For my husband

A week ago, we celebrated Nicholas' birthday. Per his request, we had homemade pizza for supper and watched The Office, and then we had a gluten-free chocolate cake with chocolate glaze for dessert.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this man. I run out of words around him sometimes, but some of my favorite moments with him are when we don't say anything at all. I'm blessed by his faithfulness in spending time with me, his gentle teasing, his laugh (it's never the same), how he makes fun a priority in our life, and how he praises my cooking.

I love his intelligence and integrity in his work. I love how he's committed to us finding more and more common interests. I love his wit and sense of humor. I love how he values and asks my opinion about the big and the little stuff, and how takes me with him when he has to run to the computer parts store.

I love how he pretends to be exasperated when he sees I borrowed yet another one of his sweatshirts. I love his soft beard and the dimple on the left side of his face when he smiles, and how he smiles really big when he knows I'm excited about something or when he feels well-loved.

I love how he encourages me to love my friends well and to spend quality time with them. I love how he loves our church and our small group and how he loves Jesus.

I love the home and the life we've made together.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart.