I am a man of many routines. When I get dressed, I put on my left sock followed by my left shoe and then my right sock followed by my right shoe. When I eat at a Chili’s restaurant, I always order the chicken fajita pita with french fries. And on Sundays, between the months of September and January, you will find me on my couch in front of my television watching NFL football from 9 am until 8 pm. Sure, I get up for bathroom breaks and snack bowl refills but you can bet this month’s cable bill that I never stray too far away from the flickering screen for fear of missing an all important touchdown.
But that all changed this past Sunday, October 5, 2008. This Sunday was so extraordinary, so unique and incredible, so out of my routine, that my regularly scheduled Fall/Winter Sundays will forever be judged as inferior in comparison. And why stop at Sundays? I can think of only a handful of days, the birth of my daughter, Emma, being one, and my wedding days (see a previous post to clarify the plurality of the word days) with Fehmeen being the others, that can equitably compare to the beauty and sanctity of this day and what it meant to me and my family.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended the Mr P, You Rock event, either in person or in spirit, for coming together and showing your support of me, Fehmeen, and Emma. We are truly humbled and moved by your generosity and kindness. Having been a part of this community for the past nine years, I have witnessed your limitless support, in a financial and a volunteer capacity, of our school district and it’s various programs firsthand. I stood in awe of your commitment to your children’s education then in much the same way I sit (ha, ha, wheelchair humor) in awe of your support of me now. As I said on Sunday afternoon, thank you for being my miracle.
I also wish to publicly thank the following people for their role in putting this celebration together in my honor. A thousand thank yous for organizing and pulling off the most amazing father/daughter half birthday party in the history of festive gatherings go to: Barbara P, Tom P, Audrey P, and Nancy B; Sonoo I and Ellora I; Beth H and Webb H; Lee Ann Y; Kelly M and Steven M; Elli H; Shirley W; Dawn S; Trish G; Susanna T and Nicole S; Lucia T; Alexander M; Maggie W; Parker K; Janet G; Lucia T and Susanna S from La Bottega; Susanna T from Smith Barney; Karen F and Rebecca J from Coldwell Banker; Bob G from Bayporte Financial; Martha from Martha’s Bakery; Sharat I and John O; Nicholas O, Jonathan O, and Catherine O; and Ursula L.
I also would like to thank Gloria P for everything she has done for me and Fehmeen. She has been by our side from the beginning of this journey and it was through her tireless efforts that Sunday (and everything leading up to Sunday) was such a resounding success. Her philanthropic spirit and generous nature is an inspiration to us all.
Thank you all again for such an incredible Sunday. We all had an amazing time visiting with everyone. Emma had such a great time smiling at everyone at the party, she fell asleep at 7 pm that night and didn’t wake up until 630 am the next morning. What a party animal! Take care and see you soon.
The Adventures of ALS Boy 
Last Sunday was a stone cold groove, my man. Just wanted to say thanks for letting me be there and it was great to see you again. My only regret was that nobody introduced me to your wife and the closest I came to Emma was probably 20 feet so I didn’t get a chance to meet her either. Maybe next time.
Keep the updates coming with your blog and I’m going to get with my brother and see if we can’t organize a movie night at your place or something. I can’t tell you how angry I was when I found out that Matt was over there and you guys watched The Mist. Everybody says that movie sucked but I loved it. Take care, pal.