May has always been a very "festive" season at our house! Not only do you have Mother's Day, Graduations, and the beginning of the wedding season...but our family has been blessed with 2 birthdays - just 1 day apart!! You see, I went into labor ON MY 23rd BIRTHDAY with child #2! I vividly remember driving around (I think to get ice cream?!?) with my dear friend Kathy. Our husband's both worked nights and we did fun things together to pass those lonely evenings. We both had 2 yr olds and Kathy also had a 9 month old. And I was 9 months pregnant! I knew the pains were coming - but it was my birthday and I was trying to celebrate with ice cream! So I remember going back to my house and trying to time the contractions. I have no idea where the kids were. I guess Kathy knew. She finally called Robin and told him we thought it was "time"! He said, "Well call me back when you really think it's TIME!" Yes, he did. Can you believe the audacity!!! So I guess Kathy or myself called him back eventually telling him it was TIME! He reluctantly came home from work to take his wife to the hospital! When we got to the nice Catholic hospital the little nuns just smiled and told me it would be awhile. Then my water broke and the little nuns thought there may be a problem. They upped the pitocin dripping thru my IV and Dustin was born 45 minutes later at 12:43am....just 43 minutes AFTER my birthday!! My dad always said if it had not been Daylight Savings Time than Dustin would have been born on my birthday!! So for the last 34 years, Dustin's birthday has always come 43 minutes after my birthday!! Don't you just love a good Birth Story!
Anyway...back to Dustin! Happy 34th birthday to YOU! Dustin was always our crazy child. You know...the one that when he and all his friends found a dead frog and put it in my microwave. But everyone else was too chicken to push the Start button. But not Dustin! He was never skeered of nothin'! Or the time that he casually let loose about 1000 golf balls in the halls of the high school between classes. He always explained that it was the end of his Senior Year and he had to do something crazy! And he never got caught! And I worked at the high school and knew immediately who "done it" when I heard!! (he worked at a golf range!). But I never told! :) Or the time when he and Ashley were in a wreck in Dustin's yellow jeep. It could have been very very very bad! But God so lovingly spared both of their lives! And the love for them from all their friends showed when about 200 kids showed up at the hospital ER!
But as only God does, He took all this crazy energy of this boy and molded and pruned and shaped Dustin into a man after God's own heart! He gave him a beautiful, sweet wife that loves him dearly and two amazing fantastic brilliant (and not near as crazy as him) boys! Yep, God did this. And we are so very proud of who Dustin is now and who he is still becoming! Happy Birthday Dustin!! We love you!!!
Dustin and his beautiful wife Kelly!!!
He still gets a little crazy!!
Well maybe a LOT crazy!!
Barbie and Ken!!
Dustin's amazing family!!
Yep, they are his pride & joy!
Dustin gettin' down at Garner!!!
He still knows how to boogie!!
My very first time to sit down today ( busy cake week) and I'm using it to post here! That's because I dearly love this boy! Dustin has always been special, not "short bus special", but just a super guy! I've loved him from the start and always enjoy keeping up with how God is using him. Looking forward to July and a little quality time with ALL of the Marler clan! Love you
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