Happy Birthday Babe

Just thought I'd share some reasons why I LOVE MY WIFE...

- She's a firefighter...

- ...Who's scared of heights

- Certain commercials make her cry

- Having to share chocolate with me also makes her cry

- She can hear a siren before most dogs do

- She has pretty handwriting

- Sometimes she cracks herself up so much with her own joke that she cries laughing

- She will LITERALLY run out of a room with a spider in it

- She wears cute little Christmas pajamas around the house all year long

- She starts listening to Christmas music in September

- She makes the best version of my mom's Christmas fudge that I've ever had

- She thinks everyday should be Christmas

- She checks her favorite blogs religiously (first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed)

- I farted on our first date... in the Jeep... with all the windows up... and she stuck around

- She can't sit on the couch to watch TV without being curled up under a blanket

- She loves crossword puzzles

- Her mouth turns up in this cute little, almost crooked, half-smile when she's trying to keep from laughing at one of my dumb jokes... or when she's up to no good

- Her legs are as white as mine

- Nap time is her favorite part of the day, with milk & cookies a close second

- She doesn't like to do the grocery shopping alone

- She makes killer banana bread

- If I haven't had a chance to get to the ice cream before her, she's sweet enough to save me a spoonful, sometimes two

- She takes the time to play with my daughter, read books, and teach her to count while I'm at work

- She can't play a card game without tidying up the deck on the table during the game

- She prefers an even number of comments on her blog posts, and doesn't know why

- She gets the hiccups while brushing her teeth

- She likes to hold my hand in the car while we're driving

- She's patriotic

- She loves the outdoors

- She can shoot a gun

- Her eyes twinkle at the thought of watching the next episode of The Hills

- She has the perfect nails for scratching my back

- She likes to put her "Holy *!#@ those are cold!!" feet on mine in bed at night, but won't let me put mine on hers when they're cold

- She knows north, east, south, & west (sounds basic, but I've dated girls who didn't)

- She's a wonderful mother to my little girl

Bottom line; she's the smartest, most beautiful, caring, most patient, kindest, funniest, strongest and most loving woman I know. She is, just like the song playing says, EVERYTHING to me. I would be utterly and completely lost without her. She is beautiful inside and out. And I love her with my whole being.

And one day, I'm going to take her to a beautiful beach for her birthday, just like the one in the background. But until then Babe, this picture will have to do. I am so glad you didn't give up on me. I feel so lucky to have you, and am amazed everyday that you're willing to put up with me, and sacrifice so much. I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

See my bum?

Says my 2 year old to me tonight as we're eating dinner. "Tell daddy where we went today" says mama. After some thought, "See my bum? I sit in big fire truck!"

Sometimes I wish we could all just speak in "2 year old". So simple, so creative, so funny. And then, I got to thinking... "See my bum?" was not so much a question but rather a declaration. My bum is important. Anything it does or is associated with is important. See my bum? It sat on a fire truck today. That fire truck is now important. In fact, daddy, I'll have you know that anything my bum touches is catapulted to a level of prestige and honor never-before-known to that object.

See this high chair? It has obtained rock-star status because of my bum! See that car seat? It's bound for the hall of fame because of my bum. See that swingset? It will fetch over $1 million on E-bay because my bum touched it.

I can only hope and pray that she never loses that level of confidence in herself. Because one day, the world will show her its ugly side... put her down, mock her, tease her, criticize her, and otherwise make her feel worthless. And in those moments, I hope she remembers back to when she was 2. I hope she stands up to the world and says, "See my bum? It sat in a cold hard chair for hours on end to pull a 4.0 GPA. See my bum? It helped me endure falls and bruises to win state. See my bum? It got me through super intense study sessions at a prestigious university to graduate with honors. See my bum? It sat on airplanes and buses that took me places all over the world that I wanted to see."

"Yes indeed. See my bum? It was there to catch my fall the day the love of my life proposed to me. It sat in that rocking chair in the front room of our tiny little home for countless hours as I nursed newborn children I had brought into this world. It sat in that chair at the kitchen table for years, helping those kids with homework, putting puzzles together with them, teaching them invaluable principles to help guide them in their lives. It sat next to crying friends and family members who suffered heartache, stress, and loss in their lives. It helped me be a comfort and a support to them, and forget myself. It helped me serve others. What has your bum done?"

That's right cutie poo... "See my bum?" Say it loud, say it confidently. Show the world what you're made of. And that anything associated with your bum IS important, because you're important. You will do great things in this life. You and your cute little bum...

Stephenie Meyer

... and I have something in common; Our taste for music. She is a big fan of Muse and Linkin Park. What a co-inky-dink!! So am I.

So in honor of 2 of my favorite bands, I put together this little playlist to the right that you hear when you pull up my blog. (Yes it's been there for over a month, I know. I had originally planned to post this back then and have it all coincide with the release of her new book. But, I'm lazy. There were just too many re-runs of Myth Busters and Dirty Jobs to get through). And as you've already seen, I changed my background. There is some duality of purpose to that. It was supposed to be a kind of tribute to my wife walking away from full-time firefighting. As well as to provide something a little more dark and edgy, to go along with the music. But I'm thinking I might be doing a remodel very soon.

Anyway, back to Stephenie Meyer... although I'm probably not a fan at the level she seems to be, I'm happy to say that I have something in common with a multi-millionaire. Makes me feel good, especially because you always here the cliche, "If you want to be successful, emulate successful people". That's gotta include their taste in music, right? Seems like a pretty safe place to start. I mean, otherwise you have to actually get out there and come up with some brilliant idea and actually WORK and stuff. Who wants to do that? I'll just stick with the music for now and see what happens.

I have to admit I've never read one of her books. But I don't need to read them. I know them inside and out, through osmosis. My wife has read the first 3 books in the series 4 times (no that's not a typo, 4 times!). She has literally absorbed them and they are now a part of her. She has vampires coursing through her veins. So I just have to cuddle next to my wife on the couch or in bed and presto! I have visions of vampires running through the trees, and Bella and Edward's beautiful romance unfolds before me. It's really much easier than all that reading.

Don't get me wrong though, I like to think of myself as well-read and someone who enjoys the classics. I even have one or two classics on my bookshelf, like "The Gas We Pass" (thanks Denise!), and the entire 3 volume collection of "Calvin & Hobbes". In my opinion, no one more eloquently puts life in perspective than Calvin. He's truly a man after my own heart. But I digress...

So here's to Muse... and to Linkin Park. Play on, boys. I'm listening...