Raylene came down and gave me flowers on stage, and I gave her the bouquet I had arranged for her (thanks in no small part to Laura in our office, an amazing details person). Seeing my wife was a boost to my energy, because executing this event is an exhausting, though rewarding, process. This is the last Valentine’s Day I’ll have without kids — Cooper, our soon-to-be-born baby, is coming along great, and is extremely active. Raylene often has difficulty going to sleep, because Cooper decides he wants to exercise those ‘hockey legs’ and do some leg presses against Raylene’s ribs. March 30th, our due date, couldn’t come fast enough if you ask her. Valentine’s Day has always been a great day because it gives us a great reason to recognize the person in our life we love. However, this year, I have a feeling my ‘new’ favorite holiday will be Mother’s Day, because that will the be first time Raylene ever experiences it as a mother — and it will be a great opportunity for me to thank for doing all the hard work in bringing Cooper into the world! I simply cannot wait to become a new dad. Everyone says ‘it changes your life’ and I believe that. I feel incredibly blessed to have constructed a life that gives me the freedom and resources to do what I want, and spend my time however I choose. I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time with Raylene and Cooper once he’s born, and I have a tremendous team behind me at the office that probably won’t even miss me. As I said to my mom, I’m so excited to be a new dad, and I know I’m going to make a great one — because I had probably the best role model for a dad that I anyone’s ever had growing up. I don’t even take offense when people meet my dad, then look at me and say “what happened to you?” Yup, 2008 is going to be a pretty cool year!]]>