Happy Anniversary!

Today we are celebrating 21 years of marriage. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. Our anniversary was actually yesterday, August 21st, but I got tickets for us to see a musical this evening to celebrate. Usually Julie works on Thursday night so I was thinking Friday night would be easier.

Just talking about this makes my heart beat a little faster than normal. I still remember, sitting back in the child development class at BYU and seeing this attractive, smart, well-dressed classmate in my class. In that class it seemed I always was late and ended up walking in front of the instructor because all the seats near the door and up the side of the room were taken. Julie it seemed always sat next to a young man, so I didn't think I had a chance with her. Later I found out that she said I always sat next to a young woman, so she thought I wasn't available. Well as luck would have it, next semester, we had American Heritage lab together. Now those of you who went to BYU know that those American Heritage classes are huge. We didn't even have the same American Heritage class we just had the same lab class. I remember going to the lab the first day and seeing Julie there, I thought I would sit next to her since she was familiar. I really wanted to get to know her better. One day after class my oppurtunity came, Julie asked me to walk with her because this guy was stalking her. Well, my opportunity came to get to know her better, thanks to this stalker. I walked her to where she was going and our relationship took off from there.

I love Julie more today then when we first got married. Early in our marriage I used to joke that she was the "complete package", well she IS. She is all I could ever hope for in a marriage and then some. Since we have been married for 21 years I'm going to put together a list of 21 things I love about her. (Thanks to a friend for this idea!)

21. Fix it skills! Really there are some things around the house that Julie has more skills and patience for doing than I do. I can't tell you how many times I've gone on a trip, for Scouts or work and she's done some major project at home. I think she's painted our entire home

20. She lends a listening ear! She is good at listening to the joys, the experiences, struggles and ideas I have.

19. It's a zoo around here! She has put up with my passion for animals. The kids have had wants and desires for animals that she has endured as well. We have had dogs, many cats, fish, birds, gerbils, hamsters and even insects for pets. I'm sure I've missed some living thing that we have taken in and cared for. She even puts up with my chicken addiction. Right now we have six chickens, two of them are roosters that crow in the morning and sometimes in the evening.

18. Always creative with family nutrition! She's a great cook. I'm afraid to admit it but when we got married I weighed a buck 45 on heavy days. Now, well let's just say I weigh a bit more. Julie makes great food that not only tastes good but is good for you. That peach cobbler she made last night is just another example of her skills. She makes the food we eat mostly from scratch, every single day.

17. She's a planner! She is intuitive, she thinks ahead and schedules our family activities. It would be good if I scheduled things better with the family. I often get in trouble because I haven't put my schedule on the family calendar.

16. Her Smile! I love how her smile lights up the room. I wish I did things that kept that smile on her face always.

15. Sense of humor! She has a great sense of humor. She even laughs at my jokes sometimes. She's good at sneaking up on me at times and scaring me, which is always good for a laugh.

14. She comforts! She nurtures the family both young and old through thick and thin no matter what the issue you feel better after her touch. She doesn't quit on the the ones she loves.

13. She's like clockwork! She's consistent, you can count on her for doing the same things. Consistency in our home is great. We are kept on track for things that matter, like FHE, Family Scripture reading, etc.

12. She can put a shirt on your back! She's a great seamstress. She can make clothes for our family without a pattern. When the kids were younger and she had more time she made matching Sunday dresses for them. It's truly amazing when she took the ideas from dresses she has seen and made them from scratch and they were good.

11. Doesn't hold a grudge! She doesn't hold onto things that have not gone right. She moves on and forgets the offense.

10. She's an artist! Few people know that she is a skilled calligrapher. She does amazing artwork, freehand, sketching and painting. When we were younger she was in a FHE kit making group. She did some amazing artwork for the kits she produced back then. She's an accomplished violin player who played in a youth orchestra when she was a teenager.

9. She is an organizer! She is great at organizing everything. Everything in our home, yard, every one's rooms, there are a few areas unorganized like my closet.

8. She keeps in shape! While over the years my body type has changes she remains the same. Often people think I'm younger than I am because they see Julie and think, mmm...he must be this age because she looks so young.

7. She is a smart shopper! She buys things that are a bargain. We have obtained some of the stuff we have at home through yard sales. While she doesn't like to negotiate the price like I do she is the one the find the great items to negotiate for.

6. An even keel! She is steady as she goes! I don't mean that she's a ship or boat, she is calm an collected in most all situations. I'm more the extreme in happy, sad, scary or any other situation. She has been stable and strong through exciting situations.


5. She's a blast to be with! She is a good friend, my BFF! We especially like taking trips to go an see places, like Disneyland or the beach. We always make it a priority to go and spend time with family though. So that our children will get to know and enjoy being with their relatives. Whether we are on a trip, playing games as a family or just hanging out (which is the modern day phrase for dating) I like to spend time with her.

4. She is a kind and loving mother! She nurtures the family and is always giving of herself.

3. She's is beautiful! I like to swim in her big brown eyes. Her soft feminine skin. I always say she is stroft! She is strong and soft to the touch.

2. She Love Me! As much as it grosses our children out she loves me for who I am and always works to improve our relationship.

1. Her devotion to the Savior! She is faithful in Christ's teachings and leads her life in a harmonious way with Heavenly Father.

There are so many more things than 21 that I love about Julie than 21 this list is a good start. Thanks for the 21 years of marriage Julie, you complete me!