How Do I Love Thee, Let me Count the Ways

Last week Heather stole my thunder. I was planning on posting a blog about the 36 reasons I love her so dearly. However, she posted about the 36 accomplishments she was proud of (which reading those was an example of why I love her). So I decided to wait a week and post it for Valentine's day. I didn't want her post to be lost in a new post. So here are 36 reasons I love her, although the list could go on and on. I told Katie that I was going to do it and she started listing a bunch of ideas. So have fun. Try and figure out which ones I wrote and which ones Katie said. Either way please know that we love her and can't imagine our life without her. She truly makes our life meaningful. She brings joy to our life.

1. She's beautiful
2. She's smart
3. She reads
4. She is nice
5. She is talented
6. She makes the most amazing cakes (I'll post a picture soon)
7. She is a great cook
8. Her eyes
9. She has a lot of options (Katie wasn't sure what this meant but it sounded good)
10. She loves to cuddle with us in the morning and at night
11. She sings me a web like a spider's web
12. Despite her saying otherwise she has a beautiful voice
13. Her laugh
14. She can make some seriously cute children
15. Her creativity
16. She likes being our mom
17. Her incredible ability and willingness to serve.
18. The fact that she takes time to figure out when people's birthdays are and celebrates them.
19. She tells awesome stories
20. She lets us pick what food we want
21. She's sweet like candy
22. She is a great person because she buys us toys
23. She sacrifices so that we can go see our cousins
24. She takes us on ALOT of adventures, like tasting sap from a tree
25. She invited a woman to our house that didn't have anybody to share her birthday with.
26. She makes sure that we celebrate holidays in a fun and creative way
27. She constantly challenges us to be better

28. She includes everybody, she is always texting the entire world to invite them along (Katie is questioning her ability to text to China, Japan, France, Washington, Australia..., she is still listing countries but I figured you got the point, by the way I know Washington isn't a country but I thought it was funny that she threw it in there).

29. She has a wonderful and I mean wonderful family

30. She is an amazing financial manager, she does more on, and with, our limited budget than most would be able to.

31. She absolutely loves to learn, she knows more in her bones than I've learned with years of schooling.

32. She takes care of us when we are sick.

33. She always is volunteering at the school, all of the kids go around saying, "hey there is Katie's mom"

34. She loves her kids and does everything for them.

35. She knows what plants we can, and which plants we cannot touch

36. She is perhaps the best example of Christ like living that I know!

What a wonderful woman I have the opportunity to spend my life with. I am one lucky man!

36 reasons to love...

Well, I can't believe it. I turned 36 today and I'm a little struck with how fast my life has gone. As a youth I made up a list of everything I wanted to do in my life and I feel like I didn't accomplish most of that list. BUT, within 36 years I've done some amazing things (in no particular order)...1) I've seen the pyramids and ridden a camel in Egypt, 2) I was Employee of the Year at Wasatch Mental Health for Child Services 3)I ran in the Provo Library race 4) Somehow I managed to get married to the most amazing calm man who so perfectly tempers my craziness 5) I graduated from College 6) Despite all obvious reasons why not, we've managed to have 3 beautiful children who have exceeded my expectations in so many ways 7) I danced in the middle of a fountain on a perfect day 8) I've been to the top of the Eiffel tower 9) I've had a poem published 10) I served a mission for my church 11) I became a Master Naturalist 12) I planned a fantastic National Letterboxing Conference 13) I managed to have a decade of Theme Parties 14) I've met a few of the angels from God 15) I climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Piza and explored the Catacombs of Rome 16) I passed Algebra 17) I've kissed someone I loved in a perfect snowstorm 18) I've skied the Swiss Alps
19) I got to attend several Olympic Games 20) I've played guitar in public 21) I visited the Garden Tomb and walked where Christ was 22) I've been in plays and worked the light board 23) I figured out that I was intelligent 24) I danced in a talent show 25) I've remained friends with at least 2 people from college 26) I was captain of my high school cheerleading squad and we won the Cheerleading championships 27) I sat in the rain in Ireland 28) I taught music/rhythm to kids and have loved it 29) I dance in the kitchen with my children 30) I've loved greatly and loss greatly and still open my heart 31) My family still remain my best friends 32) I am creative and love to plan things 33) I have gone on 2 perfect cruises 34) I have grown to learn who Christ is 35) I have changed someone's life and have been changed by someone and 36) I have discovered what "beautiful" means to me