Thirty

Today is the LAST DAY to vote in the Stratejoy Essay Contest! Please head over there and vote for my essay - number 7 - if you haven't already! The voting closes at 5 o'clock PST today, and you can vote once per computer. Have an ipad, kindle, tablet, or smart phone? You can vote from EACH of those as well! Thank you to everyone who has already voted, tweeted, blogged, or linked in some way to the competition - I am truly grateful. Okay, vote real quick, then come back - because today is kind of a big deal!

Dear Benjamin,

Today you turn thirty. The world has been blessed with your life for three decades - and it's pretty cool to be able to say I've known you for almost that long.

I thought about writing all my favorite things about you, but let's be real, I could fill way more than one blog post with that. So instead? I'd like to thank you.

Thank you for being the funniest man I know. Thank you for being kind and considerate. Thank you for knowing when to (and not to) push me to try something new. Thank you for being an incredibly talented artist - seeing your work makes me burst with pride.

Thank you for putting up with my love of nail polish, which means smelling the fumes at least once a week as I try new colors and combinations. (No really, thank you - I know you kind of hate it!)

Thank you for being so insightful, with giving advice. Your relationships with your mom, sister, and girl friends make me hope we have a daughter one day, because I can see the amazing perspective and warmth you'll have to share with her.

Thank you for always calming my fears - whether it's about our ability to have a baby or encouraging my writing, to telling me when scary parts of a movie are about to happen so I can prepare myself. Thank you for packing my lunch for me, and then labeling it in fun ways.

Thank you for saying yes to the fourth grade picnic, taking me to homecoming, and for not remembering why we broke up in high school. (It makes me feel way better about not remembering the reason either!)

Thank you for giving me butterflies. Thank you for making me your wife, and choosing every day to learn and grow and create this life with me.

Thank you for being the most incredible man I know. Thank you for being you.

Happy Birthday my love. Here's to many more.

Love,
Me