Andy's Birthday

Today is my dear husband's birthday.  We celebrated when his parents were here a week ago, we celebrated today with an awesome meal and his second birthday cake, and we are headed on a kid-free weekend to Shanghai on Friday. I have known him for the last 24 of his birthdays, and every year he gets a low-key celebration from me.  Part of the reason I haven't made a big deal is he hasn't liked his birthday.  When he was in elementary school he got sick at school, and he has equated being the center of attention with vomiting in the classroom.  The other reason is that we have five kids...and you only have so much capacity.  The funny thing is that I have always loved my birthday... and he knows it.  He has always made such a big deal of it and makes sure the kids know its an important day, too.

So, even though I don't make a public spectacle of myself in celebrating his birth (a fb announcement doesn't really count), I do love him deeply and think he is an amazing husband and father.  For my purposes of documentation, I wanted to give a few reasons why I feel the way I do:

1) He loves Jesus deeply and does his best to follow Him wherever He leads.

This couldn't be more true in the last two years since we started this adventure.  Even though it wasn't easy, and people thought we were crazy, he faced the doubters, the criticism with steadfast faith. He committed us to praying and solely wanted to come to Hong Kong if that is where we felt the Lord leading our family.  He keeps us focused on the Lord and leads our family with integrity.

2) He's devoted to his wife.

He is the most loyal person that I know, and even when things get hard, he is most often the one who initiates conversation with me so we can get through the hard stuff.  He surprises me with gifts and speaks highly of me in front of our children.  He is not perfect...but he knows that and strives to become a better husband by surrounding himself with strong mentors, reading books, and staying in the Word.

3) He adores his children.

Even though they can be a bit overwhelming, he takes it in stride and seeks to find ways to initiate time and conversation with them.  He has been instrumental in their spiritual growth and development, being the example that they need to look towards.  His work ethic is second to none, but his motivation for this has been his desire to be a witness to his fellow associates and to provide for his family.  His children think he is strong, yet compassionate...and they know he loves them deeply.

I am incredibly blessed to have Andrew Paul Puffenberger as my husband.  We have done a lot of changing since I knew in my heart, over twenty years ago, that we would share our lives together.  But through it all, He has lead us well, pointing us to the Lord with courage and wisdom and strength.  Thank you, Andy, for being you...and for taking me along in this life...love you!

A recent pic of us with some photo bombers:)

One of my favorites with Andy and our crew

A few weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from Andy's parents.  Paul and Linda took a cruise up from Singapore, finishing up their Asian tour with a visit with us in HK.  We had a wonderful time with them, sharing our favorite things, introducing them to friends, touring school, and just enjoying being with them.  The time went too fast, but we were able to sneak in an early birthday celebration for Andy