For those who do not believe in fate

So yesterday was Sunday and the Raders met us at Saint Andrews, the church we attend, and as tradition states we headed over to Vinny's New York Pizza after mass. We had our forty minute meal because the kids have a strict 7:30 PM bedtime, and then Marc and I had what has become another tradition, the weekly trip to either Fry's, so Marc can get goodies and lunch money for his kids, or Wal-Mart, so I can get the wares my family goes through in a week. As we were talking I couldn't help but think about fate and how it has played out in my life.

If I had not been such a turd in high school, I would have never met my wonderful wife Mia. We would never have had our two beautiful boys, Jonathan and Dillon. In the same hand if Mia's dad had taken a job on the east coast as was one of the plans, Mia would have never gone to high school I met her in.

How does this all relate to Marc and I and out trips to Wal-Mart or Frys? Well, if I had not gotten out of the Army when I did and Mia had not branched Military Intelligence, we never would have moved to Sierra Vista Arizona. If I had not been looking for apartments that take pets, thank to our horse of a Golden Retriever, Einstein, we would have never ended up in Garden Plaza Apartments, and had I not issues with a printer, my family would have never met the Raders, our upstairs neighbors at the apartments. To add to that, if the Raders house had been finished on time they would have moved out of the apartments before we had a chance to meet them.

Looking at all of these variables I find it hard to believe that fate does not play a part in our lives. I have many things to be thankful for this holiday season, and I will chalk a thank you up to fate, it has made all the difference in my life.

Incidentally, Marc and I decided that the first time he was able to claim us as dependents on his taxes was after we all ate Vinny's pizza on the basketball court in the apartment complex.

We had Thanksgiving at the Rader's house again (check out Marcs blog by the way), this has become a tradition that has saved us hundreds of dollars in Thanksgiving food costs. Marc and Mary claim that they should claim us as dependants on their tax forms (we secretly agree). I think that all Americans should be as awesome as the Rader's in their quest to adopt a slodier on Thanksgiving (they incidentally adopt a soldier,Mia, and her whole family).
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Now you can see them, the two teeth that have been so elusive. This was one of those rare times when Dillon decided to show us his teeth for the camera. We are not one hundred percent sure, but we think he is now working on cutting the top two teeth. Dillon has told us in secret that he want to be gnawing on beef jerky by Christmas and that his teethare the only thing holding him back.
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