Thank you, Erik.  I do, indeed, have a lot to be proud of and I thank my lucky stars most every day on that.  My beard is a part of that too, now, and, as you well know, I wouldn't be here wearing it right now were it not for guys like you.

Hell, Don, I wouldn't have thought we'd see this even 10 years ago!  It's amazing how quickly things have come around, all for the better of everyone.  Thank you.

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I forgot to mention a dream I had before the wedding.  I dreamt I was in the kitchen with my beard in a tie, as I often wear it now, when suddenly, as I bent over to do something, it broke off right at the tie.  I was dumbfounded!  All I could think about was how I was going to disappoint my daughter now that my beard was too short to braid!  To make matter worse I dreamt my wife said, "Well, didn't that guy on the board tell you not to wear your ties too tight?", referring to a comment by dennis ages ago.  You can imaging how relieved I felt when I woke up. 

So, as luck would have it I, too, received a beard shirt recently.  With all due respect to my friend gato, manly-ness is a thing of the distant past. 

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Cheers!
Gandalf, er, um, Dumbledore, no, Merlin


Some helpful links:
Library Central of Beard Growing


Taming the Wild Mustache
Tips for eating and drinking with a big mustache

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~ W. Somerset Maugham
A jerk with a beard is just a bearded jerk, but a bearded gentleman is awesomeness personified. ~ Triibeard