A long, long time ago, Kristine, the Princess of Blogworld, posted a list that her then boyfriend, soon-to-be husband and Prince, Shaun, wrote for her. It was a list of 40 things he loves about her. This list caused quite a stir in blogworld. There was much whining and arguing among those who have no such list. I don't whine much in real life, probably only because I've never found it very effective around here. I did whine in someone's comments, though, and in blogworld, comment-whining actually can be effective. I got me a list! It wasn't from my husband, it was from kalki, but still, it was very nice, and I've kept it :)

More recently, Kristine and Shaun decided to stir things up again, when the Princess posted a list of 40 things she loves about Shaun. Then I started thinking, cheez whiz, Jif probably wouldn't even READ a list of 40 things I love about him. But it was pretty easy for me to think of 40 things. Tomorrow is our 23rd wedding anniversary. So as one of my gifts to him, I decided to extend mercy and not force him to read 40 things. I will however, force him to read these

23 Things I Love About You, Jif:

1. You know how to tell the right lies. For instance, when someone clearly doesn't like me, you say, "It's only because she doesn't know you."

2. You clean projectile puke off LG's wall, and don't even wake me up, only tell me about it when it's all over.

3. You're a very fine griller.

4. You can't fight with me, because I can make you laugh.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can.

5. Laundry. You do it.

6. Dishes. You do them.

7. You make me proud. People trust you, with pretty much everything. People count on you. Because they can.

8. Massage. Good at at. (*Ahem*, slyly embedded in certain parts of this list, and I'm not saying which parts, but in some parts, there might be HINTS as to something that might be a GOOD IDEA...)

9. Unlike me, you can do 4th grade GT math.

10. I like the sound of your snoring. (Yes, you do.)

11. You sleep like a petrified log, except that, the faintest mumble of that one little word has you instantly awake and heading down the hall: "Daddy." You sleep through alarms, hurricanes, dog assaults, but not through "Daddy."

12. You indulge my extreme blogging habit. You actually "get" how blogfriends are real friends, and you ask how they're doing. Or what the hell they're doing. Something like that.

13. Every night when I come to bed, even if it's long after you, even if I wake you up to do it, you do it. I wake you up and say, "Tell me a good thing." And you do. You tell me something nice about me, or about us, or about what we did that day or what we'll do tomorrow. That's the best.


Apparently, I'm not the only one who needs that. Someone even wrote a book about it.


14. And this is one of the reasons I knew I would marry you. You told me that you actually LIKE having cold feet put against your warm legs in bed. You told me that many years ago, and I have never been foolish enough to ask if it is still true. I certainly behave as though it is, though, and try to keep you very happy in that way :)

15. You are a rock. This means a lot of different things to me. I have loved rocks my whole life. I keep them.

16. You tell me I can write.

17. When I get in way over my head, when I create for myself a real "What was I thinking?" crisis, I just say to you, "Tell me." And you know what to do. You tell me that I can do it, that it will be OK, that I've been in worse situations and pulled it off before. And then I always make it happen. We always make it happen.

18. You do crazy-ass things like this:

We're putting groceries away -- groceries that you bought . . .

S: Oh, this is a new kind of barbecue sauce . . .
J: Yea, I thought we'd give it a try . . .
S: Did someone recommend it . . .
J: No, but look at that guy on the label. I said, "Now, there's a man that knows something about some barbecue . . . "
S: (silently) WTF?


"LADIES and GENTLEMEN, I'M a COOK," says Mr. Stubb.


19. You really are my home. I am safe and warm where you are. I'd live in a tent with you.

20. The way you misbehave in restaurants with LG. I scold the two of you, because I'm the mama, I have to. But I love that you two enjoy each other so much.

21. Family. They don't get to you. Mine, yours . . . you love them, forgive them and perpetually give them a break.

22. You pray for me.

23. Every "next" thing I have thought of in making this list is something, the likes of which is not usually posted on this normally PG-13 blog. How to say this and not lose my PG-13 rating . . . it has been very difficult to list the things I love about you and not get an NC-17. And I love that about you, about us ;)

Happy anniversary, Jif.