20 May 2007

100 reasons... he's the one


Spain, 2004


  1. He is my rock
  2. He was my first love who I never got over
  3. He is my best friend always
  4. He gave me Buby
  5. He turned me into a person who likes to hug
  6. He believes in the potential of others
  7. He inspires me every day
  8. He is smart and strong in mind
  9. He dreams big, very big!
  10. He taught me to ride dirt bikes and horses
  11. He is amused when I repeat the same story five different ways
  12. He keeps a lip balm in every room
  13. He gives up his seat on the subway
  14. He thinks I’m sexy on his bike
  15. He knows when I say two minutes I really mean 20 and plans accordingly
  16. He loves Jazzy, our pup of 10 years
  17. He will dance on a pool table for you
  18. He will roll around in a $1,000 suit if it makes Gavin laugh
  19. He has oddly soft hands
  20. He used to kiss my pregnant belly and say "love you" to unborn Buby
  21. He is content doing nothing but always game for adventure
  22. He can build or fix anything
  23. He secretly listens to country music in his car
  24. He invites his mother-in-law to stay a few days longer
  25. He is a thoughtful gifter with an enviable memory
  26. He is passionate but never has a temper
  27. He looks as good in a pinstripe as he does in a worn tee
  28. He has a sense of direction that can take him anywhere
  29. He brings me calm when I’m losing my mind
  30. He lets me use the bathroom first if I really have to go
  31. He gives better advice than anyone I know
  32. He parked his motorcycle around the corner, and I snuck out
  33. He could never keep a ring in his pocket
  34. He jumped out of an airplane at 13,000 feet days before our wedding
  35. He is as modest as he needs to be and not an ounce more
  36. He asked me to marry him before we dated 6 months
  37. He has faith in something he cannot see
  38. He is a poet and a songwriter
  39. He dared me to make the first move
  40. He kisses me on the forehead every morning before he leaves the house
  41. He can pull off long hair or short
  42. He almost learned to play Brown Eyed Girl on guitar to serenade me
  43. He likes to live in the moment
  44. He adored his grandmothers
  45. He craves the smell of fresh-cut grass
  46. He commands attention in a crowd
  47. He has his own history and no regrets, and I love that
  48. He is passionate about his politics but can debate an issue from all sides
  49. He will eat almost anything
  50. He tolerates me singing in the car
  51. He is direct with people and a good boss to his staff
  52. He has the most kissable lips
  53. He surrounds himself with people who think differently than he
  54. He watched me go through many stages of growing up
  55. He was my ear and my shoulder through all other relationships
  56. He accepts that I move his stuff and forget where I put it
  57. He embraces my friends yet maintains his own
  58. He will go on Coney Island’s Cyclone with me eight times in a row
  59. He was patient and saved one song just for me
  60. He picked me a single daisy while turning a corner on a riding mower
  61. He asked me to dance in the pouring rain
  62. He worked in a one-hour photo shop so I could take an unpaid internship
  63. He moved across the country to catch an Arizona sunset with me
  64. He has a million super-secret inventions, but he tells me
  65. He is a fun travel companion
  66. He let me eat McDonalds in Paris (I know, gross)
  67. He will take chances, for us
  68. He is most at peace in nature
  69. He keeps on fishing regardless of how successful he is
  70. He challenges me to face my fears
  71. He wakes up when I whisper his name in the night
  72. He dips his pizza in bleu cheese
  73. He does not have a favorite color, no matter how many times you ask
  74. He trusts me
  75. He has a sense of humor about Space Camp videos and yellow Kodak hats
  76. He encouraged me to move 3,000 miles to take a job he knew I wanted
  77. He laughs as I dial 20xs to vote for the American Idol each week
  78. He usually knows what I’m thinking even before I say it
  79. He loves my crazy family and is a brother to my brothers
  80. He holds onto 10-year-old Dock Martins for sentimental value
  81. He GETS me, and that's no small beans
  82. He still keeps in touch with his best friend from junior high
  83. He is a gentleman always
  84. He gave me a high five after the raft tipped over
  85. He will eat wings and loaded fries and then order a diet Pepsi
  86. He almost kissed me (twice) at the alter before we said “I Do”
  87. He knows I knock knees and asks me to dance anyway
  88. He spoils me with homemade mac and cheese
  89. He maintains his cool in high-stress situations
  90. He tells me I look beautiful when I feel anything but
  91. He looks HOT in bowling shoes
  92. He helps prep me for awkward business conversations
  93. He doesn't want to miss out on Gavin's childhood
  94. He drove all through the night to surprise me in Washington
  95. He understands the direct route to my heart is through my tummy
  96. He makes you want to be the best version of yourself
  97. He went 14 years without barfing and bragged. He didn't go 15
  98. He likes to garden
  99. He has brought me even closer to God
  100. He cried when he held our son for the first time

*****************************************************


letter to my sweets,


15 years ago we met on a Tuesday night in October. In an empty classroom. And you ignored me. I sat two seats back and one row over, and you were too cool to turn around. So we waited in silence as I took in your long leather coat, shiny black locks, and magnetic personality.


Over the course of six months we flirted. And debated. And grew sweet on each other. I gave my mom a detailed play-by-play after each time I saw you. What you wore. What you said. How you grinned when you said it. It was the crush of all crushes.


That April, you mustered up the courage to ask me to dinner and a movie (Jurassic Park). It was a summer of innocence... ice cream on Sundays, sneaking out for long talks in the driveway, dancing under street lights. That sort of wonderful. We both traveled later in the summer, not together, and then you went away to college.


I made you cards out of glitter glue and taped pennies to them for good luck. I compared everyone to you, and they paled. We became best friends. Who fell in love. But couldn't admit it. Not at 1 am while carrying on about a comically bad date or supporting each other through really tough times, like purple hair dye.


Everyone knew. For years. I'd say to my mom in passing, "I'll never find anyone as perfect as Tom." She'd respond, "Jenny, he's RIGHT THERE!" Still, I didn't believe. Our timing was off, and I did not dare expect that kind of happiness. It was too much. {I imagined a lifetime of pining while we busied ourselves with other people.}


Then I listened to Travis Tritt's song Anymore one too many times. Oops. I told you I loved you in a heated exchange. A few days went by. I feared I put our friendship at risk. We were home from college and had just mowed lawns for my dad for 14 hours. Dirt, sweat and blades of grass covered me head to toe. You unrolled your window, handed me a bag and said you'd pick me up in two hours. What?


It was a Friday in July, and we would have a REAL date. Without notice. A dress, sandals, and a simple white cardigan for the cool evening beach breeze that awaited us. I raced home and bathed and prettied like it was my wedding day. (The gift fit perfectly, by the way.) When you came to the door, I was never so nervous.


Suddenly this man who I loved, confided in, traveled with, and shared so many meals was making my heart pound out of my chest. Ow! Breathe I could not. That night felt magically scripted for us. It was another beginning--as more mature people--nearly four years after the first spark flew.


Six months later you were down on two knees vowing to adore me for all time (silliness). Don't ask me what you said... I never heard a word. Long engagement while we finished college and started our careers. Then a wedding.


And five years later, Buby. What a blessing. It has been a journey of which I would not change one second. In 50 years I hope you still look at me the way you did then, and do today. Thank you for being you and for loving me.


moi


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading this again makes my heart melt and reminds me just how lucky I am, how perfect you are.

I love you so much.

Anonymous said...

Reading this again makes my heart melt and reminds me just how lucky I am, how perfect you are.

I love you so much.