I love the way he smells and breaths and clasps softly at my hand in his sleep. The way he always falls asleep while driving, but when I'm in the car keeps squeezing my leg to stay awake-it's one thing to get in an accident when you're alone, another entirely when your wife is with you. I love that when we get tired together we laugh and laugh and laugh, well, we laugh after we've figured out the reason we're so irritable has to do with being tired. I love that he is tender with me, and has literally never once disrespected me. Ever. Really, I just thought about it.

He somehow(because he loves Jesus) always knows exactly what to say when I'm broken, he knows how to tell when I'm broken for that matter, and after the hot tears make rivers down my face he brushes them away and lets me cry some more. Until I'm done. Let's not fool ourselves though, I don't cry...

Even though I give him a really hard time about it, I love his morning stinky breath the way you love puppy breath because it's just so damn cute. I love the way he plays with kids, but that after we're away from everyone else in the car on the way home, he always turns to me at just the right moment and tells me that he's probably never going to be ready(which I am normally three seconds shy of telling him, so it all works out). I love that he is not embarrassed of me, even though I know that I often do things that are reckless, foolish, and downright stupid. He has never yelled at me. He has, however, threatened to blow me up with a pumpkin bomb a few times, but at that point we're just splitting hairs.

I love the way he melts into me when he's tired, how he is when his back itches, and that on our days off when we get to spend time together but have no money he chooses one of my two favorite things to do if the weather doesn't permit a hike: the library or the Humane Society. Truthfully, we never go on hikes. I'm a whiner and if the weather isn't just so I don't want to go. When the weather is just so there's always a million other things to be doing. But you know what? Even though he adores hikes he loves me and he has never complained.

I love that we eat meals at the table whenever we're both eating at the same time, which really never happens, but that when we do we don't even clear the surface. It's a hodge-podge of mail, bags, invitations, books, pictures, craft scraps, cups, clothes, and most of the time-Hurley. But we sit and hold hands and he prays thanking God for me and my willingness and ability to make a meal. Even though I have never spent more than an hour preparing a meal that just he and I are going to eat, my sister-in-law would be ashamed, that girl cooks.

I love the way his eyes crinkle in the corners when he smiles or laughs, from years and years of joy. I love that I get to experience life with someone who spent almost every day of their life smiling, to know how the other half lives. I love that when we do market together he does most of the work, but when I do lift my share and sweat my share-he always thanks me and praises me for it.

Every fall when things start to get shaky for me as my birthday, the holidays, memories passed but never forgotten, start to approach, he just buckles down and snuggles me more. He tells me that taking a million credits is really good for me because he knows I have to be pushed to the limits to be successful. He encourages me in the things that will prosper me, that will make me feel accomplished, and if I fail or quit-he lets it pass quietly. Telling me there will be another chance to work on it or make it up.

He edifies me with his every move. He makes a conscious effort to love me with every-single-one of his actions, and I'm pretty sure all of this is why I do feel so loved. Why in return I adore him still and am constantly amazed I have managed to not only be in relationship but live with someone so long. I say so long because I never thought I would even have the capacity to be married, truly. I thought I would fail somehow, run the person off, cut them within an inch of their life with my tongue, but God has been so faithful and loving in giving me Andrew. I am so rich.

But I really do need to start hiking.