hold on to me as we go

Jake and I celebrated our six year anniversary on the 30th so hello! Welcome to gushfest 2014...you may leave at any time. ;)

I think it's probably pretty common for married couples to come to know and not love a few things about their spouses as they get to know each other in the early years of marriage. Right...or is that just us...?

Jake has learned that when I say, "can you help me with something real fast" what I realllllly mean is, "I have 4 quick projects/to-do items that I want to check of the list. It will only take 2 hours" and that I make Everest's out of ant hills and that my definition of "the! worst! day! ever!" involves things that really aren't that bad in the grand scheme of things. But Jake let's me vent and pretend that my life really is hard.

But I'm not here to talk all about me (or the boys) - for once. No! I'm here to tell you six of the things I've come to learn and really appreciate about Jake since we've been married. Maybe this is more of a birthday type of post, but I have no marital wisdom to impart on you today and well...this is what it is.

Jake is

The nicest guy. Really. He loves meeting people and has a very easy going and approachable demeanor. He is respectful and it's not uncommon for him to call me on his way home and say he needs to stop by someone's house and drop something off because he knows they have some sort of need. I remember being taken aback by how nice and considerate he was when we first started dating and I probably should stop and appreciate this more because, like many things, I take it for granted far too often.

A good father. I'll just say that Jake has always wanted more kids, I was the one that thought 2 was enough. I give full credit and admiration to any man who is willing and excited to take on more responsibility for little barnacles. Throughout the day he often texts or mentions how much he'd like to be home, hanging out with us. Blows my little SAHM mind when often I'm borderline desperate for an escape.

Lighthearted. I have a really hard time stopping and enjoying life. I am a slave to my to-do list. Jake is so good about making sure we play as a family and as a couple. He works hard, and he plays hard. He has a great laugh and finds simple things funny.

Faithful. I don't mean this in the "thou shall not commit adultery" kind of way (but he is that too!), but in the faith in God kind of way. I will be the first to say that between the two of us, he is the more righteous one and I owe much of the religious upbringing in the boys (and me) to him. He is wonderful at taking on the great responsibility to raise kids to know and (hopefully!) love their faith. Rhett equates decent church behavior with candy so I'd say we're doing a great job in that respect thus far.

He's curious. Oh I love to make fun of his little random fact list loving heart, but he is quickly becoming a vast fund of general knowledge. It's not uncommon for me to be on the verge of sleep and and have Jake pop over to my side of the bed and share some random tidbit he just learned. I always find the most interesting Google searches and tabs open on his phone and he is the King of apps-that-tell-you-random-facts. (My favorite is his astronomy app that sends a picture and tidbit every day)

He is selfless. No matter how tired he is when he gets home he lets me escape for whatever time I need. He is quick to put his wants aside and does it cheerfully.

And I could go on and on but I have to save some juicy stuff for the written card. ;)

So! To wrap up this love fest, I just want to share some random thoughts.

Six years isn't a short amount of time. Looking back over the years can sometimes be occasions for sadness or disappointment by serving as a reminder of dashed hopes or unrealized dreams.  But as I look back, I feel like for us, the opposite is true. Thinking back over our years together makes me realize that things are exactly as I would have wanted them. Not because they have always been perfect, but because they have been shared with the perfect person.

The last six years with Rhett, Rad and a soon to be here little boy, 4 moves, starting a commission based career from scratch, no more dates (jk), holidays, surgeries, family trips and lack of sleep have certainly shaped us and changed us as a couple.

Yet, despite all these changes and experiences, in many ways we are still those same people and that same couple from 12/30/2008.  Jake still manages to wow me with his quick wit and quiet thoughtfulness.  He is still loyal to a fault and an awesome partner.

Happy Anniversary, Jake! And cheers to a few more...

PS Jake suggested the title "Sexy Sixer's" this post. That quick wit of his...