Happy 38th Teddy!

Um, yes, this is really Ted.

12 years ago, when he was still in his mid-20s

Bahamas-go-before-the-baby-comes-trip

which means I was 6 months pregnant,

he had just graduated with his Masters degree in French

from the University of Utah

(there will be no photos of the very pregnant wife...) :)

Ted and Maddie is favorite Barney sheets, eating apples, probably watching Elmo or Barney in our first condo (first time buyers) in New Hampshire, 1999 (he is 29!) 2001 with baby Nick, NH, Ted is merely 31 (nice goatee) First holidays in Texas, 2005; Ted is 35 He had just started back to school for another Masters degree, this time in Business, at TCU in Fort Worth, TX Way to go, honey! (or as Nick would lately say, "way to go, homey") Christmas time, 2008, last Sunday. Both handsome boys in vests and Christmas ties. Ted turns 38 today and is a man of much humor (puns), sensitivity, full of knowledge of things hardly anyone knows (especially at his age), as well as things that some people know (just not me, like: sports trivia, authors, history, music of the 30s-70s), well-read in all categories, a dad who loves to coach his kids' sports teams, who loves to yell, "Let's get fired up!" (a la Buckwalter brothers' style; he even has a huge orange construction cone to yell into when he really wants to get some attention), and a man who does enjoy Jane Austen movies, plays, operas, symphonies, dancing with his wife, among the more typical male loves for sporting events, action movies & books, chips & salsa (any chips), and relaxing with the newspaper. Lastly, one of my favorite photos of Ted taken the month & year he turned 29 or 30. His crazy hat collection and cozy hoodie are typical of his lounging around clothes (in the winter). We had a special dinner for him (on Sunday and tonight) with a gorgeous table set by Maddie. She got him out the "special plate" that says in rhyme how honored we are to have that person at our table...we made his requested treats: brownies and vanilla ice cream (I just realized we forgot to light candles! sorry, mi amor!) and he opened gifts from Old Navy, Barnes & Noble and Half Price books. He and I enjoyed a night out last weekend in his honor. Maddie and Nick's 4 good friends were over after school today and when Ted walked in they all burst out singing, "Happy Birthday" to "Elvis" (though I thought of "Steve" also...) Happiest 38th Dad/Ted! Little walk down a short memory lane: (I don't have many scanned photos of his past yet) Elders Buckwalter and Bringhurst in southern France, cerca 1991. Age 19-21

3 generations of Buckwalters

Ted on left, big bro Ben, little bro Jeff, Pa Buck,

Grandpa Buck (aka Benjamin Wild Buckwalter), and little Mark Who Ted likes to hang out with when the

rest of his family has gone to bed:

The Duke boys (1st two years on DVD)

If I had a photo of Alf (the TV alien) I'd put that here too, though he watches that less often than the Dukes. Apparently he had a big poster of Alf in his room in the 80s. :)

GREAT STORY OF FIRST HALLOWEEN TOGETHER:

We dressed up as Julie and Isaac (Ted Lange, sharing same 1st name) for our church's Adult Halloween (costume) dinner party. Cruise director Julie came naturally for me and Ted was excited to play a guy with a similar afro to his (when Ted grows his hair, it grows up and curls--it does not lay down) and to be a guy who loved, like Ted himself, to give "the guns" to everyone.

This is one of the things I loved from our dating days, the fact that Ted would get dressed up and excited about crazy-themed gatherings. He was a huge success at the Tacky Party we had while dating. He wore a kilt at one point (was that "Mitch"?), a white bathrobe with blue face mask later on as "Phil", and then a Hawaiian shirt, big chain necklace, and sandals as "Larry"...

Admittedly, after leaving his home state of Utah, Ted has become more shy and not many have seen this side of him, but we hope to bring the Tacky Party to Texas this coming year...we'll have to dig up some wigs, Tab colas, man jewelry and every funky hat he has in the closet.