The Birthday Blog

Music

• Curtis has a great love of music. Not partial to a particular genre, he bounces along to most any tune. Subconsciously. That’s right – turn on some music and watch Curtis’ foot start tapping. When he was a wee tot, he would also hum quietly to himself as he enjoyed a delicious meal. My theory is that he was a singing angel in the pre-existence.

Tenderness

• When he was little, he was never shy about holding hands with one of his parents. He was a cuddly little guy. And when he was older, he would take time to lovingly hold babies or play with toddlers.

• I am going to have to draw on Mom’s memory for this next story, as I wasn’t there. But Mom likes to share the example of how Curtis would pick out the best rock everyday when he walked home from school and give it to her as a gift.

Meticulous

• I remember when we lived in California and my parents decided to grow a garden in the side yard. We kids were asked to water the garden and to make sure that the water flow was slow enough to soak into the ground without overflowing from the trenches. Curtis, being somewhere around preschool or kindergarten age, was the most dedicated to the cause. He would stay outside for the longest time to squat by the hose and make sure the water flowed ever so slowly down to the end of the trench.


• During college, Curtis and I lived in the same complex. I would stop by his place for visits and he would be so proud of his clean living space. He went to great lengths on keeping his place clean and orderly.


• I am always impressed by the level of thoughtfulness that Curtis puts into picking out gifts. Curtis will research different gifts for long periods of time to find the perfect present for the recipient.

Humor

• Curtis has always had a great sense of humor. Many times he is our comic relief. Sometimes I will wait to watch a comedy until I know Curtis will be around because he isn’t afraid to laugh out loud at the funny parts of the movie.


• To add to the fun of growing up, Jason and Curtis would often create games to entertain each other. I can’t remember how old they were but at some point they created the imaginary characters Herman, age 2, and Hermetta (commonly known as Etta), age 3. These magical, imaginary characters had all kinds of powers and experienced all kinds of adventures. But mostly I remember how great it was that Herman and Etta flew everywhere.


• One particular memory of Curtis still makes me laugh when I recall it. This memory of him extends throughout a large part of his childhood. Whenever Curtis would make a mistake or do something goofy, he would always say, “I meant to do that”. Trip on a rock? “I meant to do that.” Add an unusual ingredient to a recipe? “I meant to do that.” Instead of dwelling on the blooper, he would laugh at himself and encourage others to laugh as well.

Thanks for your example and all you bring to our family!
Happy Birthday Curtis!