Be Mine!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. This year will be my 9th Valentines Day with Nathan. I remember our first Vtines Day when we were dating . Nathan got me roses and chocolates and took me to Bravos for dinner. It's funny how things change over the years. This year, Nathan will be on a ski trip with the church youth group and I'm spending the day with my good friends. But, no matter how we celebrate, he is still my valentine!

So, in honor of Cupid's little holiday, I want to tell readers 50 things I love about Nathan.

1. He is an optimist. He always sees the glass more than half full.

2. When I am grumpy, he still shows me love and makes an effort to cheer me up

3. He gives me a daily one-minute back rub (which he's promised to do until we die)

4. He uses a little piece of toilet paper to wipe the toilet off after he pees (and some men don't even put the seat down!)

5. He shaved his goatee off just for me

6. He compliments my cooking, even on nights we have Hamburger Helper

7. He often offers me the cherry from his milkshakes, even though he likes cherries himself

8. He is a leader

9. He is very patriotic and passionate about our country and our freedom

10. He's trustworthy

11. He makes me chocolate milk using his top secret recipe (really, I'm not even allowed in the kitchen when he's making it)

12. He encourages me to take care of myself and offers the resources to make it happen, even though I'm often too stubborn and controlling to take advantage of it

13. He provides financially for our family, allowing me to be a stay at home mom. He makes wise decisions with our money and plans for our future.

14. Let's face it; he's just plain C-U-T-E.

15. He often fills the gas tank in my car (he's also just gassy himself but that's for another day's blog). :)

16. The heat radiating off his body keeps me and the cat warm at night

17. He once ran (and I mean ran) a couple miles to a gas station to bring me my car keys when I locked myself out. He would have driven but when he went to get in his car to rescue me, his car didn't start. What a day!

18. He's a good singer

19. He makes cute babies
20. He encourages me to dream in life.... even though I think I'm too practical to have dreams

21. He's smart. Not just in a smarter-than-a-5th-graders kind of way. We're talking about a physics-calculus-computer-genious sort of way.

22. He's got a really big vocabulary (making it impossible to beat him in Boggle or Scrabble, by the way)

23. He's a wonderful dad

24. He loves Jesus.

25. He's changed my tires for me in multiple locations when I've been stranded, even in the snow and ghetto

26. He's generous.

27. He lets me control the thermostat because I'm always cold... then hot.... then cold.... you get the picture

28. He too loves the state fair. The couple that shares deep fried food on a stick together, stays together.

29. He blogs. You know I love a good blogger.

30. When we go out as a family, he does all the Keegan-chasing while I just push the stroller

31. He reaches things up high for me so I don't have to get a stool

32. He waits patiently for me while I always seem to be using public bathrooms

33. He made me Jello one time when I was really sick (for a man who does not know his way around a kitchen, that was a big deal)

34. He spoon-fed me applesauce and took good care of me when I got my wisdom teeth pulled (and I came home all drugged up)

35. He protects me.... even when it involved calling 911 after a stalker situation at Target (I'll have to share that story another time)!!

36. He lets me do all the grilling out

37. He's a gentleman. He opens doors for me and teaches Keegan the same. He always opened my car door for me too before we had kids (now he's wrestling Keegan into the car and I'm carrying diaper bags and a carseat)

38. He plays golf (and doesn't get mad if a woman beats him sometimes!)

39. He did live-blogging with me literally during Kennedy's childbirth

40. He let me use his fishing pole even though I tangled the line all up and he spent the rest of his evening fixing it instead of fishing (Here he is just minutes before I used it...)

41. He spent *hours* and *days* picking out the perfect engagement ring for me. Everyone at Reis Nichols knew him by name. (Here it is in a tulip from our yard. I like putting it in flowers for pictures; is that weird?)

42. He puts up with me taking pictures ALL the time

43. He makes me have fun (I'm often too serious and focused on mundane tasks)

44. He planned our honeymoon all by himself (cabin near Brown County)

45. He is our home's I.T. (computer) support

46. He sits through romantic comedy movies just to be with me (just last week he watched 27 Dresses)

47. He lets me find something on TV even though he really wants to watch the history channel

48. He often warms the car up for us

49. He treats me like a princess (although, there's some debate about whether or not I'm still the princess in the house now that Kennedy is born)

50. He loves me despite my flaws!

Wow. What a great reminder of why I love my hubby!

Happy Valentines Day!