Happy Birthday, to My Boyfriend!

Jason turns 40 minus 2 today... stinks that I'm 3 months older, cause it's just dumb for me to make old jokes then:/

He's still my favorite friend to be with (except shopping.  He's the worst ever to shop with!) and do life with.  I loved our college years of flirting and crazy careless adventures like the most ridiculous sailboat cruise ever to the Bahamas with our friends.  I loved our wedding day.  My face hurt at the end of the day from smiling so much and laughing so hard.  I loved diving into youth ministry with no clue of what to do really, but faking it and growing to finally figure it out...kinda.  I loved having our first daughter, and watching him become the doting father he is, and then adding 2 more beauties for him to cuddle to death.  I've loved being together for 20 of his 38 years.  I've loved being together in the fun happy times, but I can hardly imagine going through the sad, challenging and frustrating times without him.

This year has been cram packed with high highs and low lows.  Unfortunately, the job Jason is in has some occupational hazards that include conflict, and, though, Jason deals with conflict head-on and with grace and integrity he carry's it, because he loves people.  He also carries the load of leading.  Leading people into deeper community and leading people into deeper relationships with Christ, but when the body doesn't seem healthy whether that is manifested through lack of involvement, tithe, or responses...He carry's that too.

Then there have been my lows of carrying the pain of personal crisis in my family, whom I just might love too much at times.  So his world and my world catastrophically have collided at times delivering some seriously heavy blows to the gut.  So in some ways this has been a tough year, but through the challenges God has revealed to us both that we can trust him completely.  We've been learning this together, and it's been rich...not easy, but rich.

But sometimes hazards are accompanied by blessings...  Those moments that you say, "And this makes it all worth it, because this is what it's all about".  It's so good to have good news.  I never get tired of hearing stories of lives changed.  I especially never get tired of hearing the stories where Satan so obviously meant to inflict eternal harm on someone, but God rescued them, and brought redemption to their life.  I get to hear stories of this all the time because of the humbling journey God has allowed Jason and I to be on.  I love sharing life with this man.

I love seeing his tenderness in how he is no respecter of persons.  He makes it look so easy to love the not so easy to love people, and he is actually sincere in it.  He even hugs people that smell (I won't even let him hug me if his shirt smells), I love that he is like this.  It makes me look bad, but I love it nonetheless.


I love how he is with our girls.  He is playful and affectionate, but has great heart to heart conversations with them.  They adore him except when he says, "No" to ice cream  (I always say, "absolutely," because that means I get some!).  I cannot wait to see how he will be with our boys.  I've seen him take on the role of father to so many guys that I know he will be great.


He makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts and I can't breathe.  He hugs and kisses me even when I'm pushing him away.  He cuddles with me and watches David Letterman recordings at night.  He takes me on a date once a week.  He listens between my words to a place of understanding my heart.   Then he fights for me.  He refuses to watch me go down because of lies and insecurity.  He fights me for me (I don't back down easily either).  He shows me the love of God in a way no one else can.  I love this man.

I have to know that the man leading my family is one that I can trust.  I know God lead me and Jason to each other.  He loves me in a way no other man could.   I love who he is.  I love that I've gotten to experience life in it's fullness because he has been my partner. He has made these last 20 years of my 38 years incredible.  

Babe, I believe that when God created you he was thinking of me, and knew just what I needed and with a little bit of a chuckle and maybe even some tears of excitement he brought us together.  Thank you, God, for such an awesome and thoughtful gift.

I love you, Jason!

Awe!!  I hear he was naughty!

College years...the smolder...so young!

Celebrating the eve of his birthday at Brio.