Things I learned (or re-learned) in 2019: by Marc

1.  My wife Stephanie is so smart.
 

2.  If you kick over a 5-gallon bucket of black paint while wearing tan boots, it might just be best to finish painting the boots and then pretend that the boots were always black.
 
 3.  A DIY swingset isn’t the most appropriate surprise to put together on Christmas Eve in the dark.

 4.  Time with my wife, kids, and parents is the most precious resource I have. I need to become a better steward of that time.
5.      A basement door that is left open has a way of inviting in reptiles and rodents.
6.      I’m now into year four of constant organizational change at work. There’s no need to change jobs if I get a fresh start every six months!
7.      Macy really, truly doesn’t care where I take her to dinner. She just wants me to decide for her so that she can use all of her energy to tell me about her day at school.
8.      Having a driveway is a helpful feature if you want friends and family to visit you.
9.      There’s such a thing as competitive clogging, and Kayla is awesome at it!
10.  Having a smart/connected home is all nice and good until your internet goes out and Alexa can’t turn on your Christmas tree lights.
11.  Sometimes saying no to an opportunity that you’ve yearned for provides great perspective despite the pain.
12.  Frogs, turtles, and snakes don’t like saltwater pool water.
13.  My wife does a phenomenal job of being exactly the mother that each of our kids needs.
14.  Whooping up on your family in the Cheaters Edition of Monopoly isn’t actually a good thing, but the time spent whooping them is a good thing.
15.  Rey’s last name.
16.  When a close friend who works an hour away randomly asks you to meet him for lunch at ChickFila on a weekday, it’s not for the chicken.
17.  Driving around Alaska with the family after tourist season is isolating, amazing, and refreshing.
18.  How I adapt to changing circumstances defines who I am.
19.  When Brooke grows up, she’s going to have some incredible childhood photos of her wearing her black headband with ears.
20.  I can’t google it, youtube it, and then build it as fast as she can pin it.
21.  Renting a rideshare scooter in Washington DC sounds like a great idea until you run a mile to the scooter’s location only to find that someone else just rented it.
22.  My family is full of blessings from God.