Happy Birthday, Best Friend
Today is my husband’s birthday. He was born January 3, 1973 and was adopted by his loving parents around two months later. I’m so glad he was given life and that he ended up where he did, so that our lives crossed so early on. He is an amazing man, and I love him dearly. I want him to know how much, so here I’ve compiled a short list of….
101 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT PHILIP:
(I hope you’ll take time to read them all because it took me terribly long to write them all out! LOL! And hey, I added pictures to make it even more fun!)
1 • He’s the kindest, sweetest, and most genuine person I’ve ever known.
2 • He has the utmost dedication to me and to our family.
3 • He thinks I’m beautiful, and while I’ll never believe I am, I believe that he thinks so.
4 • His aversion to most things mainstream. He’s my fellow non-conformist.
5 • He doesn’t ever judge me for my failures, however miserable they may be.
6 • He is the most honest person alive. I trust him, period. People have said to me, “aw, of course he tells you ________….do you think he’d really tell you the truth?” and it makes me so sad for them that they don’t know the beauty and simplicity of a transparent relationship. It also makes me wary of ever believing a word they say! Ha!
7 • He is very intelligent. I’d always hoped to marry a man who was smarter than me, and he fits the bill. LOL!
8 • He’s just darn cute. I’ve thought that ever since the 9th grade.
10 • He went with me to all but two of my prenatal visits, and I had around 35 of them! Yes, 35. Believe it.
11 • ….and he always went with a smile, and plenty of support for me.
12 • Speaking of support, he has been my “rock” for over 10 years now. Dunno where I’d be today without him in my life. Mighty lonely, I’m sure.
13 • He’s been my best friend for 14 years.
14 • He always sees the best in me, even when I’m just an awful person to be around.
15 • He rarely gets mad, and when he does, it’s usually not at me.
16 • He has never yelled at me. Not even once.
17 • He’s never said or done anything to deliberately hurt me.
18 • When he has said or done something that hurt me, though not intentional, he’s always apologized anyway.
19 • Did I mention he’s the most easy-going person on the planet?
20 • And patient. He’s the most gentle, patient man I’ve ever known.
21 • He gets a great 5 o’clock shadow, and he even gets it before 5 o’clock!
22 • While he used to curse here & there, he hasn’t done so in years.
23 • And he gently scolds me when I let one slip every now & then.
24 • He is a GREAT dad.
25 • He loves me in that beautiful 1 Corinthians 13 kind of way.
26 • He inspires me to do the same for him (though I fail miserably every day).
27 • He knows the REAL me, and yet, he loves me anyway.
28 • He can draw anything you ask him to, and very quickly too!
29 • He’s creative like me (much more so actually), and we love to do artistic projects together.
30 • He never complains about changing diapers.
31 • He’s changed more diapers than I have!
32 • He’s had some pretty cool hairstyles. Here are examples of the Skater (circa 1988) and the Freshman Grunge (circa 1991)
33• His incredible sense of humor….dark, silly, and often misunderstood. In other words, perfect.
34 • When Gray was a newborn and waking up every 2 hours at night, he would get him, change him, bring him to me to nurse, and then put him back to sleep for me. Every time. And if Gray wouldn’t go back to sleep, he would stay up with him and let me sleep.
35 • During those early weeks, when everyone around me was pressuring me to give in at night and use a bottle/formula, he was the one who, knowing I wanted to succeed at breastfeeding with all my heart, encouraged me to stick it out and not give in, no matter how tired I was.
36 • He reads to Gray and plays one-on-one with him every night.
37 • He’s always playing some sort of joke on me, scaring me, or just making life altogether FUN!
38 • He’s a good substitute for a girlfriend! I can chat with him all night about clothes, hairstyles, music, decorating, even makeup….and he listens eagerly and even participates with his own thoughts and observations!
39 • But he’s not gay ! Haha!
40 • He loves the movie Spinal Tap (as do I). How could I not love a man who has such discerning taste in humor?
41 • When God spoke to my heart repeatedly in 2002 that I would have a child within the following year, he believed me and he put his faith alongside mine, that it would happen.
42 • When I found out I was pregnant for the first time (Jan.2003), he got misty-eyed along with me.
43 • When I had the miscarriage 6 days later, he pulled me onto his lap and let me cry the most bitter tears I’ve ever shed.
44 • He continued to believe for me that I would have a child that year, just as God had said–even when my faith was shattered and I couldn’t believe anymore.
45 • He rejoiced when I found out I was pregnant again two and a half months later.
46 • He understood when I told him I was too scared to rejoice with him.
47 • He held me together during the roller-coaster first trimester, when there was a terrifying new episode of bleeding every week or so.
48 • Every time miscarriage threatened, he would fast and pray, beseeching God to protect our tiny, helpless baby.
49 • He would often get on his knees at my bedside, praying as I slept, for the threat to pass. And it always did.
50 • When the preterm contractions began at 20 weeks, he began doing #48 & 49 again.
51 • When I was put on bedrest for the next 2 1/2 months, he did every single bit of the housework and cooking, and he never complained.
52 • He cheered me up & kept me company during that time, because I felt so isolated and hurt by the surprising lack of support I received.
53 • When I got huge and terribly uncomfortable, he began sleeping on a mat on the floor by the bed, so I could have the bed to myself and my mountains of pillows.
54 • When I began snoring because I was so huge, he didn’t complain…he just moved his mat into the adjoining bedroom and slept there.
55 • He loves the movie Sling Blade, and loves to recite word for word scenes with me.
56 • He & I share the mysterious belief that “strange things are afoot at the Circle K”
57 • He never thought of me as “used” or “bad” because I’d been married & divorced.
58 • He’s a great writer.
59 • He never doubted that I could handle labor & childbirth without medical intervention.
60 • He reminded me not to listen when people gasped in horror at the idea and/or told me I would never be able to do it.
61 • He was the best labor partner I could’ve asked for.
62 • He made me laugh out loud when I was 9 centimeters dilated.
63 • He held my head up for me when I was pushing!
64 • I was able to do it all natural and nonmedicated, thanks to his help & support.
65 • He told me afterward how proud he was of me. I don’t think he realizes how much that statement meant to me (hope he does now!).
66 • He works so hard to provide for me and Grayson.
67 • He is a man of integrity.
68 • When I complain that I’ve lost my size 3 body, he says, “I don’t see a thing on you that I don’t like!”
69 • He fluffs my pillow every night for me before I get into bed.
70 • I saw a pair of soft, luxurious black lounge socks at Target and loved them, but I wouldn’t buy them because I knew we couldn’t afford something that wasn’t a necessity. He bought them for me for Christmas. **sniff**
71 • He doesn’t practice the legalism that many Christians are steeped in.
72 • He’s a great Scrabble partner. We get very serious about our Scrabble games.
73 • When he clips his toenails, he does it over a garbage can so as not to make a mess.
74 • He cleans the hair out of the shower drain for me (I’m loose-hair-phobic).
75 • He was stunned with me when I was told I had breast cancer when I was 28.
76 • Then he helped me to be strong, and to have faith and courage!
77 • He never blinked when we found out I needed to have a mastectomy.
78 • He helped me to find the best surgical team in the country to do the job.
79 • He was by my side for every surgery and every grueling recovery.
80 • He emptied my drain tubes that were inserted into various spots on my body, and he said it wasn’t gross.
81 • He loves me just the way I am, post-surgery!
82 • He thought the crazy hallucinations I had while on Morphine & Percocet were hilarious (they were!).
83 • He’s the best road-trip partner I’ve ever had. We’ve travelled many, many exciting miles together.
84 • He took me to Niagara Falls. Twice.
85 • He hated living in New York, just like I did.
86 • Yet, he’s glad for the experiences we shared and the friendships we forged while there. Just like I am.
87 • He (honestly) defends me when others attack me.
88 • He does dead-on impersonations of nearly everyone we know, and many that we don’t.
89 • He makes up hilarious quirky characters and entertains me (and anyone else who’ll listen) for hours.
90 • He often plays “20 questions” with me when we go on walks.
91 • He’s a die-hard cynic, just like me.
92 • He showed me that not all men look at women inappropriately.
93 • He’s a dedicated husband, both outwardly as well as in his heart.
94 • He loves politics and debate.
95 • He lets me listen to Rick Springfield and silly 80’s hair bands like Poison without too many teasing comments.
96 • I honestly think one of his foremost goals in life is to see me completely happy and to make me feel loved.
97 • He loves God with his whole being, and he has a secure and close relationship with him.
98 • I believe that he strives daily to be the man, the husband, and the father that God has called him to be.
99 • He’s brilliantly talented. If only he could have a salary to match his talent, we’d never want for anything again!
100 • He is everything I dreamed of in a husband and friend!
101 • I’m just REALLY glad he doesn’t go around looking like THIS anymore!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PHILIP!
