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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Five Favorite Things About My Husband



My husband and I just had our two year anniversary on New Year's Eve (that's right, we'll never forget it). And so I'm thinking of all the delightful things about the man I married, like -

1
His Servant Heart

That's a cliche isn't it? But in his case it's true. This is a man who stops by the side of the road when others drive by; who carries a large case of water bottles on trips in case a homeless person on the road needs water; whose eyes and ears are always open to others' needs. I was truly a more selfish person before his influence - not that I'm done yet by any means! What I mean by selfish is that not all of us remember to look behind us when we open a door, or make sure no one else needs the elevator. Alex is slowly teaching me the art of living among other human beings with my eyes turned outwards.

2
He is a Good Friend

He and I were good friends in high school before we started dating, and we by the time we started dating my senior year he already knew me better than anyone. So I have it on good authority that he exemplifies the Platonic form of "friend." Perhaps for that reason it takes him a long time to form friendships, because he considers friendship to be so sacred and important, that one would "lay down his life for his friends." Once counted his friend, he would drop everything if you were in need, and I'm not just saying that as his wife. To give one example of many, last year he happily helped drive a friend out to Arizona (from DC down to South Carolina and then over).

3
Speaking of Plato...

He's smart, and not just in one way. Most of us have SAT scores that look like a see-saw (guilty), or we are intellectual but all thumbs. He's one of those infuriating people with a mind and passion for science, especially biology, combined with high rhetoric skills both written and spoken, combined with creativity and artistic abilities. He spent the better part of last year building a set of medieval armor, complete with a wooden shield and helmet, work which involved making chain mail, woodwork, painting, working with metal, clay work, and various other arts I know nothing about. He is equally comfortable organizing a little kids' kickball game and arguing the finer points of Aristotelian ethics in a philosophy class. (Strangely, his downfall is spelling and handwriting, which he has finally given up as a lost cause. He concludes that without computers and Word he would be at a loss). I love being married to someone with this mind because we can sharpen each other, challenge each others opinions (which don't always match!), and explore different avenues of theology and philosophy together. 

4
He is a Romantic

Most women say that their husbands don't understand romance. My husband could write a book, while I am completely inept. He's forced to be creative because I'm notoriously hard to buy for - I never wear jewelry except my wedding/ engagement rings, and I'm just not a very typical feminine woman. However, he delights in elaborate surprises, and he has managed to come up with delightful stay-at-home dates on our tiny budget. It goes beyond dates however - his soul understands romance. He did things like build a wooden box, carve my initials in it, and used it to keep all of my handwritten high school love letters (passed strategically between classes). Just thinking about all this is giving me chill bumps because I won't see him until late tonight.

5
His Smile

I saved the corniest for last. I remember when I first fell in love: we were at a small town carnival in Georgia. By small town, I don't mean adorable little village - I mean a one-horse town sustained by cotton and peanut agriculture with a lot of poverty and a few stop lights. So the word "carnival" is stretching it. Anyway.... we were riding on a slow spinning ride that probably couldn't pass a state inspection, and I caught a glimpse of his warm smile. I just melted into goo; much to my dismay, because I was only 16 and had no intention of seriously dating for quite some time. Long story short, we ended up getting engaged half-way through college, being engaged 4 (very, very long) years, long distance because of our education, and finally getting married. But his smile was what started it all.

Thanks for hosting Hallie! Have a good week y'all!






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