Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Beware: P.D.A. to follow

When I first started blogging, I often made lists of things I was thankful for.  It's something I like to do, because it helps to take captive negative thoughts and realign my thinking with God's thoughts.   It's so easy to get in a rut and forget to be thankful, forget to see the good things in my life.  It's also easy to begin to take our loved ones for granted.

So today I'm going to embarrass some of you with my P.D.A., my Public Display of Affection for my husband.  It's okay if you want to look away and hurry past.  I won't mind.

16 Reasons I Love My Husband:

  1. I love his long eye lashes. Unfortunately, I have short eye lashes, and I knew that if I wanted my kids to have long eye lashes, I'd need to find a man with long eye lashes.  So I searched the world over for the perfect eye lashes, and found his.

  2. His hazel eyes. I always wanted green eyes, but instead I have hazel/brown eyes.  They have become more green the older I get, but they still look brown from a distance.  Steve's eyes can be blue or green.  I think I fell in love with him while staring into his eyes, trying to decide what color they were.  I still wish my eyes were green.

  3. His chivalry. In college, Steve called me Miss (Insert Maiden Name Here) and opened doors for me.   If you want to be noticed in today's world, call the ladies Miss (Insert Last Name Here) and open doors for them.   He still changes cat litter for me, and does lots of other dirty jobs, just to be chivalrous.  If I remember to slow down, he'll still open doors for me.

  4. He has a spandex heart. He has enough love for me, and our 8 kids.  It takes a lot of love to put up with me,  at times, but he does it.   His heart just keeps expanding with the size of our vehicles.

  5. He lets me do the talking. He's definitely the leader of our home, but he's on the quiet side.  So, he has declared me the designated spokesperson in group situations.  I try not to embarrass him too much, but there are times he lets me know I need to hush for awhile.

  6. He's got big muscles. While we both have grown a few clothing sizes in the 16 years since we got married, he still has the muscles to do the heavy work.  And he does work hard.  He works with his brain all week long, then comes home and puts his muscles to work on our property.  Gotta love a sweaty man with muscles, right?

  7. He's got the answers. He has the ability to remember the name of that person I just ran into and had to carefully avoid using the name I couldn't recall.  He knows what's going on financially, politically, sports-wise, and anything else they cover on the news that I tend to ignore.  He can fix my computers, and usually knows what's wrong with the cars.  He sees a different side of whatever puzzle I'm trying to solve.

  8. He doesn't give up. He takes on tasks he hasn't ever tackled before, and doesn't give up until he gets it right.  It may entail multiple trips to the hardware store, and may take twice as long as he predicted, but he'll get my plumbing fixed and build me a chicken coop.

  9. He has broad shoulders. His shoulders carry burdens and responsibilities.  He fulfills his responsibilities, and carries more than his own burdens.  He is a rock to our family, and others see that as well.  I can cry on his shoulders, and lean on him when I'm weary.

  10. He knows how to play. He makes life fun.  He puts a smile on our faces.  He makes cakes with the kids, has water gun fights, reads bedtime stories, and gives 4-wheeler rides.   His humor keeps me laughing, even if I want to scream or cry instead.

  11. He thinks I'm cute when I'm angry. Who can resist a man who thinks she's cute when she's angry?  Of course, the down-side of this is that sometimes he tries to make me angry, by saying just the right (wrong?) thing.  Then he laughs and says he loves the Irish in me.  It's also hard to be angry when someone is laughing and telling you you're cute.  Hmm.  Maybe I should strike that one from the list.

  12. He's a country boy and a diplomat. He may work on computers and the World Wide Web, but his heart belongs on the farm.  He is at home at my crazy family reunions, in a business meeting, while talking to a General, or shooting the breeze with the local farmers.

  13. He's blind. Maybe he just needs new glasses.  He loves me despite my faults, and thinks I'm beautiful even on days I haven't had a shower.  He looks beyond the messy pony tails, the clothes with toddler snot on them, and the burp cloth on my shoulder.   He loves me even when the dining room table is covered with folded laundry, or we're eating frozen corn dogs for supper.  Hmm.  Then again, I think I like his current glasses.

  14. He's a pack rat. He's sentimental and traditional.   Family history and traditions are important to him.   It clutters up our home, but I love the reason for the clutter.

  15. He's confused. He's practical, and still a dreamer.  He's spontaneous, but also steadfast.  He's sentimental, but not  emotional.

  16. He bakes, washes dishes, and mops floors. Who doesn't love a man who bakes pies and helps with the chores?   I love the servant heart that inspires his helpfulness.  Though we have lots of chore workers now, Steve will still wash dishes at times, blessing the girls by doing their chore.


I love you, Steve! Thank you for sharing life with me, and for making it a fun journey.

Psst.  The P.D.A. is over.  You can open your eyes now.

Abundantly blessed,
April E.