The Best Husband Ever

I met my husband when we were both 17 years old, so young and foolish in hindsight. At the time, I had a mental list of the attributes that I thought would make a perfect husband, and I was also convinced that I would never meet a man to fulfill them. When Chris and I were first dating, he only possessed a few characteristics from my list, enough to get my attention and make me want to spend time with him; now I'm happy to say that he has grown into a wonderful man and amazing husband. I think many women (not all, we need different things from our spouses) would be really lucky to be married to this man, but I can happily say that he is all mine.  Here are ten of the reasons why:

10. He kills the bugs. And does many other really gross things that I simply cannot stomach.
9. He's handsome. This is near the bottom of the list, because looks aren't everything, but it helps to like what you see when you wake up next to the same person every day.
8. He believes in me. I never thought I would need anyone else to help with my self-esteem, but he gives me confidence when I start to doubt myself.
7. He communicates well. Men are from Mars, women are from Venus...but we've learned to tell each other the things that keep us on the same page.
6. He's funny. This is the first thing I noticed about him. Chris makes me laugh every day, and it really helps get through the stressful moments in life.
5. He's a great father. I knew he would be! He loves his kids and does so much to share himself with them, teaching them how to be wonderful people.
4. He's thoughtful. Every single person on earth is capable of being inconsiderate. So it means alot when Chris covers my weaknesses with his strengths, and helps me without being asked.
3. He has the same values that I do. I cannot stress enough how important this is to make a marriage last. We start with the same foundation about how we see the world and our places in it.
2. He is his own person. After the big stuff is the same, its nice to have differences in tastes and interests. It exposes both of us to new ideas, and gives us our own space to be individuals.
1. He challenges me. The most important thing for me, the characteristic I never thought I would find, is someone that I respect who makes me explore different things and question the status quo. I love having long talks about ideas (though with three kids to chase after, those don't happen as often as I'd like).

I consider myself very lucky to have found at such a young age, a man who completes me and complements me so well. There is no one I would rather spend my life with, whether it is during an ice storm when we lose power or a beautiful sunny day at the beach. Our marriage vows are more true today than the day we first spoke them :)