15 Reasons I Love My Wife

So, I figured there is no better way to express some of my affection (on Valentine's Day) for my wife than through a public cyber blog. I was initially going to write 10 brief reasons I love Heather but couldn't stop there. I really had a hard time stopping at 15, but luckily, for all of you readers out there, I ran out of time. I'm sorry if this is strange and embarrassing, but here we go:

1. Heather is Mrs. Craftwoman herself. She's good at about anything artsy she does with her hands. She built us a fireplace; she's making a rug; she can sew about anything; she dominates the dojo at decorating cakes (she is by far the best decorator at her work); she can make about anything crafty for the kids. She, honestly, can do about anything she sets her mind to. I'm constantly amazed by the new things she teaches herself and her amazing talents.

2. Heather is in love with people falling in love. She is a hopeless romantic. Any show, and I mean ANY show, that has a corny love tale, Heather will tune in for, no matter how cheesy or low budget it is. I often catch her crying about people getting together. This is why she is so big on Twilight. This is why she listens to country music. I'm not one for romantic movies myself, but I can bear watching them with Heather because she is so cute while she watches.

3. Fortunately, to offset all of the romantic movies, she also loves action movies. Two years ago she wanted the Bourne movies for Christmas. I can't even tell you how this request made me feel. She loves the Bond movies as much as I do, and she's always down with watching anything with a lot of violence. I scored, big time.

(Heather and I: Purple and White)

4. Heather is the best mom on the planet. She'll do anything for the kids; everything has to be perfect for them. For Christmas, she's always ordering presents months in advance because she has to get what's perfect. For Valentine's, she has projects lined up to make the day special. She loves being home and being a mom more than anything in the world. I don't think I could ever be half of the parent she is. She exudes love.

5. Heather loves Disneyland as much as I do. We went to Disneyland on our honeymoon, and we've gone every year since, mostly because she insists on it. I actually married someone who thinks the place is as magical as I do. It's like we're all kids when we're there. Going to Disneyland (and on vacations generally) with Heather is the best. She makes it the best. Watching Heather purchase a churro in New Orlean's Square and seeing the initial look of excitement on her face is my idea of heaven.

6. Heather is ultra competetive. She'll rarely admit it or show it, but she wants to win or be the best at everything she does. We used to play video games together when we were dating at BYU; we had to stop because she'd get frustrated if she was losing and even more frustrated if I was letting her win. She gets in this zone that's just hilarious.

(Another dating moment)

7. Heather is hot. I don't have to do too much explaining for this one, only to say she is even better looking now than when we got married--and that's after having two kids.

8. Heather is the most efficient person I know. She always does things as well as she can in the quickest time possible. This is why her employers have always loved her. She is the same way at home. She has this talent for getting things done that I'll never understand. It's good she possesses this trait because it helps offset SOME of my perfectionism.

9. Heather is my perfect mate in every way; she has helped me make it through very hard times by just being herself. When we've made major life decisions (on a few different occasions), and I've had to back out or propose completely reversing courses, she's always taken a couple of days to digest things and then is 100% behind me. She helps me not second guess myself and is always supportive.

(Engaged!)

10. Heather is very open minded about people and life. She's not stuck in an intellectual or spiritual rut. She's always willing to learn new things, and she lets her experiences and what she sees around her change how she views things. This, in turn, makes her a very compassionate and empathetic person. She respects diversity and wants our kids to know how important it is to respect others' viewpoints and opinions.

11. Heather is extremely brilliant. She's one of the fastest learners I know. She can pick things up way faster than I can. Someday, when the kids are older, we hope she can go back to school because she excels in it and loves it so much.

12. Heather talks in her sleep. I find this extremely funny. She'll say the weirdest things and then not remember them, and she always tries to act so with it when she's talking. It's weird, hilarious, and cute all at the same time. Heather also snores; she's embarrassed about this and will kill me for posting it, but I think it's pretty dang funny.

(The best day of my life)

13. Heather is the only girl I've ever kissed. The first time we kissed was right after I asked her to marry me. I used to be sort of embarrassed by this fact; now I think it is very cool. We dated for nearly three years, and I think it was awesome of her to wait that long. It made our engagement evening extra special and very memorable.

14. Heather is extremely thoughtful. She always pours over different ideas for gifts way in advance. She's always worried about making sure everyone feels included and knows she cares about them. It has made our marriage an easy one, because she makes it so easy to reciprocate love.

15. Heather loves the simple things in life. She's never made it a requirement that I make a lot of money (which is good, because I won't). She has always wanted me to pursue what will make me happy day in and day out. She can live on a little, appreciate it, and get a lot out of it. Our idea of a great evening is sitting together on the couch at home, after the kids have gone to bed, and watching TV or reading. Heather is definitely a home body and, in turn, it makes me want to just be at home with her.

(Married at last: Heather made the cake)

So, my list ends. There are a million things I love about Heather; these are just a few. Happy Valentine's Day, babe. I love you.