My oldest son is having his Birthday party tomorrow. Once you become a teenager, birthdays just don't have that special glow of anticipation.

Remember when your children got excited about birthdays? I mean really excited. When our oldest was five, the very sight of his birthday cake sent him sprinting down the hall in a frenzy. It ended with him plowing right into the wall. I only mention this because people occasionally ask me what sort of stuff makes me laugh. This would be one of them.

Before you go and send me a nasty email, understand that I had nothing to do with the accident. I was just on the couch, reading a Living with Teens article, when out of nowhere, the boy comes screaming down the hall, "I'm the Birthday Booooooooy!!!!!"

Then he disappeared. I yelled back at him, "You're the Birthday Boooooooy!!!!!" I couldn't see him at this point, so I don't know if I distracted the lad or not. All I know is I heard a thump, followed by a scream. Now that I write this, I don't know why I thought that was funny. But I still do.

I tried to comfort him, but for some reason I couldn't stop laughing. It didn't help that at the age of five, when he cried, he'd get what appeared to be some kind of yo-yo dangling from his nostril, and just before you think it is going to fall on the floor, he'd manage to suck it back home. This seemed to go on the whole time he was crying, unless, of course "the bubble" would burst forth. The bubble will scare you the first time you see it, mainly because you are not prepared for it, being transfixed on the yo-yo and all. Then WHAM! The bubble flies out of his nose and then back. Wow! Scary! Had to get my parents manual out, and look up "bubble out the head." Could be dangerous, never know.

Some of you may be thinking that it may have been an overreaction to look this up, but you never know. That bubble could have backed up, gone into his aorta and killed him dead. Then you have to explain to your family how you let a snot bubble take your boy's life. Not a conversation I want to have.

Once again I digress. My point in mentioning this is that this year's birthday will be nice for Tami and me, but probably not too terribly exciting - because our oldest is too "cool" to be excited about anything as mundane as a birthday cake.

Still... having your kids grow up is a double-edged sword. I guess the difference is that now when we say, "Happy Birthday Son, we love you," and he replies, "I love you too," that it's something that feels much more like a conscious decision. Snot bubble kids all just love their parents automatically and unconditionally. When your teenager says he loves you, it feels like you just might have earned it.

Here's where I'll be performing publicly over the next few months. If you're coming, be sure to say hello. If you're sending a friend from another area, be sure to have them introduce themselves.

Date	City	Venue
Nov 8, 2007	Wexford, PA	The Chadwick
Nov 9 - 10, 2007	Joppa, MD	Mountain Christian Church
Nov 11, 2007	Columbia, TN	First Baptist Church
Nov 16, 2007	Troy, MI	Woodside Bible Church "Comedy for a Cause" Promise Village Fundraiser
Nov 17, 2007	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Dome Youth Specialties Conference
Nov 18, 2007	Haddam, CT	Valley Bible Evangelical Free Church JEFF & TAMI
Nov 19, 2007	Conroe, TX	Mims Baptist Church
Nov 25, 2007	Williamsontown, WV	First Baptist Church of Williamsontown
Nov 29, 2007	O'Fallon, MO	First Baptist Church - Banquet Center TBD
Dec 7, 2007	The Woodlands, TX	TBD
Dec 16, 2007	Fairfield, OH	Tri County Assembly of God
Dec 22, 2007	Sikeston, MO	Tank Tech
Jan 14, 2008	Indianapolis, IN	Hilbert Circle Theatre
Jan 15 - 17, 2008	Seattle, WA	World Vision
Jan 18, 2008	Janesville, WI	Bethel Baptist Church
Jan 19, 2008	Peachtree City, GA	Wyndham Peachtree
Jan 20, 2008	Valencia, CA	Real Life Church West Ranch High School
Jan 28, 2008	Noblesville, IN	White River Christian Church
Jan 31, 2008	Orlando, FL	The Gathering of Men
Feb 9, 2008	Lynchburg, VA	Thomas Rd. Baptist Church
Feb 10, 2008	Boerne, TX	First Baptist Church
Feb 14, 2008	Johnson City, TN	Celebration Church
Feb 15, 2008	Elkhart, IN	ELCO Performing Arts Theatre for WFRN
Feb 16, 2008	Kokomo, IN	Crossroads Church
Feb 21 - Mar 15, 2008	TBD	Apostles of Comedy Tour Venues TBD
Mar 28, 2008	Ardmore, OK	First Baptist Church
Mar 29, 2008	Austin, TX	Doubletree Texas District Church Extension Fund