Nine

Nine years ago today, two kids got married. Whenever I look at this picture, I always marvel at how very young we looked back then.

In honor of our ninth wedding anniversary, I thought I'd share some lesser known facts about my husband, since he doesn't usually fall under my normal blogging categories of "funny/frustrating things my kids do" and "complaining about being pregnant."

1. People who don't know my husband are always super surprised when I tell them that he was voted "Class Clown" in high school, but it's true. Granted, he's pretty quiet if you don't know him well, but once you do, he quickly becomes one of the funniest people you'll ever meet. One of my favorite high school stories is that he decided it would be a super fun idea to tie dye a tux for prom. He bought a powder blue one from a thrift store and tried to dye it. Luckily for his date, the polyester blend didn't take the dye so well, and it just came out looking yucky. So he had to rent a real one.

2. He's color-blind and has crooked pinkies, both of which are genetic traits from his dad. It's a first son in the family thing. Poor A's pinkies have been through the ringer with sports injuries, but let me tell you, crooked pinkies on a little kid are pretty darn cute. When H was born, we immediately looked at his pinkies. Yep, he's all ours.

3. On the color blind issue, it is perhaps my most favorite way to tease my husband. I absolutely love when he asks me the color of something, especially after he's just bought an article of clothing. One Christmas, he bought me a really pretty plum-colored sweater. After I opened it, he leaned over and whispered, "It's purple, right?"

4. I love that he's so passionate about biking. For him, it's not just about fitness or beating previous times, although he does do it for that. He loves connecting with nature, discovering new trails, and being out in the middle of nowhere with just his bike and GPS to get him back to civilization.

5. I'm admitting--for the first time ever--that yes, my husband is a fairly decent writer. He always tells people that he's "the writer in the family," to which I usually add that until he starts getting paid to do it, I'll hold the title. But, I must admit, whether he's writing about biking in the deserts of Moab or waxing poetic about the presidential race, he does have a way with words. I'm still better, though.

6. I love how he plays with our kids, especially the boys. Nothing can get the boys out of a whiny tantrum quicker than wrestling with Dad. And he'll spend tons of time out in the backyard, playing baseball with the boys. He admits that he's not as well-equipped when it comes to dealing with S's tantrums, but she usually enjoys a little wrestling with the boys and Dad every now and then, too.

7. He's an extremely talented filmmaker. Last fall, we went to the premiere of his latest documentary (he served as editor--when people wonder what that means, I tell them he pretty much put the movie together). He had been frustrated with different setbacks to get the movie done and available for purchase. As I sat there and watched it, I started crying. As much as he gets frustrated with the industry and annoyed that he's "only qualified to do one thing," he's really, really good at that one thing. And it would be a big shame if he didn't share that talent.

8. He's very affectionate. There's nothing better after a long day (especially these days) than a hug from my husband. And he's very affectionate with the kids, which I think is wonderful. It sets a great example for my kids to always show your family how much you care.

9. He's a beverage connoisseur. Before I met A, I never realized the full range of tasty (non-alcoholic, of course) beverages that exist: ginger beer, apple beer, different kinds of creme soda, guarana, Izze, Fuze, and the list goes on and on. For Valentine's Day, A usually gets me an assorted collection of chocolate and I get him a lovely array of his favorite drinks. :)

Happy Anniversary, babe!