Flirty Forty

The title of this blog post makes me laugh because flirty is not an adjective that I would use to describe Simon in any way – he is just not a flirt (thank goodness) but he is forty and who doesn’t love a little alliteration? I, for one, am a fan, just as I am a fan of my husband, no matter how OLD he is (I suspect, like my dad, he will forever be a child at heart).

Happy Birthday, Simon, so blessed to have known you since before your hair started to gray and your accent started to Americanize.
But 40 is kind of a big deal so commemorate it, here are the top 40 things I appreciate about that hubby of mine…

1. He keeps the driveway clear of snow and ice (if you live in our neighborhood, you know his devotion to clearing the snow runs deep, making it appear like we have a heated driveway).

2. If he doesn’t know how to do something handy around the house, he will research it, find a YouTube video and learn how to do it; seldom do we have to call in outside help – even when it means he frustrates the heck out of himself (usually with a plumbing-related fix).

3. He is a man of his word – if he says he’s going to do it, he does it when he says he’s going to do it.

4. He is very literal (which can be foreign and sometimes maddening to his less-literal wife) but that makes him easy to understand and straightforward, no nuances or gray areas of confusion.

5. He loves entertaining as much as I do.

6. He is dedicated to coaching rugby and his team at Calvin.

7. He wears his CPAP mask even when he doesn’t always want to because it means I sleep better (and he does, too) without hearing his snoring.

8. He loves me no matter what I am doing, what I look like or what I am wearing.

9. He is unapologetic about his love for [bad] 80s and 90s rock.

10. He also loves Phil Collins.

11. Looking at him, I can see what our kids will look like when they grown up.

12. He is open to suggestions and change – though it doesn’t come naturally – when it is something important to me, he makes the effort.

13. He opted to live here, in the snow and cold, with me rather than return to Oz.

14. He fits in well with my family – in fact, I think my brothers might like him more than me (no, I’m still their baby sister, but we could say equally).

15. He cleans.

16. He almost always takes out the trash.

17. He has never once (since we met) worn his silk shirt or Tasmanian devil tie that he owned when I met him.

18. We share the same entertainment habits – we love live music, watching movies and playing board games.

19. When I cook the food, he does the dishes.

20. He makes Vegemite sandwiches for Jack’s lunch and leaves them for me to put in his lunchbox each morning.

21. He asks my opinion about what he should wear to different events.

22. We have the same vision for the future of our family.

23. He happily signed up for the marriage course with me that our small group is doing all together. And he enjoys it.

24. He brings me coffee whenever he stops to get one for himself.

25. When we have a down weekend, he’ll encourage me to take a couple hours to myself and go to a coffee shop.

26. The transition to first shift – while an adjustment to be sure – has gone much more smoothly for both of us than I thought it would.

27. He is extremely NOT judgmental, of anyone.

28. He gets super excited about trips and vacation plans.

29. He has never met a stranger.

30. He excels at small talk, which is a fine balance because it’s not my strong suit.

31. He rarely wakes me up in the morning when he’s getting ready before the crack of dawn.

32. His favorite dessert is brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce. While I love baking many things, knowing those simple things will make him happy is kind of nice.

33. He likes to share funny things with others.

34. He loves George as much as I do.

35. Church and having faith is important to him.

36. He values making memories and traditions with our family.

37. He makes pancakes for the boys (which Jack will rarely eat but still somehow enjoys the act of it) nearly every Saturday morning.

38. He’s supportive of my owning my own business.

39. He humors my seasonal decorating efforts.

40. He will always be older than me.