A Letter to My Husband:

Dear Halis,

Yesterday made 12 years of marriage for us. And neither one of us is surprised. This was meant to be. And as you put it, "I look forward to the next 12 years too".

Because we are both so darn busy right now (helping my parents, trying to move, selling off your Mom's estate, etc) we almost let this anniversary pass us by. We both felt a little guilty about that, but we know that it takes more than an anniversary date & gift to create an amazing marriage. So we made love instead ... not a bad way to celebrate for sure :)

But we got busy with other things right after, and there were a few things that I wished I had said to you while we had some brief moments together. So, I will attempt to say them now ....

First, I want to thank you for the way you love me ... the way you always think of me ... and always put us first. You are a man who understands that a relationship is ever evolving and that you have to "work at it" to be sure that it is functioning at it's highest level. I so appreciate that ... because Lord knows, I am constantly "evolving" (I am sure you could find another word for that!) and so a man would have to be forever on his guard to figure out what is currently expected of him :)

And Halis, you are just the right blend of masculinity and tenderness. That is your charm. I will be forever drawn to that (as others have also been - thanks for warding them off Babe!). And you are so protective of your family ... one day I cried over the fact that a fox had eaten one of my chickens, and the next weekend you single-handedly built a fence around our entire acreage. That is just one example of that blend of masculinity and tenderness.

You also know how to weather the storms between us. You have learned the fine art of arguing with me while still making sure that I feel loved by you. That took alot of work over the years, for both of us. But I am glad to say that we can now effectively argue with one another. (That is a good thing, right?) And our marriage is better for it.

And as I told you over 12 years ago, your greatest selling point as a potential husband was that I knew you would make the greatest Dad. And you are. You love Isaac with wild abandon. And he and I both know that you would do anything to keep him safe, secure and thriving. You are such an amazing role model for him. You show him how a man should be ... loving beyond measure, hardworking, loyal to family, tender toward his wife, interested in life, respectful to others, playful and oh so many other good things! I could not have hand created a better father for my son. Thank you.

And oh, oh, oh, there are those moments that you look into my eyes ... and I see just how smittten you are with me too. And ooohhhh that melts me. There is just so much to say about all the reasons I am so glad we married one another 12 years ago. But I will end them here (for now) and just thank you for one more thing ... Thank you for being so damn sexy too! You are getting sexier with age :)

I love you so much. I hope you feel it.

Happy Anniversary,
Jodi