Happy Birthday, Joel!

Joel has been married to our daughter, Sarah, for almost 10 years. He's a great father, a patient and loving husband, a responsible provider, and an all around good guy. He wasn't exactly what I expected Sarah to choose for a husband, but I just want to admit publicly that I was wrong. Dead wrong. He is exactly right for her. She is the oldest child and can be, at times, shall we say a little on the bossy side? Joel rolls with the punches, and can be accommodating but always knows what he wants to accomplish and does it. He has a great sense of humor (something highly valued in our family) and a good conversationalist. He is genuinely interested in other people and what they are doing and that is sometimes lacking in other people. I like the way that he is so good to take the kids with him on outings and wants to be part of their lives. After a long week at work it would be easy to feel like he needed a little "me" time, but he takes time for them. He is very creative and brings out, encourages, and appreciates Sarah's creativity. He's just plain fun. We love you, Joel. Thanks for being part of our family.