Parker,

I'm not sure when you're going to read these letters that I've been writing to you. I have a couple of letters from people that I've saved throughout the years. I sometimes go back re-read some of those letters and find that I take something differently from them, depending on where I am in my life at the time.

As your mother and I wait for your arrival in 3 montths (WOW!), I thought I'd take a moment to tell you a little about your father, circa the year 2007.

I'm currently 29 years old, but will turn 30 right around the time you're born. If I'm lucky, you'll come on my birthday. There would be no better gift I could ever receive. And selfishly, I'd get to spend the next 10 birthdays at Chuck E Cheeses. How cool would that be? I bet with all of the tickets we could collect from the Skeet Ball machine, we could afford a nice comb or plastic lizard.

Your mother and I live in Austin, Texas, which has been our home for 2 years. It's a great, great town. I love it here. You're going to love it.

But you have to promise to "Keep it Weird." Austinites love to keep things weird, which means thinking a little outside of the box. So instead of staying inside around the A/C when the temperatures hit triple digits, we like to go tubing down rivers or soak in the 68 degree water of Barton Springs.

I love going to Mozart's Cafe with some friends or family and sitting out next to the riverside, enjoying whatever discussions the night brings.

I also love going to Zilker Park and throwing the frisbee around with your mother. We haven't gone in a while, since it's not advisable for pregnant women to run and jump around, but we look forward to going again soon.

My favorite thing to do in all of Austin is to go up to the top of Mt. Bonnell and look out over Austin. Mt. Bonnell is the highest point in Austin and it's just a really great place to sit and reflect on things. One of my favorite memories over the past couple of years was the night your Uncle Luke and I went up to Mt. Bonnell and talked for hours about a wide range of topics.

My favorite foods are BBQ and Tex-Mex. Although it's not difficult to marshal(l) support for good(e) BBQ in all of the Texas cities, I'm especially partial to the Salt Lick. The sauce there is good, but beware, it contains (see comments section for answer) grams of fat per teaspoon. EEK! And just wait til you've had some Chuy's.

I hope you're not a picky eater, but I'll love you regardless. Or should I say "ir"regardless. I sometimes tease your grammar obsessed mom by saying irregardless. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to her. A little teasing is good for the soul.

Your mother and I live in a two-bedroom condominium off of 24th and Lamar. It's not the most spacious place, but it's comfy. We've been working to get your room all ready for you. We have two cats, Micio and Mia, both of which have NO idea what's in store for them. Micio seems indifferent, but he loves having people around. He's never been around children before, so we're curious as to how he reacts. Mia loves petting. So I'm sure she's going to welcome the extra set of hands with loud purrs.

I'm writing this letter at 6:00 pm on Monday, August 13th. I'm writing this letter on my iMac at work, while Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful" on my iTunes. This is as true in 2007 as it was in the 60's when he first sang it, but there really is no better version of this song. The United States is truly a great country. It has numerous faults...mind numbingly dumb faults at times. But it's a great country nonetheless. It's filled with great people, driven by a charge of doing well by others.

I am politically minded and enjoy discussing all things political with people of all political stripes. I tend to lean left and vote for Democrats and Greens. I voted for Clinton in '96, Nader in '00, Kerry in '04, and intend to vote for either Barack Obama or John Edwards in the upcoming primary. Although I vote blue, and although the country seems to vote red more often than not, I think most of the country exists somewhere in the purple.

The most important things in my life are my family and friends. Everything else will always take a backseat. And I'd have it no other way. I'm never more happy than when I'm with my friends and family.

That's a little bit of where I'm at right now. I'm including some more logistical style information below.

I love you,

Daddy

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Favorite Movies:
E.T., Star Wars (all six), Indiana Jones (all four), and Lord of the Rings (all 12+ hours of it)

Favorite Television shows:
LOST, Battlestar Galactica, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report

Favorite Music:
The Beatles, Beck, The Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, and Willie Nelson

Favorite Books:
Sadly, I don't read as much as I should...see the above answers for why this is...but I love "Different Seasons" by Stephen King, "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo, and "The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama" to name a few of my all-time favorite books.

Favorite Sports Teams: Houston Rockets, Houston Astros, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs