A man to die for

I have spent many weeks lately whining at you all. I hate my job, I hate my sister, my siblings don't help with my mom, who is too dependent on me for everything, my kids fight all the time, blah blah blah. Waaah waaah waaaah. Well, as I sat across the dinner table from my amazingly wonderful husband last night, laughing my ass off as I do most nights, it occurred to me how lucky I am. I met my soulmate at 18. He was a total stoner, chain smoked cigarettes and dope, drank cheap beer like a fish, and I, the girl with the high school nicknames of "white bread" and "7-up" (remember the never had it-never will campaign?), fell instantly in love with him in the elevator of the dorm at CU Boulder in August 1985, the first day of my sophomore year of college.

Over the last almost 22 years, we have laughed, cried, lost our virginity, learned to live and love, made marriage work, made beautiful children, and generally made a wonderful life together. I cannot imagine my life with anyone else. I still watch him leave a room and marvel at the glorious butt in his jeans. I still watch him race down the ski slopes and think ooh, he is soooo hot! I still slow dance in his arms and want to melt. I still want to curl up in his arms in bed at night - he is such a furnace and damn, it's cold! I still laugh at his horrible jokes. I still laugh at his horrible puns. I still give a courtesy laugh when I can conjure up nothing else. And I still elbow my children and force them to give a courtesy laugh, too. I still want to make him smile at the end of his day. I still want to be his "high" when we do "high/low" at the dinner table every night. He still makes my heart skip.

He still pinches my butt when I pass by. He still tells me he loves me. He still calls me babe. He tells me I'm more beautiful now than I was then. He lets me put my icy feet on his warm legs when I crawl into bed without complaint. In fact, half the time, he offers before I can ask (ok, half the time I don't even ask LOL). That's why I love him so much! He took an aerobics class just to stand behind me and watch me in my aerobics outfit *g*. We still have the totally dorky nicknames for each other that we came up with in the first bloom of love way back in '85. (SO not sharing what those are!). We still totally support each other in everything, good or bad. Granted, lately, I kinda feel like it's been a little one-sided, but he assures me it's just my turn right now. That's why I love him so much! Our children have never heard us fight. Yes, they have heard us disagree, but never out and out fight. That's not because we do it behind closed doors, it's because we don't fight. He truly respects me, and I him. He treats me like a treasure. That's why I love him so much!

His one great flaw? Damn, he farts up a storm in his sleep! And, boy, is he proud of it!

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