17

With Valentine's Day approaching, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a post about my sweet hubby!

We have been married 17 years...our 18th Anniversary is in August! Here are 17 reasons why I love this man....

(in no particular order)

1. He isn't afraid to show his emotions, especially around our boys. He teaches them that it is ok to cry when you are sad and even when you're happy. He cried when both of our children were born; he cried when the military presented me and my sister with the flag at our Dad's memorial service; he cried when we found out we were pregnant....all 3 times.

2. He is the strongest man I know! If someone needs help moving, they know that Jarrod is the man to call. At the beginning of the school year my classroom was a mess because furniture had been moved to clean the floors, so Jarrod came and moved everything for me...of course he wasn't too happy when I kept changing my mind about where to put things. :)

3. He is such a hardworker! I have known quite a few lazy men in my life....Jarrod is NOT one of those men! He will go to work when he is sick, work overtime even when he doesn't get paid for it, go above and beyond what's required to get the job done.

4. He WANTS to provide for our family. Working in the communications/technology field, Jarrod has been through a few job lay-offs. During one period of unemployment, he went to work at Blockbuster because he was determined to do something to provide for his family, even if the money wasn't great. He has worked every shift and schedule imaginable. He is willing to do whatever it takes for his family...he is even willing to chase bats our of our house!!! Eeeek!

5. He has the BEST laugh! If Jarrod thinks something is funny, you will know it....everyone in the theater will know it...and probably everyone in the next theater will know it, too!

6. He is polite and teaches our boys that it is so important to use good manners. So many people have told me how impressed they are with the way our boys (ages 4 and 7) will hold doors open for people, say yes ma'am, please, and thank you....I tell them it's because they have learned it from their Daddy! I work with several people who knew Jarrod in Jr. High and High School....they constantly tell me what a polite and kind young man he was, even back then.

7. He loves me...not only does he tell me, but he shows me! He will probably kill me for writing this...but when I was pregnant he shaved my legs for me! He rubs my feet and tells me to go take a nap when he knows that I am exhausted. Since he can't be home to help me during the week, on the weekends he pampers me!

8. He is just a big kid...he wrestles with our boys, plays legos with them, rides roller coasters and water slides with them, teaches them to play video games...

9. He loves animals, expecially our 3 dogs. He teaches our boys to love and protect the dogs. They are learning the importance of caring for other living creatures....learning responsibility and compassion.

10. He drives 10 hours every weekend to come home and see his family. He wouldn't do that if we weren't the most important priority in his life. It isn't easy for him to be away from us all week, but he knows that he needs this job so that we can spend more quality time together....taking the boys to Washington, DC...meeting at Kings Dominion to spend the weekend together...

11. He is generous. We have becomes great friends with a single mom. She takes care of our boys with little or no notice. She volunteers to let them spend the night with her. She is like family to us. We have helped her out over the years. It always amazes me how generous Jarrod can be....if she asks to borrow $20 he will say, "Give her $50." If she asks for help paying her past due electric bill, he will say, "Pay the entire balance." There are people who have told us that we should take care of our own family and put more money into savings. While this is true, we also know that God has called us all to care for the widows and that is what I consider her since her husband left her with 5 children to care for. I love my husband for his generous and loving spirit.

12. He treats me like a princess. When I told him that I splurged and got a pedicure yesterday, he said, "Thank you." What?! Why would he say that?? (Maybe he was tired of my scratchy heels!) He actually said that it makes him happy when I take time and care for myself since I always spend so much time caring for others. What a sweet man!

13. He will go shopping with me and the clothes that he picks out for me always look better than the ones I choose. Seriously....every outfit he has picked out for me gets tons of compliments...it can actually get annoying! :)

14. He loves Disney World! We've taken the boys twice and Jarrod also did a half marathon with me...a month after he was bitten by a snake on the foot! We can't wait to plan another trip...hopefully this fall, but it all depends on what happens with his new job responsibilities. Our summer and fall plans may need to be modified....but that is fine with me, as long as we are together!

15. He is passionate about the things that he loves....college basketball, technology, Star Wars, NCIS, his dogs, his family....(those aren't in order of importance!)

16. He isn't too proud to admit when he is wrong and apologizes. If he loses his temper with his boys, he will apologize to them. When he recently had an issue at work, he went to a person that he was kind of rude to and apologized for taking his bad mood out on her. Whenever we argue, 90% of the time he will be the first to apologize (of course that's because he was WRONG and he knew it...ha ha!)

17. He loves God and is the perfect leader for our family. I thank God for the man Jarrod has become during our 17 years of marriage. Is he perfect? No. But, he is perfect for me!! We have had some bad times....some VERY bad times. By the grace of God, our marriage has survived and gotten stronger.

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie! Thank you for putting up with me for all these years! I love you!