How Do I Love Thee?

In no particular order, you know, cause I'm not that organized with my thought processes.  Except for that last one, that one was intentionally last.

1. Your artistic talent.  I love the subjects that inspire you, and the artwork by your hand that we have hanging on our walls.
2. You don’t snore.  Except when you’re sick, which is okay, cause we all do it. 
3. That you still sleep with me when I snore which, because I am forever suffering from sinus issues, is apparently all the time.
4. You love my cat (admit it, you do), even though he pees on the bathroom rug.
5. You can fix anything, from computers to dishwashers to broken down Mustangs.
6. You have a Mustang.  C’mon, you know it’s why I married you.
7. You can cook.  And not just frozen dinners.  No, you rock some awesome chicken and hot wings on the grill, and now – my mom’s chicken and dumplings.
8. You take really good care of me.  And not just when I’m sick.
9. You built a beautiful kitchen and addition with your own hands.
10. You came with Pi and Sabra, a package-dog deal, who are an endless source of entertainment.  And I’m glad you know they smell.
11. You love potato chips as much as I do, and you don’t finish the whole bag without offering me at least one.
12. You are a teacher.  Yeah, it’s true.  Nothing sexier than an educator.
13. You are so like my mother – her drive, her ambition, her tireless work effort, and her unconditional generosity.  (This is a good thing.)
14. You are so like my father.   How could I not love a man so like my dad?  His affability, his joyful playfulness, and his wonderful sense of humor. (This, too, is a good thing.)
15. Your sense of humor.  You are the only one who can make me laugh as hard as my dad can … and more.
16. You get MY sense of humor.  Which, being so like my dad’s, is a little “off.”
17. Your generosity.  You are generous to a fault, even to those whose luck should’ve run out long ago.
18. Your mom and dad.  I love your mom and dad – the best in-laws a girl could hope for.  Really, if they had been terrible monsters, we wouldn’t be here today.  Well, okay, we would be, but they would be very VERY far away.
19. You love my parents.  And they love you.  That’s HUGE.
20. You’re not a homicidal maniac.  Because you have every right to be, after the last renter fiasco.
21. You’re very spiritual.  Our upbringings did not separate us, but today have united us.
22. You sacrificed your time, car, and sanity to live with me nearly 2 hours away from your job for over 2 years.
23. You’re the only one whose sweet tooth may actually be worse than mine.  Well, not all the time, but that apple pie didn’t eat itself.
24. You are thoughtful and kind.
25. You look equally good clean-shaven or with stubble, especially now that the stubble is gray.  =D
26. You are sensored and sensored and I love your sensored and the way you sensored.
27. You value your friendships and you are clearly valued by them.
28. You’re not a fighter.  Even though you may always be remembered for that fight in high school, you don’t solve your problems that way.
29. You have an unfaltering work ethic.  You have responsibilities, and you never shirk them.  And you never call out sick when you’re not, and nearly never when you are.
30. You are not a whiney sickee.  When you get sick, you take care of it and don’t lie in bed swearing you’ll die of a runny nose.
31. You are a Prince fan.  By now I think everyone knows if it wasn’t for the matching Prince t-shirt, we might never have met.
32. Your taste in music is sublime.  And you don’t sing Survivor songs to me.  Too much.  But when you do, I think it’s cute.
33. You love to watch Scandal with me, and you don’t make fun of Grey’s Anatomy.  Too much.
34. You have tremendous patience.  Where I would’ve surely gone off the deep end without medication long ago, you are stoic and calm in the midst of chaos.
35. You care about my children.  It’s no easy task, to love someone else’s children, but you do it and genuinely care about their welfare.
36. And by that token, you would make a wonderful father.  I’m sorry we lost that opportunity.
37. You don’t sugarcoat things.  If it needs to be said, you’re saying it.  Even if it means telling me it might be time to wax.
38. You let me be me.  You have never tried to change me, or criticized me for disagreeing with you or having a differing opinion.  You let me wander off at gatherings and get distracted by other people, without ever complaining about it.
39. You never forgot me.  (That’s kinda important in the whole, getting-back-together thing.)
40. You don’t get jealous.  Which, really, would be stupid and immature. Which you’re not. 
41. You’re a big softie who isn’t afraid or embarrassed to express how he feels about the love of his life, on any social network.  (Even if it embarrasses me.)
42. You make a mean cup of coffee, and a great turkey stuffing omelette.
43. The gifts you give have meaning.  I have never received anything from you that made me wonder what you were thinking.  It’s always crystal clear that you know me from my soul to my skin.
44. The way you smell.  You smell exactly the same as you did in back then, though I only get it in drifts when you kiss me.  But it is intoxicatingly the same, and unmasked by obnoxious men’s cologne.
45. You are YOU.  Because you are the first man I truly fell in love with, the one I cried so many tears for, and the one who saved me and made my heart whole again.  There is no other man who can do that.  Not now.  Not ever. 

Happy Birthday Baby!  Here's to 45 more!!  <3 <3 <3