15 Things About My Husband

1. He's an incredibly loyal friend. He chooses his friends carefully, and he considers them friends for life. Even if he hasn't seen them for awhile, even years. Even if he doesn't keep in touch as often as he'd like. If friends are in need, he will be there.

2. Same with family.

3. He has a tender heart. It's well-hidden, and sometimes I blunder into piercing it, thinking he is invincible. He's not.

4. He has this innate sense of self-confidence and optimism. Even when things look bad, he knows that everything will work out one way or another. I envy this.

5. When I'm with a group of women, talk sometimes turns to husbands. And human nature being what it is, often the stories are negative. And I sit there, with little to offer. Except this:

6. He hates cheese. Except on pizza. And sometimes on enchiladas. But other than that, no cheese. Also? He has a myriad of other food rules. I just learned a new one this year, by violating the rule with a new recipe. I blame his mother. :) Unfortunately, his little food quirks get me exactly zero sympathy from other women on the continuum of "things my husband does that drive me crazy."

7. He thinks very logically. He looks at many angles of an issue before making a decision. Often, he has thought about something for a while before he even mentions it to me. Nevertheless, he always asks for my input, and sometimes I even come up with something he hasn't thought of. (He, of course, usually comes up with about three things I haven't thought of.) We make all big decisions together, and most of the little ones, too. We were married for some time before I realized that this is not always the norm.

8. Last week, he cleaned out and vacuumed the interior of my car. He even wiped down the dashboard. And he takes out the trash every week, which is a much nastier and more complicated endeavor here in Germany, especially in the summer. (Rotting food and maggots and flies, oh, my!) That? Is true love.

9. He is the strong, silent type. But when he talks, I listen. Because he always has something valuable to say.

10. He is a spectacular gift-giver. Me? Not so much. Poor guy.

11. Sometimes we can crack each other up in the middle of a fight. I love that. It tells me that even when we disagree, even if we hurt each other, we can find our way back. We're in it together.

12. He gets up at 7 am on Saturdays and Sundays with Katrina and lets me sleep in. In a way, he has no choice, because Katrina considers weekend mornings to be Papa time. In fact, she's been waking up earlier on Saturdays than on weekdays, so she can have more time with Papa. When I get up with her on the weekends to try to let him sleep, Katrina cries. That's because:

13. He is an amazing father. Patient where I am not. Gentle where I am edgy. And what little girl wouldn't adore being swept up in those strong arms, especially when Mom can barely lift her now?

14. He is hard-working, at home as well as work. He keeps our finances in line, and is careful about saving for the future, giving to others, and having a little fun now. Plus did I mention he cleaned out my car?

15. He has unshakeable integrity. He doesn't make promises he doesn't intend to keep. He tells the truth, even if others don't want to hear it. When he makes a commitment, he keeps it.

We've been married 15 years today. With the divorce rate in America so high, one might wonder what it takes to maintain a marriage that long. You know the secret? Choose a good man, and then appreciate, love, and respect him. I know I don't always love Jon as well as I should. It's easy to get into a rut when life gets busy.

But I did do one thing right: I chose well.