…that I married a wonderful man?

Can’t (okay, won’t) really go into today’s reason why…but trust me, I did.

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You know that smile I was rhapsodizing about yesterday? Here it is. I mean seriously. Tasty.

Me, I’m being a goof, as usual.

Thank you Sean for the pics!

Fondness & Affection, Day 4:

Thought: I am physically attracted to my partner.
Task: Think of one physical attribute you like.

Mmmmm. Yes. I’ll just pick one. Or two. Or three.

Mike has a smile that could stop traffic, complete with laugh lines that indicate a long-held sense of humor about life. From the very first phone call, I’ve loved his voice. When you put those together, you get a laugh that could melt the coldest blizzard…a perfect storm of attraction. Yum.

Day 3:

Thought: I can easily remember romantic, special times in our marriage.
Task: Pick one such time and think about it.

I skipped this yesterday. Somehow, even though I know it would help my attitude, it’s kind of tough to build up motivation do do this when deep down, you want to throttle your husband. I got over it. Ah, mawidge.

On with the exercise:

On our first *real* date (ie, alone, no child along), Mike and I had dinner together at a lovely Indian restaurant in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. The setting was fantastic, and for the first time, we were able to have a meal complete with adult conversation uninterrupted by a toddler. Bliss.

So, what did we talk about? Why, parenting, of course. (Figures. The whole eight days we spent in Costa Rica without Maya? We talked about her all. the. time. You don’t know how much you’re going to miss your kids. Maya, on the other hand didn’t ask for me a single time.) Ahem…where was I? Right, parenting.

Mike started to tell me his philosophy on raising children — one which centered largely on letting a child be who they are, and supporting them as they find their own way, rather than pushing them to conform to some preconceived notion he might have had. For some people, this might not have qualified as romantic. For me, I was nearly in tears. I’ve got an amazing man on my hands, did you know that?

Wondering what this is? Read this post.

Thought: I can easily speak of the good times in our marriage.
Task: Pick one good time and write a sentence about it.

Little romantic gestures don’t come naturally to my INTP spouse (who sees them as vaguely ridiculous), but knowing that I’ve said I enjoy flowers, he showed up the other night with a bright bouquet. The flowers are lovely; but, his willingness to listen to the little things I’ve told him can help me feel loved…priceless.

Added
I forgot to extend this invitation: If you’re married or in a relationship, and you’d like to join in, please do. Leave your happy thoughts about your S/O in the comments, or write them up at your blog — but please leave a link here, too.

Day 1

Thought: I am genuinely fond of my partner.
Task: List one characteristic you find endearing or lovable.

This is easy. I *am* genuinely fond of my husband. Do I only get to list one characteristic?

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No matter how much you think you’re ready, marriage is hard. Talking to friends who’ve BTDT, that’s what I’ve learned. At least knowing I’m not alone in this keeps me from thinking that I’m just particularly bad at being a wife…apparently, this is quite normal.

As I attempt to be good at this whole marriage thing (or at least not horrifically bad), I’ve done what I normally do when confronted with something new: I read. My husband has been a tad mocking of my affinity for self-help books (seems that’s mostly what I’m reading lately), but hell…if they actually allow me to help myself, are they all that bad?

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