This Guy.

Today, on his birthday, I'd like to say that my husband is the cream of the crop.

Where to begin? He is easily one of the kindest people I know. He has more integrity in his little finger than most men have in their entire lives (no but for reals, this is a man of REAL integrity here). He is honest. He is stubborn. He can be quiet, but he can be obnoxiously loud and boisterous when surrounded by those he loves.

He is intelligent. Wow. Like, just ask the guy a question about something he might be remotely interested in, and he can probably spout off an entire history of it (particularly if you're asking about anything to do with history/military stuff). He is easily more well-read than I am (hello, lit grad student, and yet...), and has the pop culture knowledge of a 15 year old girl and Ryan Seacrest combined. We win at trivia. Always. We also usually win at board games (yes, even Settlers of Catan) because he is so strategic.

He is so well organized. You thought I was OCD prone? Meet my husband! But this turns out to be a real asset to him- he is constantly on top of what he has going on and often what others do- not in an irritating pedantic way, but in a helpful "thank God SOMEone was paying attention" kind of way. He is thorough. He is thoughtful. He LISTENS. And he Listens. And you know he married me, so he listens some more. He is so kind to listen to my circular babblings as I sift through my thoughts, and only nudges me in one direction or another when he has real wisdom behind his opinion.

And with that, he's wise. He's knowledgeable yes, and he's wise. He cares deeply about family. He cares passionately for his friends. And though you may not receive regular phone calls or e-mails from him as a member of his family or as a friend (due to his rather intense phone phobia and overdose of computers as work), you can know that he thinks of you, prays for you, misses you, and talks of you often. And the texts, e-mails, and random calls you give to him are a gift he deeply cherishes.

He loves being at home. He takes pride in the home he has provided us, and I think rightly so. With that pride though, he knows God has given us all we have, and that is how he remains humble. He is willing (most of the time...) to apologize, to admit wrong, and to make amends when the time calls for it. This, I will say, is rare because he is so careful with his actions and words. If ever "respond, don't react" is embodied, it is through Matthew (and of course, his father, whom Matthew is so very much like).

He refuses to admit it, but he loves our cat. He is absolutely wrapped around Dutch's little paw, loves him fiercely. For a non-animal lover, this is significant. I suspect one reason he decided to love Dutch was because Dutch was my companion while he couldn't be. He places me before himself. Honestly, I'm so selfish, and he really usually isn't. It is humbling to me to have a husband like Matthew. Oh, and did I mention he is the absolute best Mario World 3 / Super Mario World video game player I have ever witnessed (sorry Ian and Gavin!)? It is impressive.

Matthew likes to cook. He is neat, tidy, orderly. He likes to water the plants and sit outside during cool evenings and grill. And he loves beer, and coffee, and Hebrew National Hot Dogs. He is sensitive, and yet manly. The best example of this I can give is that when he was in training when he first went on active duty and we were apart he sent me the following text: "I am cleaning a grenade launcher and listening to Norah Jones."

Matthew is also funny. What often escapes others is that his humor is often obscure, or quiet, but usually brilliant and hilarious. He keeps me laughing. He can also be a real weirdo. I mean, like really weird. Like singing "You've got a friend in me" in his best (and quite impressive, may I add) Randy Newman voice to our cat at 9:00 at night. He's so straight-laced at work that these moments of weirdness are most often the ones that remind me how much I love him.

But then, seeing him come home from work, usually well past the average workday ends at 5:00 when he's been working since 5:30, reminds me of that too. I see him standing tall with his military bearing, his uniform, his coffee mug, and his planner, stepping out of the Civic which he insists he drive rather than the new car his job has enabled us to buy, and I know I have always loved this man. First as friend, now as friend, lover, husband. Matthew is not perfect, he is a work in progress, but I have to tell you folks that I really, really, really love this man.

I could not be more proud of you Matthew. I can't imagine loving you more, but I know my love has grown for you every year I've know you, and each year we've been married. I rejoice at being together on your 27th birthday, and I thank God for blessing me with you- weirdness and all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!!!