Today is my bro-in-law Allan’s birthday. I started writing this post about him last week and have been continually checking my birthday calendar to make sure I got his b-day right…Meanwhile, I didn’t realize that today was the 31st – ALLAN’S BIRTHDAY- the very day in which he had I had exchanged multiple emails AND talked on the phone and I never once said, “happy birthday” because I didn’t know what day of the month it was. Just in case you’re wondering, sometimes it stinks to have a brain like mine.

It’s okay I guess, because the last time we talked on the phone I started crying when I told him that I loved him. I think he’d prefer I forget his birthday rather than blubbering at him on the phone. Would you say that was true, Al?

Right!

Now, the time has officially come for me to GUSH about Allan. You ready for this? Here were go!!

For starters he is a man with a great deal of energy, determination, enthusiasm, smarts, kindness and overall goodness. He is VERY intelligent and he is loads of fun.

I would like to tell you one of my all time favorite Allan memories.  Several years ago when we were all going on a long drive as a family (Kevin & Khaliel, all their children and their spouses). Somehow I had the good fortune of driving in the car with Allan. I think we were trying to come up with ways to pass the time – and all of the sudden Allan suggested we sing songs from Les Miserables….and then before we knew it, Allan, in his full beautiful tenor voice sung out,

“LOOK DOWN! LOOK DOWN!”

and an hour or more later he was wrapping it up with,

“CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING”

WHAT A PERFORMANCE!! He knew it all! Every last word. He could have sung all the parts but let the rest of us join in. When I wasn’t crying with laughter I was singing my heart out.

Me: Don’t you fret Monsieur Marius, I don’t feel any pain. A little fall of rain. Can hardly hurt me now.

Allan: I’m here!

Me: That’s all I need to know!

(We were inspiring, were we not, dear brother-in-law?)

If I could snag your birthday wish and make it my own I would wish to be on a long car journey with you right now, singing! Those were some good times!

Allan is not only fun. He is funny! And he has a great laugh which I always love to hear.

He is also very bright. I think he got mostly A’s his first trimester of law school and never had to pick up a book to study. He doesn’t have to study for hours on end because when he reads it, he remembers it. (I bet he remembers dates pretty well too!) And this man knows his way around a book store and library! He knows just about everything, because he has read so darn much. But don’t let this lead you to believe he is some sort of book-ish nerd. Oh, no! He may have decided opinions on world politics but he also has equally strong feelings about the latest Coldplay album.

While we are on the topic of Allan’s reading habits, I would like to mention that Allan loves Charles Dickens. I could be wrong but I think he has read his all of his novels. Our family enjoys watching all the Dickens film adaptations, and while we watch Allan will say, “I think they departed from the book too much here – I prefer…” HUH? You mean this cool movie started out as a book?!

Allan is beloved by his wife and children. He is a family man through and through – and a very successful one at that.  One thing I love about Allan, and a trait we share in common is our love for a tidy house. When he comes home from school/ work he puts his kids to work tidying and cleaning. I think this is totally awesome! One, I love his love for tidiness. Two, I love that he doesn’t make his wife keep it tidy. Three, I love that he makes his kids do it. Wouldn’t you love if your man came home from work and made the kids clean up?? Completely without a doubt wonderful!

Allan is one of the smartest people I know. Before law school he went to work for a little start up company, and while there he grew the company by leaps and bounds. He was telling me some of his strategies and what he advised them to do. And I was in awe. I think he was an English major in college so when I asked him where he learned all this stuff he said, “I just kind of had a sense of what to do.” For reals, the man has many, many talents.

He is married to a fine looking woman and they have three (very soon to be four) beautiful children. Allan loves babies and he loves kids. I think he’d love to have a family that reaches the double digits, if his wife will go along with him.  One day out of the blue he started singing a song about his love for children, Summer wrote it down and put it on our family network, and whenever I think of it, I SMILE.

Here is is: (to the tune of Little mermaid)

“Look at my kids, are they so cute…I’ve got crawlers and walkers to boot…You want children that fetch and carry? I’ve got plenty…But who cares…No big deal…I want MOOOORE

They are pretty awesome, as far as kids go. No wonder he’d like a few more, says I!

Allan is a man of God. He is deeply devoted to his God and is a person of integrity. He works hard at whatever he does, but he works with particular love and dedication when he is serving the Lord, in whatever capacity he has been asked to serve.

Allan is also a man who inspires confidence. Just today when I spoke to him on the phone I thought, “This guy knows what is going on and how to get the job done!” I love him for many reasons, but most of all I love him for the good and honest man that he is, for the way he loves and cares for my sister and their children…and that he puts up with a forgetful and blubbering sister-in-law!

I sure love you, Al!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!