Forty-seven today…
The guy in this picture never imagined what life would be like on his birthday almost thirty years later. Less hair (but not as little as he feared), kids across three different decades, and traveling throughout the part of the world in which he dreamed he’d one day become a missionary. God has a terrific sense of humor. I had it all figured out back then. I had the plan all mapped and the steps lined up. But detours, failures, disappointments, odd circumstances and many many happy surprises made those plans silly and obsolete. How would things be different now if I had seen the future then? No way to tell, but I can’t think of any other way God could have put me where I am now other than to take Cathi and me through the crazy events of our lives up to this point.
Forty-seven doesn’t sound too bad from where I am right now. But I will still claim to be in my mid-forties for at least another year or two.
I wouldn’t mind if I got to keep the rest of my hair though.
TeamDuggan 
i was coming by belatedly to wish you a happy birthday, but stuck around to read a pretty cool blog. i’m pretty sure there are no pics of me as a teen to scrounge up, but i’ve been realizing lately that while life isn’t what i predicted, it is mostly what i wished, and pretty good. i think Dan would have wished for steadier income, but i do what i can.Hope you enjoyed your birthday!
Happy birthday (late)! Ya, life if full of surprises. Though I never had it all planned out, I never saw this life coming!