Ten things I L O V E about him!!! or Have you ever tried to tame a Shrew?

I know this is a bit cliche and even cheesy. But how can I NOT write this?

David is out of town on a job for the FIRST time with Halliburton.

And for the first time, we left on AMAZING terms. We've had occasions where he has left on BAD terms, ok terms, traumatic terms. Never amazing!

And over the past little bit, how wonderful my Husband is has become more and more apparent.

We LIKE eachother more than I think we ever have. And we are more in love than when we eloped 9 years ago.

So, I thought I'd put together a brief list of what he's been doing that has brought us here.

1- I LOVE his love of the arts! We had a very art filled weekend this past week. We went to the zoo, where he insisted on purchasing a piece of art made by an elephant. It's one of a kind, and definitely abstract, and wasn't cheap. But he really wanted it. And I LOVE that he wanted it. Because it shows a love for things outside the box. It fits perfectly in the space above our bed that was waiting for a good piece of art to fill it, and with him gone, I love looking at it there!

2- One leads to two. You see, $50 for a watercolor picture drawn by an elephant wasn't one the top of my list of things to spend our $ on this past weekend. But how could I refuse a man who would do everything he could to get me the moon if I asked. He has found that balance between gifts and service that totally speak my Love Language.

3- Again, 2 leads to 3. His traits just flow into a perfect blend. David is the kind of husband who will take all 4 children off my hands when I need it to show me he loves me. He changes poopy diapers, gets up in the middle of the night with the children, and does the bed time routine on his own every night. He is lightens my load every chance he gets. And NOTHING says "Love" to me like that!

4- Loving me is NOT an easy job. I don't accept mediocre at ALL! Half Ass is not in my vocabulary except as the worst insult possible. I know that sounds harsh, but it's just unacceptable. David has to jump through hoops DAILY to keep me happy. And I let him out of his obligation once. He could have walked away and never looked back. But he not only didn't do that, he pursued me and jump in with both feet once again. This man has been willing to deal with me not ONCE, but twice. And he keeps giving me the BEST gift in the world... he willing supports my desire to bring more children into our Family. We are on our 2nd since the divorce, and I've gotten him to agree to a possible 3rd.

5- He is NOT perfect. And I am not one to accept the "I'm not perfect, I accept this, therefore I will be lenient with myself and not expect too much" mentality. I can accept the fact that mortality is synonymous with imperfection. But I also realize that is no excuse for not doing your best. And David has come SOOOO far and has such a desire to succeed. He isn't perfect, but he TRULY puts the effort and care into his job and family that shows how much he WANTS to do it right!

6- This man gets up every morning, even sometimes with small amounts of sleep, goes to work, gives it his all, and then comes home and helps with children and housework. I could NOT do that. I can handle the 24/7 demands of parenthood. But to work full time also, well, I don't do the no sleep thing. He has had periods of time without a job. And sitting around playing video games was not on his agenda. He worked what ever jobs he could. He took an "ok" job to get the ball rolling, and kept applying till he worked up to a good job that has the promise of providing for his growing family.

7- He supports my need to be a stay at home mom. Through bouts of unemployment, and low paying jobs, David has NEVER asked me to go back to work. He knows that my core belief system tells me that I need to be the one to be home with my children. And with 5, it's not worth it financially to pay for daycare. And he's OK with that. I have not worked one day outside the home since Elizabeth was born that I didn't want to or need to for reasons other than finances.

8- He APPRECIATES what I do for our family. He tells me "Thank You" for being willing to stay at home and take full responsibility for our children vs asking someone else to do it while I pursue a career. You have to understand that I had a career in the making. I was the primary bread winner before Elizabeth was born. I LOVED my military career and gave it up to stay home and raise a family. And he VALUES that.

9- He is a secure, loving, and supportive partner. He doesn't feel threatened by my independence. He doesn't feel threatened by my successes. He backs me up on goals and ambitions. When I want to go out, and I get dolled up for it, he doesn't assume that I am going to cheat on him. He likes that looking good makes me feel good about myself.

10- He likes me and accepts me just the way I am. 200 lbs or 130 lbs HONESTLY doesn't matter to him. Which is so nice because it means that we can enjoy good food together, and he still makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Which boosts MY desire to be in good shape and look good for him.

As I write this, I realize that this is just the TIP of the ice burg that is a HUGE list of things I LOVE about my Husband. I just hope he knows what an amazing catch her truly is, and I would be the luckiest girl EVER to keep him for good!