26

Dear Andy,

Today, my sweet Smooch Magee, is your 26th birthday.  Twenty-six years ago, the Lord had finished knitting you together in your mother’s womb, and you entered this world.  And I am so very thankful for that.  My sweet husband, you are the perfect man for me.  You are the greatest husband I could ever ask for, and in honor of your (very old) birthday, I want to tell you 26 things that I love about you.

1. I love that five years ago, you noticed that naive little freshman girl on campus and asked her if she wanted to use a hammer.  I love that you attempted to instruct her on how to use that hammer and she thought you were crazy.  And I really love that you gave her a hug upon that first “real” meeting, even if she thought you were crazy. 

2. I love that the very same week, you stole one of her Twizzler’s at Fall Retreat, and got into a Twizzler war with her.  I love that you don’t even like Twizzlers.  You knew even then, didn’t you Smooch?  Oh, I love you.

3. I love that you spent time with that girl and got to know her heart.  I love that you told her entirely too quickly that you were in love with her and that she was the girl you were going to marry.  I love that to this day, you make decisions quickly and stick to them.  There is no dilly-dallying with you, and I so love that.  It’s a whirlwind sometimes, and I like it.

4. I love that you are a man of character.  Baby, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have seen you stand up and do the right thing in the midst of a hard situation.  You are a true man of character, and I stand amazed that you are my husband.  You are so willing to do what it right.  You help those in need—I have seen that again and again.  Whether we are walking somewhere, pulled up at a gas station, or just carrying on with our daily lives, when you meet someone in need, you sacrifice yourself and help them.  It’s an incredible thing to witness and be a part of.

5. You are giving.  You ask so little of me and from those around you, but you are always willing to assist others.  Even today, choosing to go see Night at the Museum in IMAX for your birthday, because you know how much I want to do it.  Smooch, that’s just the sweetest thing. 

6.  You are the most unmaterialistic person I know.  Which is great for our finances, but hard when shopping for a gift.  You don’t like for people to give you things…you want to earn them.  I love that about you.

7. You work hard.  There is no doubt that you are a fantastic worker.  An incredible employee.  And a wonderful provider for our little family.  You put your everything into your work, no matter what it is.  You do not do anything halfway. 

8. You protect me.  Smooch, I know that I am safe with you.  I know that you will do everything in your power to keep me safe.  Even last night, as I volunteered to clean out the gutters in the rain, you refused to let me because there was the potential that I could be injured.

9. You will be old before me.  Every year on your birthday, I think, “Ohmygosh, Andy is getting so old.”  But then, by the time I turn that age a year and a half later, it’s not so bad.

10.  Your family.  They are so wonderful.  And such a testament to the man you’ve become.  Your parents are incredible parents, and I know that I am fully and completely accepted and loved by them as their daughter.  I love that they refer to me as their daughter, not their daughter-in-law.  Both of our parents are fantastic, and that makes me so excited for the future—because I know they will all be wonderful grandparents.

11.  Your charisma.  You have a quality that draws people in.  I don’t know how you do it, but you can make people feel comfortable in an instant.  Everywhere we go, people are drawn to you.  I don’t think you have ever met a stranger, sweet Smooch, and I love that.  There are no false pretenses with you.  You genuinely care about all of these people you meet.

12. You fix the things I break.  Speaking of that, my computer is having issues.  Could you give it a look-over this week?  Oh, and I just discovered that I deleted most of my pictures from all four years of college when we redid my computer a few weeks ago.  I don’t know how, but I know that you will be supportive as I feel sad about it.

13.  You are a blast to travel with.  I have so much fun vacationing with you, seeing new things and experiencing life together.  I can’t wait for next week!  And for our next many trips after that!

14. You are an incredibly supportive husband.  There are small things, like washing dishes and vacuuming, and there are big things—letting me know that you would support me in whatever decisions I make regarding work, freely letting me leave the house a disaster as I went away on a vacation without you, and sending me funny text messages while I was gone to make me giggle and laugh.

15. You are a rockstar.  Seriously.  Smooches, I love hearing your voice more than you know.  I know that you tease me that I always misses the times you sing at church or at weddings, but I know that you know how upset I am each time.  I love to listen to you sing.  I love it when you sing to me.  And I still listen to the songs you wrote me while we were dating on a very regular basis. 

16. I love that you are a care-taker.  You take care of me every day.  You look out for me.  You do what you can to help me.  You are my sweet nurse when I get sick.  You love me more than yourself. 

17. You are stinking hilarious.  Baby, you make me laugh like no other.  There are so many funny things that happen in this sweet house, and it’s all you.  You have more funny in your big toe than I have in my whole body.

18.  You are willing to try new things.  Usually for me.  I was reminded a few weeks ago of the near panic attack you had trying something made with ground poultry before we were married.  Now you willingly try all of my kitchen experimentation with very little question.  And usually you love it.  But I appreciate it when you’re honest and tell me what you don’t like.

19. I love that every time we argue or disagree, you are the first to apologize.  I love that you never want us to stay upset, and that you are always willing to forgive me when I wrong you.

20. I love that before we ever started dating, you knew that you were going to marry me.  And you never once wavered in that decision.

21.  I love that even though I am a hyper emotional pain in the tush, you love me.  And you love having me as your wife.

22. I love that you took the time to take care of my plants while I was gone.  That’s just too sweet.

23.  I love that you love to watch The Office, that we can quote tv shows and movies, and that even though you really hate Jon and Kate Plus Eight, you will sometimes watch it with me because you know how much I like it.  I love that understand when I get obsessive about something and just go with it, knowing that the phase will pass soon. 

24.  I love that even though you don’t think you are doing a good job as a Sunday School teacher, you are, and I can see it.  Those kids really look up to you and respect you.  You bring the Word, and you bring it in plain English.  They understand you, they relate to you. 

25.  I love that in our two years of marriage, we have established some routines, and that we are comfortably married.  I love that you are the one I am comfortably married to, and I look forward to seeing you and smooching you every evening.

26.  I love that at the end of the day, you are the one who kisses me goodnight. 

Smooch, we are going to have a fantastic night.  I hope you love your gift and find it as much fun as I do….and know that I LOVE YOU.  Bunches and bunches.

Happy Birthday, Smooch Magee!

Love,

ME