15 Reasons I'd Do It All Over Again

My beloved,

Fifteen years!

Fifteen years since that glorious June day (OK, it was cloudy and a little cool, but glorious nonetheless!) when we stood together in front of "God and these witnesses" to proclaim our love for each other and commit ourselves as husband and wife FOR LIFE.  Fifteen years used to seem like a long time.  Now that they've passed, they seem to have flown on the swiftest wings.  

In honor of the occasion, here are fifteen things I appreciate about you.  

1. You taught me to love brown.  Before I met you, I probably would have said brown was one of my least favorite colors, but you!  You liked brown!  Still do, as a matter of fact.  Might even say it's your favorite color.  And because of you, I've learned to love that color, too, which is a very good thing since you chose brown to be the color for our baby's room.  ;-)  Now I love to wear brown clothes because you make me feel beautiful in them.  I think God must like brown a whole bunch, too, because He sure used a lot of it in nature!  ;-)

2. You've helped me appreciate unpredictability.  I can't even count the number of times we've pulled into a parking lot and I've been sure that you were going to park in a certain spot.  Every indication--your body language, way you were turning the steering wheel, place you were looking, etc.--told me you were headed for spot A; but at the last minute you change everything and end up in spot B.  I never can guess where you're going to park!  ;-)  Same thing in restaurants when we're going to order.  I'll often ask, "What are you going to get?", and you'll tell me something; but when the server comes to take our order, you've changed your mind and have chosen something completely different.  If you tell me you'll have the catfish, I know by now not to count on it because chances are, you'll tell the server you want meatloaf!  ;-)  These are silly (but true!) examples, but they reflect the deeper reality that you are truly more spontaneous and unpredictable than me...and that's such a good thing.

3. Despite that, you're incredibly loyal to me and our family.  You haven't changed your mind about your marriage vows.  Your faithfulness is priceless.

4. You don't tease me.  We were talking once about how husbands and wives need to be careful how they tease each other so as to not cause hurt feelings; and when we tried to think of an area in which it's "safe" for you to tease me, we couldn't come up with one!  ;-)  I guess I must have thin skin.  I guess you're pretty incredible for tolerating and protecting that thin skin.

5. You don't tickle me.  I told you from the beginning of our relationship that I hated--truly hated--to be tickled; and you have respected that and never taken advantage of me in that way.

6. You're teaching the boys how to respect me.  For example, just recently, you let them know in no uncertain terms that if they ever hit me (or Moriah or any girl or woman, but especially their mom), they would surely regret it.  (Not that they've been in the habit of hitting me or anything like that, but there was a little too much imitation of Batman going on around here recently, and one son in particular was developing the custom of getting a mean look on his face, balling up his fists, throwing them out, and saying "ka-pow" and "ka-boom" when something happened that he didn't like or he was told to do something he didn't want to do.  You wanted to make sure that he was very clear about the fact that it is NOT OK to hit Mommy.)

7. You introduced me to avocados, cilantro, lime slices sprinkled with salt, taquitos, and tortilla chips - none of which I cared much for before I met you (and maybe, in some of these cases, had never even tasted), but all of which I'm quite fond of now.

8. When dinner is late, you never complain.  In fact, I can't remember you EVER saying a negative comment in that situation.  You either get busy doing something to help, like chopping onions or tomatoes, or you cheerfully head out to the garden to put in some time there until dinner is ready.

9. You work hard and manage our money wisely.  I never--absolutely never--worry about our finances because I know you're in charge of them and I trust you completely.

10. You respect my role as a stay-at-home mom and support that, never making me feel guilty for not "getting out there and finding a real job."  Early on in our relationship, you made it clear that you felt like it was important enough for me to be at home with our future children that we would plan our finances accordingly and not live beyond our means, freeing me from bringing in an income after we had children.

11. You appreciate me homeschooling the boys, bless me with words of affirmation and gratitude for that, and give input when I ask.  Sometimes I'm in a quandary as I try to decide the best course of action for educating the boys, and you listen and tell me your opinion which reassures me greatly.

12. You love and care for my parents.  Not many men would be content to set up camp in the backyard of their in-laws, but you have a more old-fashioned, wiser, more mature sense of familial responsibility.

13. You never criticize me for my housekeeping failures.  When things are getting overwhelming for me and you happen to notice that (say, for example, when there are no clean socks in your dresser)  ;-), you seek ways to make the load lighter for me, rather than being negative towards me for the areas in which I fall short.

14.  You make it obvious to all you meet that God and your family are the two most important things in your life.  No one who steps into your room at the barber shop, no one who friends you on Facebook, and no one who takes the time to have a conversation with you could come away from it not knowing that you love God, you love me, and you love our children.  Your devotion shines brilliantly.

15. Like I wrote about last year, you know me, the real inner me, more than anyone else...which makes me think of this song...and this song makes me think of you.  Without a doubt, you are the other side of me.


Thank you for the best fifteen years of my life.  I'm thankful for every day with you and look forward to as many years together as the Lord will give us.  Besides His, your love is the sweetest thing in my life.

With all my love,
Your Happy

~ photos taken by Josiah yesterday evening, in the garden, between the rows of potatoes...the garden is where I often find you these days  ;-)