1446.

So... I have an awesome, patient, hardworking, happy-go-lucky, silly, caring, sweet, strong, thoughtful, dedicated husband!!!!  I really do.  This guy gets up before the sun and comes home after it has set nearly every day from work right now being on overtime and I rarely ever even hear a peep out of him about it.  I wouldn't mind if he complained everyday about it either, I'm not marveling at the fact that he doesn't complain about it, I am just so taken aback at his dedication and endless discipline.  He works hard for himself, for me, for our future, and for our growing family at work and then comes home and continues to work most days on various projects around here.  And at the end of his 10 hour workday, he comes home and finds time to put up with me... to be silly with me and to listen to me talk about my day like it's the most interesting thing he's heard all day.  I don't mean to sound like he is a superhero or does more than most husbands out there, but he IS honestly a superhero to me and he is more to me than any other man could be in my eyes.  Tonight, he put together our baby's crib and it just really cemented all these realizations for me.  I mean, it's one thing for him to come home and work hard on dishes or doing heavy lifting around here (things that I am so lucky to have support and help with) but it's an entirely different thing to see him do something so sweet like putting together a crib.  Everyday it becomes more and more of a reality to me the words that his Granny told me... I will never find a better man (or better friend) than him.  Our life is already so different than it was seven months ago, and I didn't see our lives taking this turn so soon, but he has sure coped with it so well and brings me just as much happiness as ever.  And the truth is, I can try and share with you the feelings between the two of us, but the best parts are those moments that no one but me gets to experience.

And the wonderful thing is I know I am not the only one to have such a rockstar for a spouse.  I'm not writing this to make anyone feel like their relationship is any less special or important or to make anyone feel like I have a perfect life, but I am writing this to let Tony and everyone else know that I am blessed with a totally wonderful AND imperfect marriage.  I think it is SO important to sit back and reflect on our blessings rather than the things that frustrate us on a daily basis and it is especially important to let the people in our lives who put up with our crap know how much they mean to us by our actions.  So, for the rest of the holiday season, my ultimate gift to Tony is going to be showing him how much he is loved and appreciated because while I'm sure he is grateful for my kind words, my actions speak much greater than anything I could type on my blog.  That is exactly what he deserves and I hope that once the holidays are over that I am able to continue to show him how much I love him on a regular basis.


After all that, here is the finished product:

It is just beautiful!!!

In other news, I might not be doing much blogging for some time (but of course I'll try to make time for it because it is so therapeutic!) as my sister is coming in town TOMORROW and we'll be busy bee's from now until after the new year!  In the next two and a half weeks we'll be in Chicago, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Memphis, and not to mention all the stops in between!  This is going to be such a fun time for us to be around family and friends that we miss so much -- I hope we can find a way to make these moments stay with us as long as possible.  I hope everyone else is able to do the same this holiday!  Dwell on the things and people that are important to you and let them know it.

Filled to the BRIM with love and gratitude....