Love is in the air

Ahhhh, Valentine's Day. A day much maligned or wholeheartedly embraced, depending on past experience and your natural tendencies. You can almost see the red and pink hearts dancing above the heads of romantics and optimists while the frowns and growls from the rest of us make us the Grinches of Love.

But in the spirit of the day, I dedicate this post to my wonderful and amazing hubby.

You've been by my side for so many years you definitely qualify for inclusion in the biblical Job's Hall of Fame for patience and endurance. For 30 years you've put up with moody, feisty, cranky, silly, OCD me. And done so with grace and kindness beyond measure!

Your qualities are numerous...but we don't have all day so I'll just list a few, 'kay?

Your endurance is legendary. You're my very own energizer bunny. Long after I've fallen by the side, and so has just about everyone else, you're still going. Bit between the teeth, goal in sight, never wavering, but working steadily until the task is done. The Blackberry incident is just one recent example of that dogged determination to see a thing done to the bitter end. Thankfully most of your efforts are more successful and your tenacity is rewarded by positive results. But your unwavering pursuit of the goal is the same regardless of potential outcome.

Okay, I think I've used up all the synonyms in the thesaurus for that one.

You have aged well. What can I say? That baby face looks a little older, but certainly not as old as it should! There's a little less hair -- which considering we met during the time of big hair is probably a good thing. You had a bit of a pentecostal preacher's poof going on back in the day. I think you look quite distinguished now with the slightly bald pate and graying sides. Very scholarly, especially when you wear your super cool new European spectacles. And when you're sporting those cargo shorts? Well, those shapely calves still make my heart go pitter patter.

When we met you were wearing a suit. Had me faked out that you were a seminary student or I wouldn't have looked twice. You still look mighty fine in a suit although you haven't worn one in months. Fortunately you look just as good in your current style: South American casual. It's definitely too hot these days for a suit anyway. But come winter I'm hoping there might be an occasion or three requiring your oh-so-debonair black suit.

You have refined your sense of humor over the years. So to speak. Or maybe I'm just inoculated more sensitive to the nuances of your PUNishing wit. When you were the youth pastor the kids coined a phrase for your humor: Ivanisms. We still hear from those kids-turned-adults when they come up with an especially good Ivanism themselves, they have to share it with their mentor ☺

And I will close with one of your most endearing traits ever: the ability to look at me and see the woman you fell in love with thirty years ago. Not the overweight, middle-aged, frumpy woman I've become but the younger, more carefree version who fit into a size 8. You think I'm cute and you love and cherish me -- and for that I am more grateful than any of those silly romantics running around with pink and red hearts floating above their heads. True love isn't feeling mushy gushy, it's a life-long commitment to the marriage relationship and in that area, YOU TOTALLY ROCK!

I will leave you with a little song. No I'm not going to sing it myself, that would be cruel. As you well know.

No, I found this little video that I think just fits where we've been and where we are now. The song is from '78, the year we met. And in view of our history with VWs, I just thought this was a good choice. I dedicate this to you, the love of my life.