Two Jumper Cables Walk Into a Bar...

Jordan has a great sense of humor and has always appreciated a good joke. I love jokes too. A good one liner, knock knock jokes, wordplay, irony. We love em all. Laughter has saved our marriage more times than I can count.

There is only one real problem when it comes to our love of jokes. I have a terrible memory. I've never been able to remember sequencing, setups or even a plot to a good joke. I used to be that guy at the awkward social adult gathering thing that would lead in with "Did you hear the one about...?" immediately launching into the punch line and ruining the joke. I eventually abandoned this laughterless path for pure observational humor and embellishment. Sometimes knowing your weaknesses are just as important as knowing your strengths in life.

There is hope in the Hassell family though. Our son Benton has the memory I've always wanted. He has an ever growing list of jokes tucked away somewhere in that giant brain of his. He is going to be that guy in your family that keeps pulling quarters out of everyone's ears and always has a topical joke. He is going to be a great uncle one day.

Today we had some friends and co-workers come over for the first installment of Jokes With Jordan. A small crowd gathered in the pleasant, shady, breezy and smokeless (for now) backyard. We all took turns sharing jokes. It was simple. It was playful. It was special.



Most of the jokes brought out at least a smile from the crowd. Some even genuinely made Jordan laugh. I already forgot those even though at the time I was trying terribly hard to remember. Fortunately, everyone wrote their jokes on a note card to leave behind with us. Our daughter Parker even helped deliver a joke with her teacher.

The brief time in the backyard was a nice break for us. It feels good to laugh and poke fun at things with those that you care about. Sometimes the scale of life is out of balance and it is amazing what a little humor can do to even things out.

We genuinely appreciate everyone out there (in our literal and figurative backyard) that has taken the time to laugh with us recently. Laughter has always been something that Jordan and I have loved. It has been great to see our relationships with others continuing to be filled with the thing we love so much.