Happy Birthday, Cole!

Today is Cole's 33rd birthday! This past year has been a pretty crazy one for Cole; lots of ups and downs, full of risks, successes, failures, frustrations, and excitement. This year I have watched Cole pursue dreams, I have seen doors close, I have seen doors open, then close again, and I have seen failure. He has been fearless, not spooked by challenges or other difficult things that have come his way. Through it all, I have seen a man of integrity, a man who loves and cares for his family, and a man who has held his head high, even when things have been emotionally tough. I am so thankful for Cole and the many, many years I have been able to spend with him.

We had a birthday dinner tonight for Cole. He chose what he wanted and we ate together, talked about our days, and celebrated. At the end of dinner, I asked the boys to each name something they were thankful for about daddy. Cameron said, "I am thankful that daddy brings home money, that he brings the bacon." Harrison said, I am thankful that daddy is like me." I loved their responses because, in their own ways, they were saying that they love daddy because daddy takes care of them and makes them feel loved, protected, and secure in who they are.

For his birthday, Cole fulfilled an almost three year old desire to visit Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren. I am not a beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but this is apparently the beer to have in Belgium, possibly the best in the world (according to Cole). You can't buy this beer in any other stores, although you can occasionally find it in a bar for an outrageous price. Anyway, the monks brew the beer at the monastery and sell it to support and sustain themselves (no more, no less). To purchase the beer, you have to call on certain days, during certain hours to make an appointment. If you are even able to get through, you have to make an appointment during one of their rare opening times to pick up the beer. Additionally, you have to give your license plate number and you can only purchase two crates per license plate once you're there. Long story short(ish), Cole has been wanting to go for a really long time and hasn't been able to for one reason or another, so you can imagine how excited he was when he finally got through and was given an appointment the day before his birthday! He made the hour long journey to West Flanders yesterday to pick up his two crates. The monestary is in the middle of nowhere and you are not allowed to visit the brewery, so you literally pull into a drive thru where they check your license plate, then bring you your crates.

The drive thru

After Cole picked up his crates, he went to the visitors center to pick up the proper accompanying Westvleteren glasses to go along with his beer. He also found a bit of excess beer and grabbed that up while he was there. He was very excited when he got home! Needless to say, I think this was a good birthday!

Happy birthday to my love, my best friend, and the best life adventure partner I could ever imagine!