a Thankful Birthday list

To my husband who has now entered a new age bracket on multiple choice forms
here is a list of the top 10 reasons for which I am grateful for you and for which I love you....

1. You are a workhorse - I already said this to you this week - but it really does go at the top of the list. You really can crank it out -

2. from house work to
3. yard work to
4. getting the kids to bed or
5. off to school

whatever I need you to help with - you can get it all done, quickly.
Maybe you don't dress them the way I would or do things as thouroughly as I would - but let's face it - By the time you've cleaned the entire house I would still be sitting in the middle of the bigger mess I made in the 1st room I tackled - because I decided to ORGANIZE something.

6. for sharing my love of nature and the outdoors with me. I know a part of you would rather appreciate it all on a road bike at 50 mph - but it is great that exploring hiking and my obsession with wildlife brings our family together.

7. for taking a stand on the leaves. I don't know if it is because you really believe that the leaves will kill the grass, because you really love your yard, or because you really love to use large motorized lawn equipment - but whatever drives you to dig in your heels on this one - it is admirable, if you left it up to me we would probably have leaves 2 feet deep -soggy and wet with leaf mold - just because I couldn't bear to see them go.

8. for keeping us in meat and knives. It is a funny thing, your love for knives. I do appreciate the quality and diversity of the knives you keep, scary or not, I have learned how they are all so valuable in the kitchen. And the meat! well, thank you for being the one to touch it and for loving it. Truly one of things I love about you most is the look of total glee on your face when you have a cart full of raw meat. Very funny!!! Also, for the most delicious pulled pork from your home made smoker! Awesome in all regards. I second the girls in saying that our Daddy makes the best meat ever!

9. for your love of music and reading, both of which are tremendously valuable and important to me.

10. for sticking it out with me through all the craziness and painfulness of life. For deciding with me all those years ago that it was time to turn our lives around and live what we believed, and for struggling through it all.

11. For supporting me in all my creative endeavors, writing, painting, teaching preschool, decorating and re-decorating our house ...........

12. for enduring the way I go on and on and on .... like this post, I really thought I was going to write a simple list, just one sentence or phrase per item. Oh well, at least you know it is really me and not an impostor.