A Tribute to My Husband

Russell and I ~ May 2010

A little over eighteen years ago, I met a very handsome young man, fresh off of his mission. He was serious and quiet, and I took it as a personal challenge for giggly, silly me to befriend this mysterious RM...

What a gorgeous guy...

To this day, neither he nor I can figure out exactly when (or why! LOL!) he decided he liked me in all my quirkiness. How ever it happened, he fell for me, and asked me to be his forever!

Just Married for Time and All Eternity!

Today is my Russell's 40th Birthday, and I am so blessed by Heavenly Father to be married to such a gentle, loving man!!! He puts me on a pedestal, and though I don't always deserve to be there (okay, I rarely deserve to be there...), he tells me every day how grateful he is for me.

There are a million reasons why he makes my heart go "pitter-pat", but I want to share a few of those reasons here on his special day:

1. He is so patient with me! Even though I am scattered, hyper, silly, occasionally have a vicious temper, and am sometimes neglectful of the things I should be doing, he never fails to give me a hug and tell me he loves me.
2. He makes me feel beautiful every day! I can't count how many times a day he tells me I'm "cute". He still finds me attractive, even after giving birth to eleven children, and gaining X amount of pounds. He has NEVER said anything negative about my appearance, or about becoming more and more plump over the years. "His love makes me beautiful!" ;-)  (Name that movie!)
3. He has a real talent for cooking, and is willing to prepare a nice meal quite often. Because of his adventurous culinary tastes, I have experienced foods I might never have tried otherwise. (Many of which are now my favorites! INDIAN and sushi, for example! *yum*) And since I was such a young bride, he has taught me so much about cooking that I had not learned before. He has often rescued our family from going hungry, when I've been busy teaching or directing Shakespeare, distracted, or recovering from childbirth. Because of his careful teaching and excellent example, I have come to enjoy cooking and find delight in feeding large groups of people! (It's a good thing, huh?)
4. After all these years, Russell is still wooing me! He makes our weekly Date Night one of his top priorities. And if I'm down, or frustrated, or sad, he whisks me off somewhere-- even for just a few minutes-- so I can calm down and be comforted. He often tells me how much he likes to spend time with me, and then he shows me by just sitting and talking, going out for a formal date, or even just going to the grocery store with me. We are each others' first confidant and one-an-others' best friend. I especially love having him working from home now, because we can share all the little moments and epiphanies we have throughout the day.
5. He works hard to help the Lord provide for our family's needs. He takes his duties to provide and protect us very seriously, and has the self-discipline to work to help his clients have the things they need for their businesses. But he never puts business before family needs.
6. He is a worthy, righteous Priesthood holder who presides over our family in love. He sets a wonderful example for our boys to emulate, and he daily shows our girls what a good husband should be. He fulfills his callings and duties at church faithfully, and he lovingly leads our family in scripture study and family prayers. He studies the Gospel, attends the temple, and even takes the toddler out in the foyer during church when she gets fussy! Which leads me to...
7. He is a hands-on dad who shows his love for me by loving our babies. Russell can chase littles, change diapers, and comfort crying babies with the best of the dads! He frequently gets up in the night with our children, and he is always my tag-team partner when wrestling fit-throwing toddlers. I have had MANY people-- friends and strangers, alike-- remark on what a gentle hands-on father he is to his babies. I think because he is the eldest of eleven children himself, he has always been more than comfortable with having a large family. He is as ready and willing to welcome more babies into our family as I have been, and he always leaves the "Should we have another baby?" question entirely up to me.                 

Pitter-pat!!

I could go on and on about my wonderful Russell, but I don't want to embarrass him! (much further, anyway... *wink*)

Today, I am rejoicing that he was born, that he loves me, and that I get to be the wife of such an amazing man. Thank you, dearest Russell, for being my "One and Only"!!! It's going to be so wonderful to spend all Eternity with you!

Love,
Your Hobbit Wife