Thankful Thursday Top Ten [#3]

I'm Thankful I Married Charles 5 Years Ago Because...

1. HE CARRIES CHAPSTICK IN HIS POCKET FOR ME 

[Even though he's against using it because he's convinced the reason why I often panic and need some is because I have trained my lips to need it...pfff...it's true]

2. HE ENCOURAGES ME TO THINK LONG TERM

[Whether it's child training or what babies have done to my body...he reminds me to see the bigger-more important-long term picture]

3. HE UNDERSTANDS I NEED TIME TO MYSELF

[He is always willing to watch the kids so I can go do something fun for me...i.e. scrapbook]

4. HE IS QUICK TO REPENT

[With very few exceptions ; ) he is usually the first to say I'm sorry. It usually takes one convo with Jesus and he's ready to do his part...me...I usually need some extra time...maybe I should make this one HE IS MORE MATURE THAN ME]

5. HE HAS BEEN A GREAT FATHER TO OUR KIDS

[I told him I'd have as many kids as he'd stay interested in helping with. He really enjoys them. All things babies/kids don't scare him. He isn't worried about paying for them or them overtaking his "me" time.]

6. HE LOVES JESUS

[He has his own relationship with Jesus. Sure I might encourage, help or rebuke...but he seeks out the voice of the Lord on his own...he fails at times, like we all do, but I see a heart that wants to please his daddy...like I see in my boys with their father.] 

7. HE HAS COME OVER TO THE DARK SIDE

[He wears flip flops, watches Law & Order with me, now will eat potstickers, sleeps with a box fan, uses a Mac, stopped wearing white tennis shoes with jeans, and finally will "like" my facebook statuses]

8. HE HAS TAUGHT ME TO RE- APPRECIATE SOME "BAD" MUSIC

[After most of my secular music was consumed in youth group bonfires, he has re-seasoned my bland taste in music. I'm half cool now, because I still have terrible taste in movies.]

9. HE LOVES ME JUST THE WAY I AM 

[Or he is good at pretending...I'll take either. My body after 3 babies. My learning curve as new wife & mom. The attitudes and behaviors that obviously didn't get fully spanked out of me as a child. My quirks & silly standards.]

10. HE'S LAVISH TOWARDS ME

[Sometimes we have the money and sometimes we don't, but he is always out to buy me something---not just anything---but always the best. He's "gone to Jared's", gone to Apple, and his credit card has gone to Amazon.com when he didn't even know he did. Not just things though, over the years he has just really sought out what would be lavishness to me and then done it.]

Favorite picture #2 of us

I suppose the story behind it made me pick this photo out of the nearly 20,000 pictures I have of our family in my iPhoto. It was taken in the Summer of 2006 a few weeks before I had Nation, our first son. It was at my college friend, Mary Beth's wedding. 

We were practically still newlyweds and unaccustomed to public slow dancing. I'm pretty sure we struggled not to publicly fight during this song ...lots of stepping on toes and me trying to lead. Even with a belly between us we some how managed to find our way. 

And so goes marriage...things in the way, but you work it out...one step at a time. Now, as we take Salsa lessons, I often think back to this photo and remember how un-natural we use to dance together and how naturally we do now. 

Time is a beautiful thing. I'm thankful for the last 5 years of learning to dance better together.