, and did what old folks, like Jeff and I, don't do, but kept changing jobs. His career flourished, just as we expected. Andrew married Stacey, and she was, and is, a very good mother to Benjamin.

I can't exactly remember when, but Andrew eventually was able to get the job that he was waiting for - working for Microsoft. Now, don't ask me what he does for Microsoft. Even if he explained it, to me, it's likely I wouldn't understand. The land of "ones" and "zeros", is the world that Andrew, Scott and Jeff live in. He commutes to and from Seattle, and I, of course can't remember how many trips he makes each month. He is doing good work (that was to be expected), and has already been promoted. The benefits at Microsoft are plenty. They have places on campus, such as an area where you can be creative and make things. Stacey, is very creative, so she loved being in the art room.

Andrew and Stacey, had a house built on acreage, and it's lovely. I think of it as being out in the country. They have large dogs, all of whom are very protective of their people. They also built a chicken coop - a very nice one, and Jeff and I are given fresh eggs, and we enjoy them very much.

Jeff and I are very proud of Andrew. He has gotten the job that he dreamed of. It reminds me of when the only job, Jeff wanted was to work for IBM. 

The difference between Andrew and Scott, is that Andrew is a software guy, and Scott's job is more on the hardware side. I apologize to Andrew, Scott and Jeff, if I have mis-represented, any of the facts! To be fair, I do my best to try and understand what's going on in their world.

Jeff and I are confident that Andrew will continue to succeed in his job. Also, as another bonus, for traveling so often, he is really wracking up air miles as well as Marriott points. These two things, in particular, could be very useful for our 50th anniversary, when Jeff and I will return to Maui to celebrate!

Dad and I love you very much, and wish you every success, both personally, as well as your career as you continue to go through life.

Love, Mom