Jordan crosses over to 19

Jordan Newgent is a pretty good fella, even if he is my cousin.

He's one of those kids you hope you have one day -- big, friendly, is rarely without a smile and picks a mean guitar.

Jordan's taking classes at Pellissippi. He works at Three Ridges golf course on days off. He thinks he might want to be a youth minister one day.

Even as a baby, he'd always greet you with a smile. If he's ever had a bad day, you wouldn't know it.

Jordan plays music with his buddies on the weekend, when he's not heading up to Carson-Newman to see his high school pals. The rest of the time, he's over at Beaver Dam church, helping out and having fun.

It's hard to believe, but Jordan turned 19 today. I remember the day they brought him home from the hospital. He was a whopper -- more than 9 pounds. He smiled most of the time, but when he got hungry, he let out a big squall.

We used to swim together and watch old episodes of "Batman." Now we swap bluegrass CDs and trade movies. Some nights when the family gets together, I'll sing while he picks the guitar.

Happy birthday, Jord-o. You turned out to be a pretty cool kid.