Happy Birthday to John!

Today is John's birthday!  It is also the day that Zaycon Foods is having their chicken delivery in our area.  (This delivery got rescheduled; I wasn't planning on spending John's birthday in the kitchen dealing with 80 pounds of chicken breasts.)  Anyway, I thought a birthday post was called for, and if something is worth saying once, it's worth repeating, right? This originally posted last year, but if anything, I mean it even more this year than last.  Happy birthday, John; I love you!

In stream-of-consciousness order: 

1.  I'm thankful for John's intelligence.  We met in college, and in our first conversation, he told me he was an engineering major "by default."  Who in the world defaults into an engineering major?!  What happened, did you flunk out of neurosurgery?

2.  I'm thankful for John's sense of humor. His "engineering by default" answer made me realize he also was funny, and he has continued since then to make me laugh.

3.  I'm thankful for John's spiritual strength, and (4.) our shared religious convictions.  Though both sets of our parents demonstrate that it is possible to have a strong, happy marriage without belonging to the same church as your spouse, our shared faith brings a depth to our relationship that I would otherwise miss. 


5.  I'm thankful for John's forgiveness.  Generally speaking, we have a great marriage, and neither of us is prone to vindictiveness or spite.  We are, however, human, and I have certainly made some mistakes.  John's always met my goofs with kindness and understanding.  If you'd like a laugh, read about my biggest blunder here.

6.  I'm thankful for John's thoughtfulness.  I've had a lot of demands of my time this week.  After one particularly busy day, I arrived home to find the John had fixed dinner, and our daughter had set a lovely table.  When John noticed how tired I was, he suggested that I just go to bed after dinner, and he would take care of the clean-up, too.  I was out like a light before 7:30, and I felt much more rested the following morning.

7.  I'm thankful for John's fun-loving nature.  I tend to be task-oriented, and John has helped me realize that fun is important, too.  We've enjoyed weekly dates throughout our marriage, and make getaways a priority, also.

8.  I'm thankful that John is a Renaissance man.  Not only does he understand math and science, he writes well and enjoys the arts.  We're as apt to attend a museum or play as a sporting event.  Recently, we've seen movies as disparate as Gravity, Captain Phillips, and Austenland, and enjoyed them all.  

9.  I'm thankful that even though John knows a lot about many topics, he never makes others feel inferior or stupid.  

10.  I'm thankful that John's a great dad.  He has carved pumpkins to resemble Ernie (of Sesame Street), held interesting conversations on toy telephones, and taught teens to drive.  Now our kids are mostly adults, and John's a wonderful grandpa.  We're not growing old, but I definitely am thankful for the years we've spent together so far, and the years we have yet to see.  

Thanks for John!