Today is the love of my life’s birthday. I’m a big fan of birthdays but, I’m especially fond of his. The day he was born, my whole life started. The day he was born, the path to my future was laid out. He jokes that I’m his ‘rib’ like the rib God took from Adam to form Eve. I am apart of him, he’s my person.

If you had told me 8 years ago when we started dating, just what all would occur, I wouldn’t have believed you. We were supposed to have the fairytale life. Bad things happened to other people but not us. We just wanted a simple, happy, comfortable life together with a family.

Jonathan has been a great man for as long as I’ve known him. I mean it took him 2 months to kiss me and a year to tell me he loved me because he just wanted to be certain. He has a pretty incredible testimony and maybe one day I cab get him to share it but, I can tell you NO ONE that knows him now would guess the extreme transformation the Lord did in his heart and life.

Watching him grow and become even more incredible as the years goes by has been a privilege. Watching him care for me as I suffered a miscarriage, a scary pregnancy, and then a long labor road was so humbling. He’s one of the most selfless people when it comes to caring for others. He was there for every tear, hormone swing, headache, backache, macaroni craving, and midnight meltdown. He held my hands, rubbed my back, and spoke endless words of encouragement to me. If we’d have just stopped right there I’d have enough love to fill my tank forever.

But then, he became a daddy.

Watching my big, strong husband turn to complete mush the instant that tiny baby cake into our lives…I can’t even describe it. He kept saying ‘She’s ours! We get to take her home with us!’

From day one, Jonathan was one of the best daddies I’ve ever been around. I know I’m biased but, it’s true. For 2 years, he put Sophie and me first and spent every possible moment he could soaking up time with us. He stepped up when I was sick or tired. He changed diapers, did baths, picked out outfits, and generally helped me stay sane as a working mom. We were very much a team. We didn’t go many places but we were just so happy in our little bubble together. Anyone that saw him with her could just tell what an incredible daddy he is. Strangers would comment on the care and love he showed us both.

And then there was cancer.

To say Jonathan has been my rock for the past year is an understatement. There were so many times I was losing my patience, curled into a ball, crying in a corner, unable to sleep, unable to get out of bed, and being an absolute crazy person from stress and worry and grief. And he pulled me back into life every time. He kept the focus on caring for Punkin no matter what. Sometimes he drove to Dallas and back 5 times in one week to be with us but also to be at work with his dad. He took overnight duty so I could get sleep. He held her in his strong arms. He held me. Something that drives 80% of marriages apart-made ours stronger because he refused to give up.

I could go on and on about all of the ways he was my hero in the past year. But instead-I want to list things I love about my husband on his birthday…

1. He always laughs at his own jokes

2. He watches every video he comes across on Facebook

3. He makes a best friend literally everywhere we go

4. He makes small talk in elevators

5. He doesn’t move when he sleeps-like a vampire

6. Sometimes he giggles in his sleep and doesn’t believe me when I tell him

7. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body

8. I truly think he’d rather stop working out than hurt my feelings

9. He always apologizes first, even if I was the wrong one

10. He won’t eat somewhere if they have crappy hamburgers….even if he likes something else they serve

11. He hates when I use his deodorant

12. He absolutely hates talking about himself

13. He embraces my love of holidays

14. He ate burned steak on our first Valentines Day as a married couple.

15. He starts my car for me when it’s cold

16. He has had a tiny newborn diaper in his night stand for 3 years

17. He doesn’t try to stop me when I’m crying-he just sits and rubs my back then holds me until it passes

18. He tries to ‘protect’ me from his grief

19. His heart is so big-he tries to bring anyone he can into it

20. He did literally anything Soph wanted, for as long as she wanted it

21. He has about 5 nicknames for me

22. He has asked me if I’m reading ‘a real who-done-it’ every time I’ve ad my Nook out-for 6 years

23. He dances in the living room with me

24. He has never been in a fight

25. He pursues friendships and reaches out to people constantly

26. He takes the trash out and does the dishes because he knows I hate them.

27. He refuses to buy greeting cards because he ‘didn’t come up with that sayin’ and instead writes on whatever notepad he can find

28. One year my Christmas present was wrapped in an Easter bag

29. When I’m having a bad day, he gets me sushi and a Coke even though he hates how unhealthy they are

30. He eats and breathes fitness-he’s so passionate about taking care of himself

31. He calls his mama just to say hi.

32. He’s the best daddy

33. He prioritizes our marriage over everything else

34. He’s a clean freak too

35. He humors me when I reorganize our house

36. His love language is not gifts but, mine is and tries to remember that often

37. He serves in our church and is always seeking to help out more

38. He has so many ‘bromances’ and I love his big his friend circle is

39. He scratches my head when I cant sleep

40. He laughs SO loudly when he’s watching tv and it cracks me up from the other room

41. Kids gravitate to him

42. When we are with a large group he scans the crowd for me to make sure I’m ok

43. He loves me no matter what and says it daily

44. He notices the little things

45. He loves the Lord first and me second

I could absolutely go on and on and maybe one day I will with a part two but…..for now we are about to board a flight to MEXICO!

Jonathan means ‘God has given’ and he truly has.

Happy birthday my love-I’m eternally thankful for your life and that you’re mine. I loo and so does Punkin.