How do I love thee?
Yesterday I had lunch with someone who marveled that Todd and I married so young yet have made it this far. I told her that it was almost entirely due to the fact that I got incredibly lucky and married an phenomenal person, instead of someone who, for all I knew at eighteen years old, could have turned out to be a colossal sad sack. Very occasionally Todd teases me that I never write anything complimentary about him on my blog. I must be feeling sentimental because on my walk this morning I contemplated all the amazing things about him. (There I go again with that introspection! What is with me? Geez.)
What makes him so special? He is generous. He would give you the shirt off his back, literally. When I was first getting to know Todd, he had a J Crew fleece that he really liked. (Oh, fleeces! Back in the day, eh?) His little sister Kiely told him she liked it, and without thinking twice he said, “Well, then it’s yours”. This is how it is with Todd. When I moaned last week, “Ugh! Guess how much I just spent on groceries? For ONE week!” he said, “$500?” without batting an eyelid. (It wasn’t $500 by the way.)
He is genuine and completely authentic – what you see is what you get. He rarely says anything unkind about other people, but if he does you know they must be a huge douche bag because he gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. Just last week he was training a girl who would have had me tearing my hair out with the antics she was pulling. Todd says that he shouldn’t be hard on her, she is probably going through a rough patch in her personal life, wouldn’t he want someone to cut him some slack if he was going through a rough patch? He is sympathetic and understanding.
He is chock full of self-control. When he’s stressed out or in a bad mood he doesn’t let it show and take it out on those around him --okay, for the sake of honesty, he rarely does. He is incredibly loyal to me and honest. I trust him implicitly.
He is humble. Todd never says he knows something, he always thinks. When Todd answers a question or gives an opinion he never pronounces what he has to say as fact. I’ve heard him answer questions on topics in which he is considered an expert, material in which he has a PhD, and he will say, “I might be wrong, but I think…” He is articulate and informed. He reads the New Yorker instead of watching television. :)
He is highly intelligent and graduated from both his Master’s and his PhD with a 4.0 GPA. He would tell you that it’s not that he is intelligent, it’s that he just works hard. See? Humble and hard-working!
He is an excellent conversationalist. What makes Todd so good at conversation? For one thing, he is genuinely interested in what you have to say and isn’t sitting on the edge of his seat, biting his tongue waiting for his turn to talk. He asks tons of questions about you and doesn’t talk about himself all the time. No wonder people like that!
He is utterly unselfish. Everything he does, he does for someone else. The long hours that he works, the help that he gives me with my assignments, the housework that he tackles without question after coming home from working an 80-hour-week out-of-state are all examples of his unfailing selflessness. He works hard for his family but he is also ambitious and driven. Sometimes when I complain about how much he works he assures me, yes, he knows it sucks, but would I like my husband to be on the opposite end of the scale – lazy, unmotivated couch potato? Which brings me to…
He doesn’t waste hours a day dinking around on Facebook/Myspace/Flickr/Vox/Twitter/You name it. In fact, he doesn’t even waste minutes a day doing that. Unlike some husbands we know, who will remain nameless *cough*loser!*cough*. (KIDDING!) (Actually, I’m not.)
He’s a super-duper dad who loves his kids beyond any regard for himself. I don’t know how many times a day the kids hear their dad tell them he loves them, but it’s a whole lot. They don’t doubt that he loves them and that is the greatest gift he could give them. He is so good and so kind to them. I remember one of Esther's visits to us in Hawaii when she overheard Todd telling Libby that if she didn’t behave he was going to “swat [her] bottom.” Esther asked me knowingly, “So, how many times exactly has Todd ever swatted her bottom?” I think we could all see through Todd’s façade.
That laugh! Those smile lines! When I make Todd laugh, well, it makes me smile.
I’m not trying to say he’s perfect – heaven knows, Todd knows I don’t think that about him – he still does things that annoy me like using bad language in front of the kids and not putting things in recycling when – hello! – they’re totally recyclable.
No, he's not perfect, but sorry girls, I still got the best.
(Vomit bags are located in the pocket of the seat in front of you.)
Comments
Great post! If Todd is taking applications for new friends, how about sending me one?! :-) In all seriousness, though, I think it's fantastic that you guys have done so well - congratulations are in order (as well as, perhaps, a trip to Nine Irish Brothers?!).
I have a keeper as well!!!! It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?! :-)
That's utterly lovely, and not vomit inducing at all.
no bag required. more like a tissue.
the only things we should be counting are the good things! that was beautiful, and I am sure, far away in a hotel room, Todd is smiling :0)
So anyway, is my nickname Loser now? Oh wait, you didn't mean me, right?
Jaklumen, Hannah has obviously made me sound much more interesting than I really am.
Hannah, Thank you for all the lovely comments HannahBanana! And, how do I love thee, Mrs. HannahBananah!
He's only taking applications for part-time friends right now. If you want to hold out until a full-time position becomes available then you get health benefits ;)
Seriously, thanks and it is a beautiful, if sometimes difficult, thing.
Yep, definitely going to Nine Irish Brothers as well :)
Hahaha - of course I didn't mean you! :)
I'd like to see Todd blog because he travels so much and he's talked about moblogging photos for the kids to see but it hasn't happened yet.
Oh. My. Word. Miracles do still happen - Todd has left me a comment!!!! ;)
Hannah has obviously made me sound much more interesting than I really am.
There you go being humble again darling! :)
Mr. Banana ... blog, please. :)
[this is lovely]
Congrats!
congrats on TIG/Explore page - it was well deserved!
Might cut into my flickr/vox/twitter/facebook time, though...