She Said, He Said

Today is our 12th Anniversary. With recent splurges on a new mattress and our upcoming big vacation, we are keeping it low key. And inexpensive. A little alfresco dinner on the back porch, just the 2 of us and a bottle of wine. That's really all I need.

In honor of our anniversary and to save the cost of a card, I thought I would write a post about my 12 favorite things about my Sweetie. Not to be outdone, and because he also didn't buy a card, my Sweetie has decided to write his own list of 12 things that I must post unedited. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he isn't too inappropriate, while at the same time assuming he will be.

She Said (In no particular order):
1.) He taught me how to love and be loved. He loves me unconditionally, which I always assumed was reserved for pets and children.
2.) His sense of humor. He can (almost) always make me laugh. Even when I'm determined not to. This makes it nearly impossible to stay mad at him. I know. I've tried.
3.) His brain. He is seriously the smartest person I know. The smartest person I've ever known. And he mostly uses his smartness for good and not evil. Although sometimes the way that scientist/engineer brain of his works, confounds me.
4.) His hotness. That cleft. That greying hair. Those big hammy legs.
5.) He gives me security. I'm not talking about the financial kind because we've had plenty of financially insecure years, yet I still felt secure. I mean security in the knowledge that he will never leave. That he is here for me and the girls forever no matter what. So help me God.
6.) He thinks I'm beautiful and tells me so all the time. Even when I'm 99% sure it's not true he still thinks it is.
7.) He is a great Daddy to his girls. He loves them up, listens to them, plays with them, coaches them and makes sure they know they can talk to him about anything.
8.) He is my very best friend. There is no one else I would rather spend my time with.
9.) He is the most patient person I've ever known. He would have to be, being married to me. It takes a lot to get a rise out of him. And I should know.
10.) He always encourages me and listens to me. No matter what my idea is or how I prattle on about the right shade of white paint, he is there convincingly feigning interest.
11.) He is a wonderful example to the girls of what a husband should be. I'm so glad that they have witnessed what a happy marriage looks like and I hope that it will guide them in their relationships in life.
12.) He makes the little moments of ordinary days feel special. Grocery shopping, yard work, making dinner together or curling up on the sofa to watch a movie. None of these are particularly special on their own, but somehow doing them together makes them feel that way. Twelve years of these moments, one piled on top of the other, adds up to a happy marriage.

I was tempted to throw in a bonus 13.) Nobody is better at holding a beer and a remote control at the same time... but I guess I'll save that for next year. Maybe to balance things next week I'll write a post about 12 things he does that drive me crazy, lest you all think he is perfect.


He said:
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Hello all, DH here. Today is quite an occasion. Here are a few things that have never been said by Jen to me:

"Honey, what do you think I should post about today?"
"Baby, do you like the way I worded this post?"
"Snookums, would you mind if I vented about your <insert any upsetting behavior or character flaw here> on my blog?

So it is a very special day indeed to be asked to actually WRITE about her on her blog. I was going to start my list with stuff like "She obeys me", "She cooks and cleans very well", "She has the 'surrendered wife' thing down pat", etc., but then I realized that a) her audience is mostly female, and b) women (generally speaking) don't find that crap funny.

In any event, on with the list. Now, keep in mind that I don't know what she wrote, but here are 12 things I love best about my wife:

1.  She is my best friend. That is in no way an exaggeration. My next best friend is a distant second (and he knows it, much to his consternation).
2.  Her beauty. She has a '30 second face', a '5 minute face', and a '10 minute face' that she puts on depending on where we may be going. I swear I love her 'zero second face' the best. I always feel lucky that I am growing old with someone who will always look better than me.
3. I trust her implicitly. She has shown at every turn that she holds our marriage above anything else.
4. She is the best mom to our girls I could ever have hoped for. Her parenting style falls right into the sweet spot on the spectrum between 'neglectful' and one extreme end and 'helicopter parent' at the other. The girls think the world of her (even the teenager!).
5.  She has an extremely high tolerance for my odd (and irrational) obsessions like underground houses, musical instrument collecting, and clown maiming (okay, I made one of those up).
6.  She only rarely doesn't let me hold the remote. Well, to be fair, I should really say that she gives up the remote with very little eye-rolling or sighing. That's my remote, dammit.
7.  She has a very clear sense that we are a team. We present a united front to the outside world in (almost) all matters, whether it's parenting or dealing with telemarketers. I have her back and she has mine. At all times.

8. She has the most adorable 'fussy face' you can imagine. Did you ever see the scene in 'Dumb and Dumber' where the blind kid is sitting there petting the dead bird that Harry sold him and saying to it, "pretty bird, pretty bird"? Jen goes absolutely batsh*t insane when I 'pretty bird' her. Man, I am not even kidding when I tell you that it is one of the most rewarding things. She's beautiful.
9. She is smart. She has a very keen perspicacity that often makes me think, "why didn't I think of that?" I can't tell you how many times I over-think something, only to have her say, "why don't you just do X?" It's amazing.
10. Her joy. It's infectious. It makes me absolutely love coming home from work and dread leaving in the morning.
11. Her sense of style. I love that she is so uniquely herself. It is one of the most engaging things about her.
12. She has made me a better man, husband, friend, and father. She is why I want to be better.