Another huge milestone in the McDaniel family. Shaelyn Cherie turns 18 today. Unhappily for us, she’s not here with us in North Fort Myers, but away at the University of Florida. (School begins on Monday.) She’s only been away for a few days, so we are still trying to adjust to her not being here. I’m sure there will be other birthdays that we won’t be able to be with her, but this is the first, so it’s a little more difficult.

We’re very proud of this little girl of ours, who has grown into a wonderful young lady. We are excited about how God will use her and what He has planned for her.

[And a very happy __st birthday to my OLDER sister, Cherie. Yes, that's where Shae got her middle name.]

Trying to describe someone can be difficult. It seems like you would need words to describe every moment of their life, because each one is different and reveals something else about them.

Try to describe someone with just one word, and you can come up many words short of really capturing who they are.

I’ll try it anyway with our Summer, who turns 12 today. The word I’ll pick is energy.

We are mostly a family of phlegmatics, with some melancholy on the side. For those of you who haven’t read personality books, like those from Florence Littauer and Tim Lahaye, the phlegmatic personality is most compared to the ox – slow, steady, reliable. The melancholy personality is concerned with detail, precision, and having things just so. They are also liable to be slow.

Summer gives our Phleg-Mel family a push. Although she has some of the same familial traits, she brings zest and power into the mix. When she’s happy, you know it. She loves to go full throttle, she loves to do things, she loves to try new things, and she loves to love.

Just look at that bright, energetic smile, and you might know what I mean. Even if I didn’t use enough words to fully describe it.

Happy Birthday, Summer!

Happy 97th Birthday to my friend, Wayne Hagopian! All kidding aside, R. Wayne is one the smartest people I know and I’m happy to have him as a friend. He’s aging well, don’t you think?

What we do on my birthday.