TOTAL Braggin' Rights!!!!!!!!!!!

------Don't be overwhelmed. So I'm a little long winded... Hang in there!------
Ok, my honey is cooler than your honey. Don't take it personally, I just got lucky. I take no credit for the superiority of my husband to every other man on earth; like I said, it was nothing but dumb luck that he fell in love with me instead of you. If he'd met you first things could have been different, so you can't blame me- I had to strike while the iron was hot!
My birthday was in January, and it seriously has been much cooler than any other I've had. First, a couple of my wonderful girlfriends took me out to my favorite restaurant and I had such a great time I may just never get over it (that's not an exaggeration; I'm still a little high from it). On top of that they gave me some gorgeous earrings (that I love so much- and really needed!) and the prettiest stationary set (again, the kind of thing I adore at the store but am far too cheap to indulge in) along with some chocolates that make me wonder how I got through life until now without them. (I actually had a dream about them last night. Don't scoff at me, if you tried them you'd fantasize too- but I don't share chocolate, so too bad for you)! So that was awesome!

Then, there's my Matthew! Apart from just in general being the man of my dreams, supporting me so I can be with my kids (lifetime fulfillment!), treating me like I'm some angel who deserves to be cherished, putting up with an indescribably stressful job and still coming home with a smile for us, caring about what I care about, having endless patience with me even when I'm in crazy mode (which is probably more often than not these days!), and actually believing I look great naked even when I'm a million months pregnant (sorry for the visual), he gave me a present. (Oh I forgot to mention how handsome he is. I still swoon over my guy at least a few times a day ...like every other female who has contact with him!)
So back to the present. He came home on a Friday with a pretty gift bag, and he was so excited to give it to me that he made me open it right away, even though it wasn't really my birthday yet. Inside was an envelope that contained something the chicks reading this blog will not believe. -(Let me interrupt myself here. Matt and I are pretty frugal with things like birthdays and Christmas. Mostly because we often express our appreciation for each other just in everyday life, and neither of us feels the need for special gifts simply because of the date. Just not a big affair at our house. -Like, for his last b-day he got a framed pic of the fam with Hotwheels glued to it, that the boys had picked out, and a box of his favorite cereal. Oh and a promise to buy him a new pair of shoes since his were all duct taped inside and glued together. Note: he still hasn't spent the money for some new shoes, cause he "doesn't need them and it could go toward something for the family."- Ok so you get what it's like here. Back to the point...)-
So inside this wonderful envelope was the most magnificent thing I've seen in all my life, maybe about par with the first glimpse of my newborn babies. It was a gift certificate to a fancy spa, and several treatments are included: There's a prenatal massage- (one hour), a spa manicure- (one hour), spa pedicure- (one hour), an elegant lunch and flowers, and a haircut and style! I don't even know which of those words to put in bold cause they're all so awe inspiring! And it doesn't end there, if you can believe that. Not only did he spend months secretly saving for all this, but he went so far above and beyond just picking a gift that would knock me over. Perhaps equally moving is what he went through to pull this off. He actually shopped around at all the local spas to find the best one. He met all the ladies who would be working on me to make sure they were nice, and he toured the facility to be sure it was very clean!!! I'm giggling just writing that cause it's so funny and unbelievable and considerate. He spent hours arranging this so it would be just right. Do you see why this man is my darling love? How does he leave me any choice but to cherish him? And just to push us all to tears, when he gave it to me he knelt down and so sincerely, he told me what he loves about me and how he appreciates me and is grateful that the Lord allowed him to be my husband.

Ok ladies, how blessed am I? Every day up until the day this happened, I knew exactly how much he loved me. His words and his gesture were amazing that day, but our love for each other was the same as it always is. This is our marriage. This is commitment. This is what we all have -or can have when we love and take good care of our spouses. It's not always manifested the way we want in the moment we want, or in ways that dazzle us and induce huge bragging kicks, but it's so easy to achieve this kind of joy together. My marriage transformed the week I finally figured out how important it was to take care of Matt. It took me some growing up time to realize exactly what I had. But my man has been so patient with me, and more loving than I deserve. He inspires me to behave like a better person than I am. He leads and teaches me when I'm confused (which happens fairly frequently, I admit). He shows gratitude for the silliest things, like a load of laundry being put away, or taking off his shoes for him when he comes home from work. Without a doubt the part of him I love most is the way he loves our kids. He plays (vigorously!) even when he's exhausted. He passes up indescribable opportunities at work (seriously, you have no idea-) because it's important to him to be home with our family. He stops the car when he turns onto our street so the boys can "drive" us home. He protects us; he smiles when he sees us. He reads to the kids (unless it's a truly obnoxious book, which he throws across the room and demands an alternative for). He teaches the boys the tough lessons that I could never teach them. When one of them is disrespectful to me he immediately cuts them off and makes it VERY clear that no one treats his wife that way. Matt believes I am his princess and he treasures me, especially when I'm pregnant. He admires me and is in awe that my body can provide the necessary home for a tiny baby to grow inside until he/she is ready to "come out and play" with him. (This process is something that dumbfounds me as much as it does him, but I'll happily take the credit for it!) Matthew is the most capable, truly brilliant man, and I know he was created for a great purpose and is destined for something big. He gives to people in need. He serves his country and his community and brings pride to his family name. He doesn't even know himself as well as I can see who he is. He doesn't see his own greatness and potential, though these things are so obvious to those who know him or work with him, even for small time frames. The kids and I know 100% that we can depend on Matt to protect us and provide for us and love us, no matter what. I'm SO grateful that I stumbled into him and somehow tricked him into marrying me. He seems to still be under the impression that I'm something special, and I don't dare correct him, for fear he'll discover the mismatch and change his mind! Truthfully, I am more grateful for him in my life than any other blessing I've received. Without him, my kids wouldn't be around as the wonderful souls they are. Without him, I might never have found my calling and my purpose. The miracle of Matthew brings me faith and joy and peace, and has shown me what I'm here for. What he's taught me are not things that I could have learned on my own. I'm forever grateful to his parents for encouraging him to become the man he is. I'll be grateful through the rest of eternity that I'm so blessed to be Matt's wife.