22. His claim to fame is that he was the last baby born in Marlow's hospital (who would have thought Marlow, OK could have a hospital)21. We're not sure if this is some sort of lasting effect from #21- but John is a homebody and more resistant to change than any old person we know (that's alright John- we know change is hard for you- welcome to the 21st century)
20. John and Wilson knew about the Ultimate Fighting Championship long before it existed on TV- actually John and Wilson STILL punch each either every time they're around each other (hey Meggs, why don't you make your husband be nice to his brother?!)
19. John- while you may have hit Wilson a couple of times over the years, you were also an absolutely incredible brother to him... and to me- you have an influence on both of our lives that goes far beyond anything you could imagine- don't ever forget that
18. There was a point in John's life when his parents spanked him at the beginning of each day, just b/c they knew he would need it at some point so they thought they might as well just get it taken care of early (grandparents- don't get mad at mom and day, that was a joke... sort of)
17. All the family vacations we took together (let's see here- there was falling over the cliff on a ski trip, hitting golf balls at condos in Colorado, hiking in New Mexico, getting stuck on the ski lift over the partially frozen lake at Angel Fire [or was that Red River?], watching Grandpa Ted drop the Mountain Dews which exploded into the van in Crested Butte, watching Grandma Marge give Wilson the biscuit and jelly that resulted in him throwing up on our way to Gulf Shores, and on and on the memories flow....)
16. John- You're too Christian for your pagan friends and too pagan for your Christian friends, which leaves you stuck in the middle... but it's not a bad place- actually it's a gift from God and one that we pray you take full advantage of for His glory
15. OSU Honor Roll- we'd like to point out John made the OSU honor roll this past Fall while he was caring for his pregnant wife, working a ton, and taking classes that nobody else in his family was smart enough to even help him with- that's what we like to call "sneaky smart"
14. Urban legends probably exist about such things- but on most accounts it seems like John started shaving when he was about 12- and few guys have ever sported the variety of facial hair designs that John has tried over the years- although the long hair/handlebar mustache combination is probably our favorite
13. Very few people have a testimony of coming to faith in Jesus Christ that includes the movie Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenagger- long story short: John watched the movie when he was little- it scared the bejeebers out of him- the promise of peace with God through Christ completely changed his life for all of eternity- pretty cool how God works, huh?!
12. To follow up with #13- as proof that we aren't perfect after we're saved, it's worth noting (and being only slightly proud of) that John managed to get suspended from OSU intramurals this past year for a small incident on the football field (John, I'm sure you only gently tossed the ball at the ref and I bet he totally misunderstood those words coming out of your mouth- I mean certain words in the English language do rhyme with other certain words in the English language)
11. Long before he was an athletic standout, John used to sit in the outfield during tee-ball games and pick flowers with the girls who were on the team, then when we would go visit our grandparents at Fletcher, John would stay inside and play with video games and toys while Grandpa and I played sports outside (one of the funniest, more memorable experiences from my childhood was going outside with Grandpa one day and he just looked at me, and with the sort of sad face that only a Grandpa can muster, said, "Owen, I just don't think John's ever going to be an athlete, do you?")
10. As proof that John DID in fact become an incredible athlete, here's probably one of my favorite sports moments in Central High history- the 2002 State Semi-final Basketball game in which Central High had 4 sophomores and 1 injured exchange student on the floor and John kept catching the ball at the free throw line and making crazy turn around jumpers over the other team's big man- that or the game two years later that would take the Broncho's team to the State tournament in which John totally shut down the other team's (supposedly) amazing center, and Mr. Bussey was more happy than I've ever seen him in his life
9. He's graduating from OSU with a LEISURE STUDIES MAJOR- a major like that just begs for jokes, but don't kid yourself- I saw the homework- it wasn't easy
8. Camp Olympia- more specifically, I'm thinking of a certain incident at Camp Olympia that involved a reptile, darkness, a light, and not much else (if you need help figuring that one out- don't ask)
7. If you read the blog about Wilson's birthday, you know we made fun of his clothes- but honestly, where do you think Wilson got his fasion sense- it was definitely John's fault (here's hoping Meggs has thrown away about half his wardrobe- although now that I think about it, I'm still upset that Amanda purposefully left my "jorts" (jean shorts) behind when we evacuated for the hurricane, so I know how John feels if Meggs threw a lot of his "cool" clothes away)
6. *Caution: Meggs don't read this- Without overstating the case, it's fair to say John was a true lady's man in his day; while we won't recount the past, it is worth noting that John had his first girlfriend when he was about 4 and then one virtually every year after that (John- just remember: what goes around comes around)
5. While #10 might be my favorite sports memory of John, probably his most impressive performance was his final football game against Bray when he rushed for over 175 yards with a a leg injury that was supposed to keep him out of the game and Central won the game (I looked for a Duncan Banner link to their story about this game but unfortunately their on-line archives don't go back that far- you are getting old you know)
4. When John was in the 8th grade (I think, maybe it was the 7th), he managed to get the keys to a teacher's car and take the car for a spin in the parking lot at school- all while some of his friends were sitting on the hood of the car (students who were in the FCA meeting when our dad walked in and got John out of the meeting after hearing of the incident, still report nightmares b/c of the fear it evoked in them)
3. Lily Beth- the apple of his eye (May your little girl grow up in such a way that she sees the glory of the God who created her and embraces the joy of the life set before her)
2. Meggs- God really is the Giver of every good and perfect gift and none is more precious than your wife (he who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD)
1. Know that all the treasures of this life pale in comparison to knowing Christ Jesus our Lord for whose sake we have lost all things- with the result that we have the freedom to receive all the stories above as gifts from Him and then be able to live out all the years to come in perfect worship before Him
1 comment:
What a cool gift you have given Wilson and John for their birthdays!! One question? How did the styrofoam incident escape your memory? John if you see this - Happy Birthday from the Duttons!! We love you guys!!
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