My husband and I met in High School.  He pursued me. . .started talking to my brother about me, and then David would come home and tell me about it.  The memory still makes me giggle like a school-girl when I think about it.

Our first date was a double date to the movies, and then to Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut continued to be a favorite place to go~ we always ordered the same thing:

Cheese Lover’s plus with ham and pepperoni.  (!!!!)  I don’t think either of us would be that eager to have a piece of it today! 

I was 17 and he was 19 when we started “going out”. . .I was a senior in H.S.

Two years later, we were married on September 16, 1995.

I was 19 and he was 21.  Our honeymoon was in Virginia.

Our first house was a 3-bedroom ranch.  We lived there for about 3 years.

We moved around for a little bit before finally settling down in our current home.

We have five children:  Jacob, Ethan, Grace, David, and Caleb.  We think having children is fun but hard work.

We are best friends.  We can get each other laughing so so hard. 

Rich is a very hard worker and is good at just about everything he does.  I mean, really, sitting here I can’t think of anything he has failed at.  He as a zest for life–he’s raced cars and played semiprofessional football since we were married.  That was a few years ago.  Now our hobby is our family. 

He is a great Dad.  I do the little things and he does all the big things with the kids.  He also does some little things, like changing diapers and putting the kids to bed at night.

He’s my rock.  He’s stable.  He balances me and my emotions out so well.  He protects me and loves me.

He is proud of the fact that he is a country boy at heart.  He grew up on the farm and could do all the chores, including driving the tractors, at a young age.

I think the first time I knew he was the one, was on our first date.  He was driving me home and started singing along to the radio–my heart skipped a beat–he had a nice voice and wasn’t afraid to sing!  We are constantly humming/singing/whistling together, in a absent, “don’t really know we’re doing it” sort of way.

He has climbed the corporate ladder aggressively and is now at the point where he is content.  He loves his job, He is the Vice President and chief claims officer of an insurance company.  We don’t have any worries financially but we’ve had many years of living paycheck to paycheck.  He loves being the provider in our family.  He loves being able to spoil me, like when he bought me my piano for Christmas this year.

Our biggest problems result in the fact that we are both firstborn.  We can both be opinionated and I can hold my own in a debate with him.  I admit, it’s fun to banter back and forth at times.  It adds spice to life.  I am very stubborn.  I’m afraid I am not submissive all the time.  But, he doesn’t mind. 

Sometimes I get jealous of his work, and start getting moody about that.  I call his blackberry, “Ms. Blackberry” as a joke.  I miss him during the long days.  If I go for a walk, I think, “I wish Rich was here right now.”  But, I know that he loves us more than any job on earth. . . . .

Rich is a go-getter.  I would be content if things never changed.  He adds so much to my life because he pushes me to get out of my comfort zone at times.  I never dreamed that I would have such a full life!

My favorite outfit on him is his dark jeans and gray sweater.  He also looks really good in a suit and tie.

His favorite meal is pasta.  Spaghetti, lasagna, etc.  He would rather me not make baked goods, because he tries not to eat that stuff~but, he loves my chocolate chip cookies and I always save some of the dough for him, too.

He does a good job instilling a solid work ethic in the kids.  You should see him get the kids to clean the house, it’s amazing.  He has them running all over the place!  And they never seem to mind it.

In the evenings, after the kids go to bed, we like to sit on the couch together and watch tv.  The show we watch most often is the Andy Griffeth show!  LOL  Most of the time he rubs my feet.  The best times for us is at night, when we finally get into bed and snuggle under our fluffy down comforter.  I always smile into the dark and think, “oh, if only I could freeze this moment”.  It’s so warm and safe in his arms.

By the way, he can sleep anytime anywhere and that is something about him that really bugs me.  I’m jealous, actually.  I can only sleep under precise circumstances! 

We’ve been married for 12 years.  I don’t feel worthy of the man God has given me as my husband.  But, I am so grateful and happy.  I love my life, I love being Rich’s wife.

I did this post because I had someone kindly ask about my husband.  I don’t normally write much about him because he is so close to my heart.  Please know that after my relationship w/God, Rich is my “everything else”, I love him so much.  The best part of the day is when he gets home.  The best day of the week is Saturday, because we can spend the entire day together, doing whatever we want. . . . . .