Lucky Number 8

Eight years. No, it's not a round number. No, it doesn't have any significance. And no, a "being together"/"couple" anniversary is not something most people celebrate. Rob included.

But he can't stop me from blogging about it, especially when I wake up at 5 a.m. to do so. The man is dead to the world until 6:45 when I have to gently wake him up perform a Hulk Hogan leg drop to get him out of bed. Most of the time I let Faith to do my dirty work. She's cuter than me in the morning (and always) so it works well.

While Oct. 16 is not our wedding anniversary, I feel like it's just as much of a significant date as June 2. I feel like that fall day in 2004 was the day we committed to each other. Not in front of God and everyone, but to ourselves. Sure, it was possible that we'd date for awhile and break up. But what happened was that neither of us looked back after that day. I think we knew within a couple weeks that we truly loved each other. And by the time we graduated from college six months later, we were pretty sure we'd get married someday.

And because after eight years of togetherness, a house, a needy dog with a small bladder and a two-year-old that causes major exhaustion, sometimes you don't necessarily feel the love like you used to. Don't get me wrong, it's there. But sometimes it's hard to feel between the daily grind and busy schedules.

I want my husband to know that I love him. One of my favorite games that Rob hates to play is "5 things you love about the other person." Some might think this sounds like a lame, needy schoolgirl thing to do, and that's just fine. (I'm telling the teacher on you though). However, I think it's important to remind your loved one about the good things they do, rather than the laundry he didn't fold, or the dishes she didn't do. It's easy to criticize, forget what matters and go about your day. It's much harder to stop and think, reflect and tell someone how much they mean to you. So that's exactly what I'm going to do here. But instead of 5 things, I'll go with 8. What kind of list maker would I be if I didn't. Without further ado:

I love Rob because he makes me laugh every day. Whether it's a corny joke, his Gangnam style dancing or one of his tweets or Facebook posts, he's always able to get a smile out of me.

I love Rob because he is all about equal partnership. He cooks, he cleans, he holds Faith on the toilet while she does her biznas. That last one is not for the faint of heart.

I love Rob because he dreams about our future. Going back to school to get his master's, looking at houses online for our family, dreaming of vacations we'll take someday (probably when we're 95)...it's nice to know he plans to be around forever.

I love Rob because because he's so different than me. He's "seize the day." I'm more "Let's just wait and see if the day wants to be seized." I'm frugal/cheap. He's more of an, "if it's going to make you happy, just buy the damn thing." He checks things off his to do list. I like to just stare at mine for a while and then check Facebook. We complement each other well.

I love Rob because he still calls me all the time to say "Hi." Whether it's on his way home from school, in the aisles of the grocery store, or upon arriving to his destination safely, he always checks in and wants me to do the same. Having someone who cares where you are at all times (that's not your mother) is pretty darn great.

I love Rob because he is smart. Not conventional "what's the theory of relativity?" smart, but "I'll-figure-it-out-and-no-one-can-stop-me "smart. Take learning guitar for example. He can't read music, but just taught himself to play by ear. Me? When I tried to learn guitar I took lessons for a few months, got bored and then let my guitar and "beginner books" collect dust. When it comes to attempting  things on my own, I'd rather ask my 12 closest friends, refer to 3 experts in the field and then consult the Interweb. Rob is not afraid to learn by trial and error and I think it's made him smarter than he even realizes.

I love Rob because we share a lot of the same passions. The Cyclones. Running (that one took awhile for him). Journalism. Family. Country music (haha, kidding). And most importantly, Faith. He's the only person in the world that can love her as much as I do and does a great job of it.

And last but not least, I love Rob because he loves me. I know I have flaws (short-fuse, severe procrastination, crying extremely too easily) but when someone can look past all of that to love who you are regardless of your flaws (a mom/wife who would do ANYTHING to keep her family happy and healthy) you know you've found the right person.

 Even when we bicker, even when we raise our voices, even when we're mad because someone accidentally washed our silk tie and ruined it but that person didn't mean to, I love him. I know this because even after eight years, I still get excited to come home, or for him to come home to me. To us. His family. Maybe not "Howie wagging his tail" excited, but excited nonetheless. Happy 8 year "anniversary" to us! Here's to 80 more!

Things I Did for You Today

This post was inspired by an article I read at 3:45 in the morning yesterday (explained why below).
It was about Moms Staying in the Picture. It's hard to quantify what we moms do exactly sometimes,but this author did a good job of it. It made me think of all the mom-ish things I do for Faith in a day that she doesn't even realize, just like I didn't realize what my mom all did for me until I became a mom. Anyway, here's what I came up with. I hope she will come to appreciate it one day.

-I got up at 6 a.m. rather than 6:30 so that I could spend the time you're awake in the morning talking/playing with you rather than getting ready.
-I put more thought into what you would wear to school than what I would wear to work.
 -I spoon fed you cereal while you watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
 -I let you pick out the color of your Flinstones vitamin because it makes taking it that more exciting.
-I moussed my hair rather than blow-drying and straightening it, so that I could brush the snarls out of your curly mop and pull it back into a pony.

 -I thought about you at my desk and hoped you were having fun with your friends at daycare.
-I googled homemade alligator costumes.

-I went to the bookstore to pick up a gift for a friend and couldn't help but buy you a book while I was there.
 -I debated what cough medicine to buy at Target for at least 15 minutes.

-I called your grandma to chat and talked about you the whole time.

-I stole animal crackers from our snack spot at work so you would have something to munch on on the drive home.

-I beamed with pride when Miss Lindsey at daycare told me you had no accidents again.

-I endured "Rubber Ducky" repeatedly on the way home from daycare at your request.
 -I ate a semi-cold meal, not caring because you ate everything on your plate.

-I let you run around naked while your bathwater got cold because you were having too much fun to stop.
-I allowed you to wear a "pretty dress" to bed because it's one of the little things that make you happy.
 -I endured your screams of protest while I brushed your teeth because I know someday you'll value pearly whites.

-I read the same book for bedtime three times for the third night in a row because you just like it that much.

-I prayed for you, with you.

-I checked on you before I went to bed to make sure you were comfortable, found you on the floor and moved you up to the bed.

-I winced every time you coughed in the middle of the night.

-When you work up with a low fever, I brought you into our bed so I could keep one eye open and on you.

-When you fell back to sleep, I went downstairs because I couldn't sleep, got on the computer and typed this all up at 3:47 in the morning.

-I wished I could take away your sickness, just like I do every single time you're sick.

I will end this post with our most recent example of "me in the picture." On my birthday I took Faith to JCPenney for "Fancy Nancy" pictures. We had too much fun! Sorry for the picture of a picture, but you get the general idea. She will either look back on this with fond memories or just be really embarrassed by how dorky her mom can be.

Surprise! I'm 30.

On my 16th birthday, I thought I was going out to a movie. My date was supposed to pick me up at my house after my mom and I got home from church. I thought my mom picked up a bunch of pizzas on the way home for her friends, who were coming over to play cards. When we arrived home, my best friend, who was always at my house and probably there to help me get ready, told me that my present from her was in the basement. She proceeded to lead me down there blindfolded. I distinctly remember asking, "Is it a puppy?" Just then, she uncovered my eyes and 20 or so of my closest friends stood before me and yelled "SURPRISE!" I was shocked. I didn't know my jaw could drop and stay there so long. As you probably guessed, I cried tears of joy (even back then) and could not stop smiling. It was unforgettable.

Fast forward 14 years. (Ugh. Only old people can say that.) I knew Rob had something up his sleeve for my 30th birthday, but I didn't know what and mainly when it would be. I was pretty sure it was going to be Sunday, Sept. 23 though so I thought I'd have to act surprised when that day came. Something was supposed to happen on that day, but since I kept changing plans on him, Rob was forced to call an audible. And boy if he didn't execute it to perfection.

We got home last Sunday from yet another Iowa State football victory. We were debating what to eat for lunch when my mom called. She was going to take my aunt out to dinner at Pizza King here in Council Bluffs at 4:30 or so, and would I like to come. Hmm, let's see here. A free meal at one of my favorite restaurants that I don't have to cook. Yesplease. Rob was upstairs at the time and had been talking all day about watching the Cowboys on TV.. So when I told him about dinner at Pizza King, he acted disappointed and said, "But the Cowboys are on TV then." This act was all part of his master plan, but I proceeded to get annoyed. "How would you like it if your family came to town to take you out to dinner for your birthday and I wanted to stay home and watch Big Brother?!" (or something to that effect ;) He apologized immediately (secretly pleased, I'm sure, with his superb acting skills) and it was settled: Pizza King for dinner at 4:30. I knew my mom had to get on a plane for D.C. bright and early the next day, so I didn't think twice about the early time.

We went about our day cleaning, napping, etc. At about 4:15 I was scrambling around the house trying to get ready. In hindsight, Rob was very calm considering he was moments away from the big reveal. We arrived and my mom met us at the front door. She's always eager to take her granddaughter away from me so this also seemed normal. She led me into the room and just when I thought "Hey, wait a second, this is where we threw my mom's surprise 50th," I rounded the corner and once again, my friends and family stood before me and yelled, "SURPRISE." The proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday." Once again, I cried happy tears. This was my second surprise party and I'm only 30 years old! To say I felt blessed is an understatement.

This surprise was extra special for a few reasons. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece drove almost two hours one way. Friends came by themselves, knowing they probably wouldn't know anyone else there. Many others were there on VERY short notice. It meant the world to me.

If that weren't enough (and this is a total brag alert) my husband got every one's attention (in only the way a teacher can) once they were seated with their food and I was at the front of the room filling my plate. He thanked everyone for coming, gave a brief speech and then presented me with diamond earrings! If the party weren't enough, diamond. freaking. earrings! This man is gooood! I also had no idea those were coming so, naturally, I cried. Again.

The surprise party was so much fun, but the best part was learning the details of the planning process.    Rob acting upset about missing the cowboys game, Mom calling me all casually like, "Hey, let's go to dinner," when really the party hinged on my agreement. Getting the cake, flowers and balloons and paying for them without me noticing. But by far the best thing I learned after the fact was that Rob really didn't go running on Monday and Wednesday earlier that week. When Faith and I got home, he was wearing his running clothes and Faith called him dirty, as usual. But he hadn't been running. He'd be planning, and shopping. Not wanting me to suspect anything because he wasn't sweaty, Rob ran five laps around our backyard to work up a sweat. That right there is love. Hearing about it was like another present.

Having the party before my birthday really allowed me to put "turning 30" into perspective. Sure, I'm no longer in my 20s (time to drop my 20 something bloggers membership), but as a friend put it in one of my birthday cards, at 30 you really feel like you've "hit your stride, figured life out a little, built a family, etc." I couldn't agree more. I think the thing I love most about this age is getting to enjoy my parents enjoying my daughter. There's nothing else like it.

As far as "getting older," let's face it, I've always been "old."
Number one: I'm a huge morning person. Just ask my college roommates, who thought I was crazy nuts annoying for going to the gym at 7 a.m.
Number two: I enjoy reading the newspaper. In print.
Number three: I fall asleep on the couch at approximately 9:15 p.m.
Number four: Ever since Faith was born, we eat dinner no later than 5:30 p.m.
Number five: For fun in high school, my friends and I would play cards. No, not drinking games. Rummy. Grandma's rummy.

I had great friends at age 16 and have a pretty great family at age 30. What more can a girl ask for? Not even diamond earrings.