Why I Love Him

After yesterday and other quirks I've revealed so far along the way, I thought some of you might wonder just what it is I love so much about Darrell.  It's a lot to put in one blog post, but I'll try to cover the highlights:

#1 - He's a Christ follower.  This actually wasn't at the top of the characteristics that I was seeking in a boyfriend 23 years ago, but I am forever grateful that it worked out this way.  The basic beliefs and morals where important to me, and ours matched up quite well at the time, so it wasn't a complete accident.  But I'm also sure that God had a hand in leading us together, and I am thankful for that daily.

#2 - He's cute.  See, now this is one that was more important 23 years ago than it really is today.  But, he's still cute, and his genes helped make the most amazing kids.  I almost didn't notice him at all on the honors dorm floor all those years ago, because at first he was wearing VERY outdated thrift store clothes his mom had picked out for him.  When I saw him in jeans that showed off his cute behind, I finally took notice.

#3 - He's fiercely loyal, already covered in another post.

#4 - He thinks I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.  Crazy guy, but I love him for it.  He really doesn't even seem to see other women, doesn't even want to notice them, and I really don't think it's just when we're together.  He even fast-forwards through sex scenes in movies if it gets very revealing, not because I've ever asked him to. 

#5 - He supports me, my needs, and even my wants.  Three years ago I decided I wanted to start running regularly, which I really hadn't done since my early 20's.  He worried a little about me hurting myself, but he helped make time for me to run.  A few months later I wanted to start my own business with a guy Darrell hardly knew at all and start the process of leaving my steady job that brought in half of our income.  Six months later I wanted to train for a marathon, and ran my first marathon just one month after running my first half marathon.  In that, he helped me complete a dream I'd had since I ran track in high school.  One year later I wanted to train for a second marathon, that I'd run on the other side of the country, and raise over $3,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  He helped make it possible for me to train two days a week with the local LLS team, on top of everything else.  This year, I wanted to go on a cruise with some ladies in the neighborhood.  He said yes after just asking a few questions about the trip.

#6 - He is honest, often wears his feelings on his sleeve, and will tell you just about anything.  If he really clicks with you, you will likely know a summary of his life story in your first conversation with him.  If he's angry, you know.  If we're having problems, he's not afraid to talk them out.  He taught me how to argue, and I taught him how to argue a little more fairly.

#7 - WARNING, NON PG-13 CONTENT FOLLOWS.  He's good in bed, probably because he cares more about how it feels to me than how it does to him.  Sorry, you don't get any additional details beyond that.  But, I can tell you that it really does get better after years and years together.  God was 100% right about long-term monogamy being best.  He designed it to work best that way, and I've not seen anything in my 41 years of life to convince me differently.

#8 - Darrell doesn't watch sporting games on TV or ever go to them in person (unless it's our kids playing a sport). Our schedule never revolves around a professional or college sports team, and that's nice.

#9 - He likes to shop.  He doesn't like to shop for clothes, but he almost never minds coming along because wherever we shop he can usually find something (toys, tools, etc.) that he does like to look at.  He's often takes longer and is more difficult to get out of a store than I am.

#10 - He can fix or create just about anything mechanical.  It's saved us a lot of money over the years.  It makes me less afraid to try to fix or do things around the house myself, because thankfully I can get his help if something goes wrong rather than paying someone else to fix a mistake.  He doesn't always do the projects I want done, but that's fair.  And he's even loosened up in recent years to let us hire someone when he just doesn't have the time to do a project or it is something he'd really rather not tackle.

#11 - He loves me, and he loves our children.  He wasn't even sure he wanted children, but he's a wonderful father.  And we've managed to keep our love strong through the parenting years, such that I'm convinced we'll still like being together once they go away to college and it's just the two of us again.  He likes just being home with his family.  Sometimes I actually wish he hung out with some guy friends more, because it makes me feel a little guilty that I want to go out with the girls from time to time.

That's not everything, but that's enough for now.  I hope there are a lot more people out there with a spouse as good as mine, but personally, I think I've found one of the best.