Beyond Belief

I’d like to take a second to say happy 9,682nd day to my beautiful wife Melissa.  That is 27 years for those of you who aren’t math wizes.  We’ve been dating for 3,875 of those days and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. 

Melissa – I hope you have a great birthday!  Thanks for putting up with my goofeyness (and for letting me put up cute old pictures of you when you were a kid).

PS – Apparently this is also the 71st birthday of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Who knew?

I’m not the most musical guy in the world but I do have one musical composition to my name. I wrote a song for a talent night in college once (it might even have been the same night as the infamous goldfish contest). Since the best songs are always written from the bottom of the heart, I wrote this about my own life experience. It is directly from the passions of my heart. (Thankfully I don’t know of any recordings! I have included the guitar chords though for all of you who’d like to play along at home.)

D
There once was a baby
        G               A
Who didn’t like toys
D
He grew up in
G          A
Central Illinois.

All the other kids
Would sit and eat glue
But he went out back
And colored orange and blue.

When they were in public
His parents said “don’t scream”
But whenever he saw the play
He always made a scene

While everybody else,
Was going to the mall
But he just hung around
The assembly hall.

C
Illinois Boy,
     G             D
He loved his team.
C
Every time he saw them play
     G          D
He had to scream…
Illinois is awesome!
That is what he said
Even when the other kids
Kicked him in the head.

All the time he was a kid
He was their biggest fan
But then that boy
Grew up, became a man.

Is this the end
Of our story?
Whatever became of
The Illinois boy?

He moved down the street
He thought he had it made
He met some really fun people
They called him Slade.

He had a lot of fun
He was filled with glee
He may have liked his new friends
But he would always be…

(chorus)

Now ill admit
This guy sounds crazy
So before you laugh too hard
This guy is me.

I know you all may think that
I am kinda lame
But Ill never be
Ashamed of my name

Illinois Boy,
I loved my team.
Every time I see them play
I have to scream…
Illinois is awesome!
That is what I said
Even when the other kids
Kicked me in the head.
Illinois is awesome!
That is what I said
And Ill sing my song
Until I’m dead

Illinois Boy,
He loved his team.
Every time he saw them play
He had to scream…
ILL-