13 Things I Love About my Valentime

In honor of Valentine's (or as Jason and I call it, "Valentimes", cause its just more fun to say it that way) Day next Wednesday, this week's T-13 is an ode to my sweetheart.

1. He's a man of God. I am so thankful to have a Christian husband leading our family. He says wonderful, heartfelt prayers that often convict me to put more effort into my own.
2. He's so handsome! After knowing him for pretty much my entire life, (ok, so I wasn't as into him in Junior High...but I learned my lesson) I still think I "married up". He has the most beautiful, clear, blue eyes (that he has passed on to our sweet baby girl) and a genuine smile that makes you feel pretty special when you earn it.
3. His great sense of humor. I can't remember a joke to save my life...so whenever I see a good one (usually from my friends through e-mail), I always make sure to tell Jason, and I love it when he pulls them out and brings down the house at get-togethers. He's a great joke-teller. He has a good laugh too--and that's important if you've ever met someone with an obnoxious one!
4. He's a great father. When Jason and I were dating, he once confided to me that one of his life's ambitions was to be a good dad. I can attest that he is living that ambition out. Norah loves Jason so much. I can already tell he's gonna be the "fun parent". He'll crawl around on the floor with her, acting ridiculous, tickling her silly, or helping her put together a puzzle-- all while winning her deepest affection. No wonder she wants to call everyone "Dada". She probably wishes he was with her all the time!
5. He's athletic. So maybe its a little immature on my part that I'm so proud to be "dating a big jock"...but I guess I kinda am. Jason and I have played sports together all throughout our marriage, and I've always taken secret pride in the awesome catch he made in the outfield, the huge putt he makes for a birdie, or the super-long drive he throws in the presence of strangers, leaving them awestruck (ok, sometimes I guess I cross the line of secrecy when I yell out things like, "That's MY husband!" but I can't help it!)
   
6. He smells good. I don't know how he does it, but he almost always smells good, even though he rarely wears cologne. He does shower regularly, and definately wears deodorant...but I prefer to think its something in his body chemistry--its more mysterious that way.
   
7. He's good at fixing things. Not that I'm Suzy Helpless, but I don't possess knowledge on many things, such as the inner workings of the toilet, replacing ceiling fans, or how to fix a curtain rod that is too tall (no, I know how to make it telescope inside itself if it is too wide--I'm not a total idiot, I'm referring to my problem the other day when the curtainrod stuck out too far because of the light fixture over my sink, and Jason cut the metal and redrilled holes so I could still hang my precious curtains)
8. He's easy-going. It takes a lot to make him mad...and even when he does get mad, if he takes a nap, he always forgets about it.
9. He's a hard worker. Ask anyone, including his past and present bosses. His favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 4:11, and he lives it every day. You should see his hands. They are "strong hands".
10. He's not picky. I love that Jason hates shopping so much that he will wear anything (with few exceptions such as cords, which is such a shame, cause I think they look great on guys) as long as I buy it for him and he doesn't have to go to the store, himself. He'll also try anything I cook at least once, and most of the time, he's complimentary of everything I cook.
11. He's brave (and patient). I've lost count of how many late-night missions I've sent him on to "stake out" the house and make sure no bad guys are lurking about. (Many of which I've woken him up for) He never makes me go because he knows I'm afraid of the boogey man, and he rarely gets angry at me for being mistaken. (He hasn't found any burglars yet!)
12. He's thoughtful. He gives great gifts--and that's really saying something, considering we're talking about a guy who HATES to shop. Maybe its just because he'd rather think really hard beforehand so he can only go to one place, but I'd rather think he's just a thoughtful kind of guy.
13. He's a nice guy. I catch him all the time asking the cashier at Walmart how her day has been. He always says thank you. He's courteous to strangers. And I think that is so incredibly attractive.