The last time Dustin and I went on vacation JUST US was when I was pregnant with Miller (is it really "just us" when a fetus is present? Debatable). And that was a 3 day trip to a hotel in Pennsylvania (a fancy-schmancy hotel...but still). Outside of that, our last vacation as a couple was in 2014 (a trip so epically lovely, it's a wonder I'm not still talking about it). So, I'm not complaining...just saying, after 3-4 years without an adults-only get away, we were due.
But we actually didn't have a trip on our radar...We've gotten to take AWESOME trips with our kids over the last few years- with family, visiting friends- and we're slated for another beach trip with my mom's side of the family in a month. So it didn't really occur to me to plan something for Dustin and me. It just felt a little unnecessary...or selfish...or both.
Now, in order to tell this story, I have to make a hard segue from self-centered frivolousness into some serious stuff for a minute... In February of this year, Dustin's step-mom passed away. I haven't shared much about it publicly, but we are broken-hearted to have lost her so soon, and equally broken-hearted to witness the pain Dustin's dad is going through. Most of it doesn't feel like my story to share, so I will just say that she was so very VERY loved, by us, our family, and so many others, and she is, and will be, dearly missed.
So now I have to pivot back to vacation, which, again, feels insensitive and clunky...but it's the true context, so here we are. Shortly after she passed, Dustin's dad told him that he had one week remaining at a timeshare and it was expiring in April. He wasn't ready to travel, but didn't want it to go to waste, so he offered it to us. We hemmed and hawed over the whole thing for weeks, but in the end decided it would be a good thing for us to do. And after looking into the (nearly endless) options for destinations, we settled on Florida's Friendliest Hometown: The Villages, Florida.
It's been Dustin's parent's home for the last decade, and a favorite spot of ours. I could go on and on about how much I love it there (if I wasn't already ready to retire, that place would convince me in a heartbeat). We have made such great memories there over the years, so it felt like the perfect choice to spend the first half of our trip with Dustin's dad. We took care of a little bit of family business, but mostly spend the time talking, reminiscing, and just being together...in the sadness, and the joy and the love. For the second half of our trip, we drove up to Orlando and enjoyed a few poolside days a deux. I did almost no planning, no stressing, and it was all wildly better than the humble expectations I put on the trip. Just the chance to be together for a bit, with nothing more to worry about than what chain restaurant booth to choose each night was a gift. (Truly...a gift from his dad, of course, but also a huge gift from my mom who was holding down the fort with all of our kiddos).
I of course adore my kids, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't talk about them at least 85% of the trip (seriously...you can't be in that close proximity to Disney and not have your toddlers on your mind). But oh- the sweet freedom of doing ANYTHING I WANTED...FOR DAYS ON END was bliss I didn't fully remember existed. We did wild things like eat an entire bag of skittles ourselves (no sharesies!), and fall asleep next to an open body of water, and read books that had no pictures, no rhymes, and no mentions of poop. It was terribly unfamiliar, and intoxicatingly awesome. I woke up each day at an hour my cell phone alarm has never heard of, showeredwithout interruption, and forgot the password to my laptop. The weather was perfection, the itinerary was delightfully open, and my travel companion is my absolute favorite.
I always know how lucky I am...but sometimes it's extra awesome to feel it so intensely at once. Oh- and I don't hate having a tan to show for it. So here's a goofy little video of a couple of nerds who don't get out much, having just the best time. 55 (and older), we're comin' for ya (and I'm bringing my shuffle board cue).
Date night. Every married couple knows that should be a priority...but it's hard to make happen. (Work schedules, packed calendars, babysitter conflicts, etc. etc. etc.) And then even if you can get out for a bit, it's usually an hour or two in the evening, which may or may not be your best time to connect (soooooo tired). I'm always thankful for time alone with Dustin, but I don't necessarily love the options date night affords us. It feels like it always has to be squeezed into the two hours after the kids' bedtime (and before it gets crazy late for a sitter), or we go out earlier and I feel like we're over-burdening someone with the task of watching all three gila monsters during the witching hours. And never mind that the expense of a babysitter pretty much doubles the cost of whatever date activity we choose (which- tragically unoriginal alert- is usually just dinner). (OR we feel bad about taking advantage of free babysitting again from my family, even though they swear they don't mind). Plus there's the guilt of missing time with the kiddos, when we're already away from them the bulk of most days. So yeah. Love a date night. Don't always manage to make it happen.
But we do try to squeeze in time here and there and take advantage of what we have, so during a (rare) impromptu lunch together the other day, we decided we should take a day off, randomly, just the two of us. We've got the time to spare at work, and with Piper back at daycare with the other kids for the Summer, we've got all-day care already lined up (and paid for!) So last Friday, we took advantage of the most expensive "free" babysitting we'll ever have, and had a Date Day. Just one day; just the two of us. No plans; no kids. (And no burden, no guilt.)
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While a big-time date is pretty rare around here...documenting it is even more rare. I don't suspect many will care about the ins and outs of our simple day together...but I know I'll cherish being able to look back at the ordinary magic of our life in this season. So I'm making the time to date that man I love, and taking the time to record a little bit of why it's so special to me.
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We wanted to make the most of our day together, so we got the kids up, fed, and off to daycare around our regular time in the morning. 8:30AM still seemed a little early to start a date, so I took advantage of some solo time while Dustin did drop off, and took a shower without anyone watching/tattletaling on someone/opening the shower door to have me "fix" Barbie's shoe. Similarly, Dustin enjoyed a quick trip to Home Depot, that was both actually quick and sans any sort of shrieking or injury. Date Day hadn't officially started, and it was already my favorite day.
Now on to the heart of the matter...
First up: Bikes! Kidding. Never.
But a certain 3.95 year old I know is looking a little bit like a circus bear on her tricycle, so a new birthday bicycle gift was in order for Fin. We hit up Once Upon A Child (aka: my happy place) for a new-to-her gem. It has streamers, a carrier for a baby, and a bell. $25 well spent.
(and yes, I realize it's a little lame to spend date-day shopping for our kids, but we kept the trip short, and it was such a specialize mission it didn't feel like we were wasting our time together running routine errands).
So, the day was already a wild success, and it was only 10am. Yes!
The night before, I had done a last minute search for local Groupons, and found that the mini-golf place we planned to go to (because you know we were going to play some mini-golf) had a deal for buy-one-get-one free golf plus 10 rounds batting cage tokens. So though I haven't swung a bat in 10+ years (maybe 20+?) we gave it a shot. I stuck to softball and "slow baseball" (dang elementary school kids, hogging the "very slow" option), while Dustin handled "medium". We were in no danger of anyone scouting us, but it was fun change of pace to try something different together.
Next it was on to the main event...Mini-golf is hands down my favorite date activity, day or night. It's silly, competitive, and just super fun. The course was actually a little crowded (first day of Summer vacay for local kids) which worked out great...we got to enjoy some extra sunshine, and had time to talk (in between golf related trash-talk, of course). We chatted about all kinds of things, but ended up talking a lot about plans (and wild visions) we have for our family in the future. So thankful for a man I can play with a dream with, simultaneously.
Photographic evidence we were tied at the turn...I'm not sure who ended up winning. (except I'm totally sure, and I don't want to talk about it).
It was barely lunch time (thanks for the early wakeup, kids!) but who's stopping us from finding a nearby spot for some pre-noon beers (and burgers)? No one, that's who. We hit up the new Northstar, and ate super slow, and didn't have to cut up, wipe up, or blow on anything. Glorious.
I'd be lying if I said we didn't talk about work...because actually I think we spent nearly the entire meal discussing that. But what a gift to have someone who understands the 9-5...This is the second time we've worked together, and I honestly cherish the shared perspective it gives us. (Plus there is no way he'd endure nearly as much of my complaining if he wasn't in similar trenches).
We headed home after that (mostly to change into looser pants...still not sorry about all the guac.) But on our way, I of course spotted a little curb-side gem we had to snag. Ain't no shame in my trash picking game (seriously...Dustin wishes there was any shame in it. But alas. There is none). Only issue? The shelf I spotted was far too big for our car (even if we didn't have a bike with us already...) So with no words, and a mercifully subtle eye-roll, Dustin hopped out, picked it up, and walked the two blocks home.
This guy is the muscle to my hustle all day every day. This is him requesting that I not document this shenanigans. But the world needs to know how much he loves me (and how much I love him for it).
And with our second second-hand score of the day in the bag, it was time for more golf...this time of the disc variety.
We made a quick stop at Play-It-Again Sports (it turns out the unofficial theme of the day is bargain fun!) for some cheap drivers and putters (chosen solely based on their ridiculous graphics), and then headed out for the course.
I pretty much haven't played since high school (I actually used to play pretty frequently back then...not because I was great at it, or tremendously passionate about the sport. But my friends were super into it, so I was happy enough to go along for the ride) and I think Dustin and I have only played once or twice together, if that.
We went to a course I've never tried before, and it was seriously magical. And not just in a sappy "I love my date" way...I mean the forest actually looked enchanted.
It was the most perfect weather ever, and we had a blast hiking around for an hour or so, trying our best to keep our new discs out of the water (and taking awkwardly balanced self-timer shots). At this point we honestly didn't really talk much...which is probably (ok, definitely) rare for me. But it's a special kind of comfortable to just enjoy each other...just being.
(side note: I feel a little hind-sight dorkiness about our semi-matching/semi-competing Ohio State and Eagles gear.)
He didn't let me win, but gave me credit where it was due, and I only ended up owing him two wager related backrubs for the day. Sooooo, could have been worse.
And since we were just a few minutes from my fave ice cream place, we had to make a stop at Sticky Fingers. (I didn't even have to ask for eyes. Love that).
By now it was late afternoon and we had our fill of sun and games. Typically I'd try to carve out time for a nap...either out of necessity, or just on principle, but maybe keeping up with three kids has upped my endurance, because at this point I still felt...pretty rested. (We did lounge for a few minutes and have the obligatory "what in the world did we do before we had kids?...But like, really?...Whatever we wanted?....Like, all day?..." conversation. It's only been a few years, but still, I can barely remember the rhythm of full days without children.) We had a little time before we needed to fetch the whippersnappers, so I set out to tackle an art project that had been looming/lagging in our garage for a few days (or weeks? hard to say...) Having some uninterrupted work time? Priceless.
And just like that...our Date Day drew to a close (and the typical manic merry-go-round of dinnertime/playtime/bathtime/bedtime resumed). One day wasn't enough (could never be enough) but it was still so much. It may need to become a regular occurrence. We may not be able to get a full day away very often, but early-out "Summer Fridays" could afford us a couple of hours alone each week...Don't mind if we do.
Happy New Year! (I believe the year still counts as "new" for at least a month. Maybe five.)
Things have been wild around here, so I'm happy to be back in action
with my first post of the year, even if it did take me a while. I'd like to say I have all kinds of reasons for not
making time to write, but really it comes down to two things:
I'll spare you a detailed rant here, but it's safe to say if you've seen
me in person at any point in 2016, those are probably the only two things I talked about.
(They're both so crazy and addicting in entirely different ways).
But in addition to holing up on my couch, eyes glued to my TV, I have
managed to do at least a little bit of (slightly) deep thinking. It is the New
Year, after all, and heaven knows I love me some introspection, goals,
planning and resolutions. I wrote a post on this topic for Thrive Moms last week,
(proof I haven't let my brain go entirely to mush) actually talking about how
we shouldn't feel pressure to make resolutions...which for me has been
really good to remember. But while I'm letting go of the over-anxious striving,
and stringent rules for myself, I'm still thinking about what I want to focus
on this year, and where I can look for growth. I'm still in processing mode for
the most part, but I think I've landed on two things I want to do (besides
watch Making a Murderer, and run a Bachelor pool):
Have a small every day resolution
Choose a "word of the year"
I’ve done resolutions a few different ways over the years…ranging from
choosing annual themes, writing a full list, and just ignoring the task
entirely (if you’re interested: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Let's skip the long winded
recap and I'll just sum it up: I haven’t been overwhelmingly successful with any
approach. Best intentions. Rough follow through. Some years were better than others, and I've got some thoughts on what process works best for me. But all that's still simmering for a bit, so for now we'll just focus on goal #1- one small task I'll aim to do every day.
I found this goal trackerand loved the simplicity of it, and the message: "Big Things HappenOne Day at a Time". It's a great reminder not to get overzealous (and overwhelmed) by a huge change- I can just take little steps forward, one at a time, every day. I pondered what I'd want to focus on, aiming to find something I knew I could be successful at, but that would still stretch me and lead me towards a worthwhile end. I'm self aware enough to know that anything involving exercise was going to be a near-immediate failure. And while I have some other creative challenges I might want to pursue, I didn't want to get too rigid about those. Also, I wanted to make sure that I chose something that I really could see myself doing every single dayfor the full year...not something I'd approach with gusto now, but then get burned out on, or even maybe complete before the year was over.
So...drumroll...here's what I landed on:
Yep. My goal, every day this year, is to kiss my husband.
Surprised?
Yeah...me too, a little.
I don't write a lot about marriage here, which in a way is a little odd,
because it's such a huge part of my life. But because it's a partnership, it
doesn't feel fully mine to talk about. I do love the idea of being
transparent and authentic, but I also want to be respectful, and appropriately private with what I share. It can be a funny balance; if I talk about how much I love being married, and how awesome my husband is (I do, and he is) then it sounds like sappy bragging (which no one likes). But if I'm too open about our struggles (which we do have...despite all that sappy brag-worthy stuff) then it can sound like complaining or give the appearance that we're worse off than we are. And of course, no one likes their mistakes or shortcomings blasted out to the public, so I try to be thoughtful about how I'd want to be portrayed, and only write things about others that they'd want to read...inclusive- especially- of my husband. (but let's be real, he's pretty much perfect, so that makes my writing job easy. ;)
So as I share my goal to kiss my husband daily, I want to givesome details to help round out the full picture. Dustin and I are very much in love. We are also very much buried in the overwhelming task of raising three small humans. And try as we might to prevent it, that second part can sometimes trump that first part. Parenting is hard work, and it comes with the sacrifice of much, most noteably: time to do anything besides parenting. I couldn't ask for a more hands-on and devoted partner, but being in this together, isn't always the same as being together. When I reflected on it, I realize we spend much of our time either dividing and conquering (or at least avoiding being entirely conquered), or moving in parallel. There is understandably a ton of time that we spend apart, either working, tackling chores, or wrangling the kids. But what I started to see more and more ofis time that we're technically together, but are heads down, moving through a to-do list.This shoulder to shoulder work is good, and I'm overwhelmingly thankful to have him by my side, but I'm also craving more face-to-face time.
As I said, we're still very much in love, but with the chaos of work and little ones, it's easy to plow through a day and not truly see each other until the evening. Even then, routine can take over, with chores and sheer exhaustion squeezing out spontaneous romance. I'm not saying we never make time to be together (I mean, all those kids didn't come from no where. Oh, gross...come on, my dad is reading...) but we could still do a better job of weaving some affection into the pattern of our everyday.
So my goal is simple. Kiss my husband, every day. And if I can get really lofty here...let's say on the lips, even!I want to avoid making it an air-kiss as we speed out the door in the morning, or a quick peck before we crash for the night. What I really want, at least once every day, is to take a pause, look into my husband's eyes, and kiss him like I mean it. Because I do.
As it turns out, this is not a hard task once I started to be mindful of it. We have a tonof opportunities for little lovey-dovey moments, as long as we're looking for them. And I'm happy to report that we're off to a great- perfect!- start: our lips have locked every single day this year. It's such a simple, but important way for us to invest in each other, and our family. (Piper is unaware of our goal, but is still encouraging, telling us "Aw...you two are so cute when you kiss!") So as strangeor vulnerable as it may feel to share it, I'm so excited about this goal, and will be proudly planting one on my partner for the next 350+ days (and hopefully many, many more to come).
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One decade ago, two young, idealistic, crazy-in-lovebirds, took a walk down a church aisle in front of their friends and family, and promised to love each other forever and ever. Ten years later? So far, so good...
If you ask me, ten years is a big freaking deal. I mean...it's almost one third of my life! (A slightly smaller fraction for my better/older half). Ten whole years of marriage. In some ways it seems like it zipped by and in other ways it feels like we earned each and every second. I remember 09/04/05 in intricate detail as if it was only a moment ago, but I also look at those two fresh faces in our wedding portraits, and barely recognize them. The "us" of ten years ago was such a good, pure, hopeful foundation for the "us" now, but the past decade has shaped us in ways we couldn't have imagined then. Those two who promised to love in good times and bad, had no idea what the bad would entail, but then again, also hadn't yet gotten a glimpse of how good the good could be.
We've had an adventurous ten years, filled with classes, jobs, trips, tears, renovations, fights, kisses, family, friends, loneliness, babies, mistakes, successes, children, fears, risks, bliss. We've been through so much, and yet having all that experience shows me how much we don't know. It teaches me that there is still so much more yet to come that we can't even imagine now.
Dustin and I were talking the other day, trying to name other things we've done for ten years...and we were pretty much drawing a blank. Other than our childhood homes, we haven't stayed put anywhere that long. Neither of us have had the same job for ten years (or even been in the same career field). We are incredibly fortunate to have strong friendships- and family of course- that have endured ten plus years, but that doesn't exactly come with the same day-in-day out commitment that a marriage does... So far as the details go, pretty much nothing has remained unchanged in ten years. We've moved, shifted, changed, lost and grown. The constant over that time is us.
And OH, how I am in love with us. I'm madly in love with my husband, even more so than I was ten years ago, but in addition to that, I love the me that I am for being married to him. Us has made me better.
So we are now each ten years older (and maybe ten pounds heavier) than those fresh faced kids jumping into matrimony with scarcely a clue. But we, as a unit, are also ten times wiser, stronger, more humble, and all around lovelier (though still ten million miles from finished). I'm grateful ten times over for this life I've been granted with my husband- my perfect ten.
There's no denying that the kids have taken over things around here...my camera roll, our house, this blog...our lives. But before those little munchkins stole my heart (and my free time, and my sanity) there was a boy who was my whole world.
That boy is (duh) Dustin Bowden. I met him almost twelve years ago, and I was smitten from the jump (he was too...but that's neither here nor there)...and ever since. People often use the phrase, "to know him is to love him", and I'm almost entirely sure that saying was coined specifically about Dustin. Nobody doesn't like Dustin Bowden. Really. It's impossible. Even if I were capable of being impartial, which I totally and completely am not, I would still say it. because it's just a fact: Dustin is good stuff.
He's been my favorite person on the planet for over a decade now, and today we celebrate him being on said planet for a full 35 years. We'll shower him with gifts of course, but I want as many people as possible to know what a gift he is, in and of himself. So here are 35 beloved truths about my beloved, so you can know and love him too.
Dustin...
1. has the best laugh. We actually tease that he's an "easy laugh" because he does find a lot of things funny, but that doesn't keep me from being really proud whenever I can make him crack up. He laughs loud and often, which is just perfect. 2. has cute dimples. And a baby face. And big cheeks. (and sometimes angry eyebrows). He's the kind of guy who you see, and just know he's going to be nice. Which he very much is. 3. is a giver. I've never known anyone with such a giving heart. If he sees something that needs to be done, he's on it. He will help anyone, with anything, anytime, and is constantly showing me what it means to have a generous spirit. 4. is a fixer. He loves to problem solve- whether that involves math, power tools, or talking me off an emotional ledge. 5. has pretty feet. Ok, maybe not pretty, but they're really nice- especially for a guy. 6. is a natural dad. He was born to be a father. Every day I watch him effortlessly love our children. He's fun, and funny, and patient, and kind, and is constantly teaching them- both explicitly and by example. 7. makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches, and root beer floats. And only gets slightly annoyed when I request one or the other every night for nine months (three times now...) 8. is snuggly. When someone tells me they have a dog who doesn't like to cuddle, I get so sad, because that's like, the entire point of having a dog. And that's exactly how I feel about husbands.
9. comments when I wear something new. He's quick with a compliment, and genuinely notices when I spend extra time on my hair, or sport a new outfit. I appreciate that.
10. loves my family. He loves his family of course, but it's extra powerful to watch him embrace another group as if they're "his" too. 11. is really (like, really) good at excel. Which is totally nerdy, but also really awesome (and not just for the Bachelor Pool spreadsheets). 12. humors most all of my hare-brained schemes. I am always getting myself in too deep...to all kinds of things...But for the last twelve years, that's meant I'm always getting us in too deep. He's on my team 100% and is always there to bail me out, or link arms (and minds and hearts) with me to make my impossible dreams possible.
13. has a lot of hobbies. He sometimes says he's the jack of all trades and master of none, but I like that he's into a lot of things. I know he finds it frustrating that he's not known for one spectacular talent, but how cool is it to be able to play bass, teach calculus, and do a muscle up? Renaissance man, I tell you.
14. is a good baby holder. and put-to-sleep-er. If those aren't the world's most valuable skills then I don't know what are.
15. is a creature of habit. He'd eat the same thing day after day without complaint, is happy to wear "his uniform", and generally finds comfort in routine. Simple tastes make him easy to please, so I'm not mad at that. 16. doesn't get mad if when I wake him up in the middle of the night to talk even if he can't go to sleep afterwards. Which happens...kind of often. 17. lets me choose the movies. And the TV shows. And the restaurants. He's pretty accommodating, and as much as he might have an opinion on things, he's willing to let it go pretty quickly if I feel strongly about something (which, you know, never happens...) 18. is a total softie about his girls. He loves those little ladies more than you can imagine. Sometimes that means he spoils them silly, but mostly it just means he smothers them with kisses and tickles and bedtime stories and "horsey" rides and cinnamon swirl pancakes, and all around unwavering devotion.
19. loves to be outside. He's an outdoor-cat through and through. I think a part of him aspires to be a mountain climbing, element testing wild man, but in our suburban life that translates to lots of deck-sitting, and car rides with the windows down (all of them, all the way down. This is one of his very few non-negotiables in life.) 20. tells a good dad joke. "What do you call a fish with no eyes? fssssshhhhhh" is his go-to. (and yes, I realize that joke doesn't work in print. But you get it.) 21. pays all our bills. I mean, with our money, but it sure is nice not to have to worry about all that paperwork. Ditto for the health insurance, and savings accounts, and really anything I deem "soul-suckingly-boring", thus "too hard". I should probably be even more thankful for this than I am. 22. is so proud of me. I need encouragement and affirmation (like, more than most people, I think) so I hit the jackpot getting a partner who is so good at giving those things. It's the best feeling in the world to know that he is genuinely, and deeply proud of me- not only when I do well, but really, all the time. He understands my intentions, even when I mess things up, and he believes in me, even when I don't have a clue.
23. could do (and has done) a ton of different jobs, and has succeeded at all of them. He gets teased a bit, because his resume has quite the list. But he really does have a wide range of talents, and a work ethic that doesn't allow him to be anything besides great. He's been a camp counselor, jeans salesman, math teacher, department head, actuarial science student, t-shirt folder, undie allocator, merchandise planner, maintenance coordinator...and a bunch more that I can't even remember. And he's been awesome at them all. He's the kind of guy who you can drop into any role, regardless of experience, and he'll do his best to figure it out, and get things done. He's got a rare combo of technical smarts, and people skills that makes him super attractive (to companies, but also: me) 24. has so much energy. He can survive on about half as much sleep as I need, and has the amazing skill of being able to muscle through tough stuff.
25. will always make sure everyone at a party has a drink. We call him "the pusher"- not just of alcohol (though that part comes from a place of wanting to be a good host) but of any idea he falls in love with. If there is a product or service that he likes, you're going to hear about it, and probably get a pitch to buy/join it. The stems entirely from his desire to be helpful- there's no ego about it- he just loves to stumble upon awesome stuff, and when he does, he wants to pass it on to everyone so they can enjoy it too. 26. loves all things stereo-typically boy things. Beer, tools, gadgets, action movies, Jeeps...He's a dude sometimes, and it's pretty cute.
27. just really really loves to make people happy. I know I've said he's giving, and selfless, but I don't think I could list it too many times- it's just so synonymous with who he is. He wants you to be happy. and me to be happy. And he'll do just about anything to make it happen. You can't not love that. 28. is the best road trip partner. He'll offer to drive, loves to rock out to a good playlist, will play any and all stupid car games, and is equally happy to converse the whole time, or enjoy contented silence. 29. gets real Philly when he talks to his dad. "How you doin', Pop?" 30. really interested. He takes a genuine interest in people, and loves learning about what they do, what they like, and who they are. He's an incredible listener (even if his memory sometimes fails him later), and has a knack for making people feel valued and important.
31. is super humble. Like, probably the most humble person ever. In the whole world. #nbd (but seriously, this list is going to embarrass him, a lot.)
32. can jump a lot higher than you might think. Seriously. Don't bet against him. 33. always wants to be better. He definitely has a tendency of being too hard on himself, but he just really wants to do a good job. He wants to love his kids, and provide for his family, and serve his church, and succeed at work. If he's going to be something, he wants to be a good one of those. He wants to be dependable, and competent, and feel like people can count on him. And he is, and we do.
34. has a habit of falling asleep in public. At friends' houses, he's forbidden from sitting in leather recliners. Oh, Grandpa Dustin... 35. loves me so so well. Dang, I'm lucky.
Happy 35th Birthday to my very favorite person. I love you, Dus.
P.s. I couldn't jam all his love-able-ness into one list, so you should also know that he has: nice teeth, sweet dance moves, is a total grill-master, a frustratingly good whistler, has a compulsion for clipping his nails, is brave at an open mic, and can rock a rubik's cube like nobody's business.
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I’m Courtney- a loud-talking, big-dreaming kind of a girl with a creative streak I can't turn off, a wholly imperfect love for Jesus, and an overwhelming passion for authenticity. I'm superpumped you're here.
