On this day...

Today is Ryan's birthday! He is 28 years old. This morning I called him an old fogy (and am now realizing that I'm not quite sure how to spell that word - I looked it up), but then I realized that he's only 18 months older than I am. =/

Aaaanyway....

In tribute to my dashing husband, here are 28 things I love or have learned about him during our 19 months of coupleship:

1. He is willing to help me out when I have something I need to get done. For example, last semester I had to "market" a product for a project. He chose the layout and pictures and actually ended up putting the whole thing together for me. Don't worry, I was sitting there over his shoulder the whole time, so it wasn't cheating.

2. He has a knack for perfection. I love that everything he does is always amazing when he's finished, even if he takes longer to do it than I would. I guess that's part of being a perfectionist.

3. He doesn't give me a hard time for not being a perfectionist, too. After I refinished the banister and noticed there was some drippage of paint on a few posts, I pointed it out and he said, "Yeah, I know. But I wasn't going to say anything."

4. He likes lots of ice in his drinks because he chews it after the liquid substance is gone. While in Phoenix, I noticed that it is a habit he picked up from his mom. Kind of cute.

5. He only sits on the middle cushion of the couch.

6. He likes his bed softer than I do. Amazingly enough, our mattress has one hard side and one soft side. Might be a manufacturer error, but it's worked out perfectly for us!

7. He won't do ANYTHING unless he knows I'm okay with it.

8. He can go almost an entire day without eating and think nothing of it.

9. He has an incredible talent for fixing anything. Seriously. I have watched him fix a dryer, water heater, bathroom fan, a thing hanging from the bottom of his car, the garage door, his bike and mine, tear apart the shower in the basement, his car brakes, the dishwasher, the ceiling, and my computer. Next up: the u-bend under the bathroom sink and my car radio.

10. He understands scriptures really well, and knows the stories from them much better than I do.

11. He is a great teacher! I loved his Sunday School lessons in the student ward we were in together, and I love having him teach me other every day things now.

12. He has the capability of connecting with anyone. Before we were dating, he was the go-to guy for advice and insight. It was kind of scary how he could make people realize things they never knew about themselves.

13. He loves my cooking.

14. His favorite chores are vacuuming and mowing the lawn because of the lines they make.

15. He trusts me to not overlook anything, and I love when he notices that I haven't.

16. He doesn't play video games, at least not addictively. I know of many husbands who enjoy their video games (and if their wife is fine with it, that's awesome), but I am blessed to have one who does not.

17. He has always been really great about contacting me when he said he was going to.

18. He leaves no stone unturned looking for the best deal he can find to fulfill our needs and wants.

19. He does not dwell on things. This makes it easy for me to also move on.

20. He spoils me rotten. We had agreed on not getting each other actual anniversary gifts since we were going to Mexico to celebrate, but he insisted that I pick out a watch while we were there that I liked.

21. He is very thoughtful when it comes to gifts. My first birthday with him he wrote in a card a long message with Michael Buble song titles placed in it. It was a hint that my gift was tickets to his concert. For our anniversary this year, he looked up what the gift for each anniversary was, and saw that the first year was paper. So he got us plane tickets.

22. He has nothing he cannot live without (except for me of course). (Unlike my extreme need for chapstick within 2 feet of me at all times.)

23. He chews on his tongue when he's concentrating.

24. He has found a haircut that he loves and gets sad when a hairstylist messes it up. That's probably why he goes to the same person 98% of the time.

25. He reminds me of my dad sometimes. My dad is pretty awesome, so that's a high compliment!

26. He is a private person.

27. He's not afraid to get his point across, but he always does it kindly.

28. I trust him to always take care of me.

Happy Birthday, Ryan! I love you!