8 years

you know.

there's really nothing magical about the eighth. i'm not even sure what the eighth year gift is, according to hallmark.

but this year? is, for some reason, really, really special to me. i put a lot of thought into my gift. bought cards. told my kids about it. booked a sitter way in advance. sorted through a lot of memories in the last couple of days. have spent a lot of time reflecting. on just how much i love my man.

buz, i love you.

i love that you eat the orange and yellow starbursts because pink and red are my favorite. even though you don't like the orange or yellow ones.

i love that you bought me an iPhone even though we couldn't really afford it. because you knew how happy it would make me.

i love how you come to my pity parties. AND wear a hat for the occasion.

i love how you say "hey girls" every time you walk in and see me at the computer. because you automatically think i must be chatting online with a girl about a purse or something. because i love chatting about purses.

i love how you've put to rest the discussion of the reason behind a good handbag. because you know my logic will always beat yours. every. time.

i love that you throw out your made up photoshop terms when i'm at the computer, like, "color bang," "color wow," and "color pop."

i love that you can fall asleep in approximately 6.4 seconds. i'm surprised you never did this when we were first married.

i love that i didn't know that you snored when we first got married.

i love that our hot tub on our honeymoon was broken.

i love that we both got seafood allergies on our honeymoon. you broke out, i think? i just swelled up like a klingon. and you loved the fact that that was the first description i came up with.

i love that you "shred" with me.

i love that you keep your beard (even though i can't imagine how hot all of that hair is on your face) because you know how much i love it.

i love that i'm your best friend.

i love to watch private practice with you on thursday nights. mainly because i love your constant commentary. :) (and because neither of us really like the show anyway.)

i love to hear about your job. period.

i love that you are an early to bed, early to rise guy. and that i'm the exact opposite. and that somehow we've made it work.

i love what a wonderful dad you are.

i love (not really) that your fingernails grow faster and longer than mine. so NOT fair.

i love that every year on our anniversary, i try to find a new outfit. because i love looking nice when we're together.

i love that you love old school christian music. and that i've introduced you to all the christian music that you listen to now. even though you swear you've been listening to "this hip stuff" the whole time. bless your heart.

i love your parents. a lot. (and secretly, i love that they love me. i can say that, right? it doesn't sound big headed, right?)

i love that you make me have nights off when days are hard.

i love that somehow you never take nights off. even if i suggest them.

which means, i love how devoted you are to us.

i love that you touch things at old navy, gap, and target with me when we have date nights. even though you hate doing those things.

i love that you insist on wearing your carpenter jeans and tapered gap jeans from the late 90s. even though i've bought you jeans for every major (and minor) holiday.

i love holding your hand in church.

i love that you carry our coffee inside church so that i can drop off goo with free hands.

i love when you move your mouth when you write. but insist that you don't.

i LOVE watching you sing at church. (um, you think i don't watch. but i do.)

i love listening to you when we talk about the "state of the union" of our marriage and family. i get goosebumps when you talk about Christ leading you and being the center of our home.

i love saturday nights. blockbuster, pei wei, and snuggling.

buz. i love you. i am honored to be your wife. thank you for loving me. thank you for cherishing me. thank you for "covenanting with God and with me to be my husband."

happy eight years.

this may be one of my favorite pictures of us. :) seriously? what are you looking at? or looking for? i know, i know. it's a lot of dress. that's why i picked it.

prepare yourself. this is a *bit* long. caffeinated beverage? perhaps a snack?