Ten years ago on this 7th day of May, I awoke to a new day knowing that by the day’s end I would forever be changing the course of my life.  Ten years ago I became the wife to the huzband.

It’s a bit surreal that we have reached the 10 year mark; I’m in awe that that much time has actually passed.  I have lived life for 10 years with the huzband (and survived, just kidding).  This man who started out as my husband has become so much more to me; he has become my best friend, my lover, my confidant, my comfort, my encourager and so much more, including the one, the only, “the huzband“.

I’ve been pondering this past week leading up to our anniversary.  Thinking about the years past, about this man I call the huzband, about what our future holds but mainly, I’ve been thinking about what I have learned about the huzband over the past 10 years.  To say I knew him completely when I married him would be naive.  Since saying ‘I Do’, I have come to learn much more about his character and the depth of who he is as time passes.  So to celebrate the honor of being his wife for the past 10 years, here are 10 things I have learned about the huzband since the day we got married.

1. He never complains about my cooking.  Over the years I have grown  into a pretty good cook (or so I think).  It wasn’t always like this however, and whether I was serving chicken and rice every night, grilled cheese and nachos, a new & interesting (otherwise known as gross) recipe or am on point with my menu and culinary tasties, the huzband always eats what I serve.  He is honest when I miss the mark, or sometimes he spares me the embarrassment since I already know, but he eats it anyway reminding his family how blessed we are for our abundance of food!

2. There is no doubt that his family comes first.  As years pass, the huzband has become more and more adamant that his family time comes first no matter what.  He has proven himself time and time again that spending time with us is his most favorite thing to do and he protects our time together fervently.  (If you work with him, you totally know this!)

3. When he sets his mind to something, whether it be  a goal, an ideal, etc, he gives it his 150%.  He is dedicated and doesn’t know how to do things only half way.  Once he is in, he is ALL in; like doing an Ironman or living the Alaskan life.

4. He loves to drive me crazy.  He teases me to no end.  He gets pleasure out of pushing my buttons and seeing me pop.  He likes to, jokingly, give me a hard time and his day is not complete until he has gotten a rise out of me!  At least I’m the center of his attention!  He has figured out over the past 10 years what he can say & do to get my blood boiling.  You would have thought that by now I would be immune to it; I think the opposite has happened.  It has only become easier for him!

5. His desire to live life fully and abundantly grows greater with time.  He sees life full of adventure, experiences and new opportunities and he doesn’t shy away from them.  He knows there is so much God has created for our enjoyment and he wants to partake in as much as possible.  He has a bucket list where the items grow proportionately in size, time and money over the years (okay, I’m giving him a hard time).  He craves new experiences that are exciting and challenging. Some call this an adrenaline junky but I don’t see that.  What I see is a man who realizes the joy of living a full life and wanting to experience it with those he loves.

 

6. He is a homebody.  As much as he wants to see the world, he loves being home just as much.  Sometimes I feel as though I have to push him out the door to go do things.

7. His patience with me has only grown longer, deeper and wider over these past ten years!  I still do silly things that drive him crazy (and not so silly things as well) or that he just doesn’t understand.  Yet, his patience as I figure out my path, as I twiddle my thumbs or take my time has only grown and become a safe haven for me.

8. He desires and strives to be a better version of himself.  As I look over the past 10 years, I continuously see how he has chosen to learn to be a better huzband, father, son and friend.  Developing his character and stretching himself to grow as a person are a part of his walk.  Seeing him take the time to seek God with matters of the heart reminds me of one of the great reason why I fell in love with this man.  I am thankful that he chooses to grow, even when it is hard.

9. Ten years later, well really sixteen because it came out in 1999, nonetheless, ten years later the movie The Matrix is still the huzband’s favorite.  Go figure!

10. His love for me is deeper than I ever knew!  This is by far the greatest discovery I have made and the most important one.  It is also one I look forward to over the next ten years to come!