Happy 12th Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

The picture above was taken 12 years ago today! I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life as I was that day. I patiently (well, not always!) waited and the Lord sent me the perfect man for me. He wasn't what I had pictured (who ever is?!), but he is exactly what I needed, and still need, in my life. To celebrate our 12 years of marriage, I've made a list of 12 things that make me love him the most!

1. He is truly concerned for my well-being. He married me knowing that I had been overweight most of my life. He loved me just the way I was. He has always wanted me to lose weight, but not because I would look better, but because I would be healthier and live longer to be with him. He takes care of himself and is supportive of me in any way he can be healthwise. He was the first one to donate to my 3-Day fundraising efforts, and will be there every step of the way with me.



2. He takes amazing care of me, through good times and bad. He has stood by me and literally nursed me through some very rough health problems and recoveries from five (yes five!) surgeries in less than three years. Knowing him as well as I do, he would have made an amazing, amazing doctor or even a nurse. He actually came up with using walkie-talkies during my recovery from major surgery if I needed him so I wouldn't have to yell!



3. He loves nature. I've never seen anyone who is so soft-hearted and loves animals and nature as much as he does. He hates to kill anything, even a spider in our house. If he finds one, he will capture it and release it outdoors. Every year he finds at least one green anole (most of the time in our basement) when it starts to turn cool and gives them a home through the winter in a decked out aquarium with plants, sand, etc. He feeds them crickets, keeps them warm with heating lamps and heating pads, and then releases them when it gets warm again in the spring. He truly loves all of nature, big, small, ugly, pretty, you name it! Well, except for wasps!



4. He has THE most warped sense of humor of anyone I know. When he makes himself laugh, it makes me laugh all over!



5. He introduced me to the joy of pets, specifically cats. I had "pets" growing up, but living on a farm, I never really got attached to any one animal. Now I have three cats who I would not know how to do without. We also have a fish who is "mine" (his name is "Jack,") and every winter we have the anoles that we rescue and enjoy for the season.



6. I lucked out when I met Scott. I know how to cook, but it's not something I enjoy on a day-to-day basis. My favorite dinners to cook are Thanksgiving and New Year's. Scott, however, cooks dinner almost every night. And he enjoys it. He says it's relaxing and it helps him wind down from his day at work. On top of that, he is amazingly good at it; he could have also been a great chef if he wanted. He has a natural ability to put food together that is delicious and nutritious, and even low fat! This is something I would NEVER have guessed since during our first weekend together he offered to make me a banana omlet. What could make a girl happier?!



7. He loves to travel on short vacations, just like I do. We've never taken a trip further than Charleston, SC or Panama City, FL. The longest we've ever stayed away from home is five days I think. We are both homebodies so short trips work well for us.



8. He even loves me family; yes, he agrees that they are a little crazy, but he loves my family reunion (OK, he loves to eat!) and getting to know them as the years go by. After only two years of marriage, he agreed to open up our home to my father. It was a hard decision, but one that still makes me happy to this day.



9. It may sound silly, but he learned to love football for me. Well, that might be stretching it a bit, but he puts up with my screaming at the TV on Saturday afternoons during Clemson's football season. And he goes to a game any time I want. I'm much more sports inclined (at least as a fan!) than he is, but he gives it a whirl for me!



10. He's always been truthful with me. We met over the Internet and there's no way we'd still be married 12 years later if he hadn't.



11. He's not motivated by worldly things. Money is important, but not to buy things with, not as a status symbol. Sometimes this drives me a bit looney but for the most part, he has his head screwed on straighter than anyone I know.



12. And last but not least, Scott is always, always, always just himself. He's not perfect and he doesn't pretend to be. He has never pretended to be someone he's not; he's true to who he is and nothing ever makes him be less that that.
    

I could go on and on and on, but you see, just for these 12 simple reasons, he's the man for me and the man I will be with for many more years to come. I love you with all my heart!