I recently thought about what was the happiest day of my life. If you were to ask the typical person what the happiest day of their life was, you would typically get a romantic answer about it being the day they were married or the day their children were born. This also was similar to my answer until I recently took a hard look into it and what I came up with was not the day I was married, or the day that one of our kids were born. There were some times of complete jubilation on those days but for the most part, and in all honesty, they were tiring and stressful. So, they had their highs and lows. The happiest day of my life would only qualify as such if it were a prolonged happy experience throughout the entire day. These days are rare.

The happiest day of my life was last year. Candice had planned a trip for the two of us to stay at a Bed and Breakfast over at the coast. I remember the weather being absolutely perfect. It was a short enough drive where we weren't tired from the travel. It also wasn't such an expensive trip that left me with little guilt about what we spent. We had dropped the kids and dog off with relatives that morning and it allowed Candice and I to get away together for a night. I love my kids so much but they are draining at times to both Candice and I. On this day without them, I missed out on some happy moments but I also was able to miss out on the stressful ones. I instead was able to focus my attention on Candice. I value my alone time with Candice above all other things. You may be asking where God stands in all of this and the thing is, he is always right there with us. Candice and I have a marriage where Christ is the glue that makes it all work. Without Him, there is selfishness. With him there is selflessness. Where there is selflessness, there is great joy. We spent the day having lunch (I ate crab) and then grabbing some dark chocolate seafoam. Then it was back to our room where I took a long, hot bath....something that is rare but felt so good! Then we got a nap and went out for a movie. We wrapped up the night with dinner at a great Italian place. Then it was back to the room where the night ended well. :)

This perfect day was just a series of happy memories and really had very little low points. Its not something I could do everyday. I feel a need in my life to accomplish things, to raise our kids right, and minister to others. But for one day, we were able to set that all aside and just relax and enjoy our time together. It was an amazing day and what I believe was the happiest day of my life.... a perfect 10.