Today is the First Day of the Rest of This Mess...

June 20, 2008... quite possibly the worst day of my entire life. As if my life wasn’t already a daily struggle being 5 ½ months pregnant I found myself living with a sick baby, and a sick 2 year old...(get it? Keith = baby), and then, as is usually the case, I contract the cold as well!!! Its like having the flu but not puking. But that is not the worst part. I struggled to work in the office through the entire day, actually through the ENTIRE cold which has been a week long thus far... while Keith calls in sick and lays on the couch watching Simpsons re-runs and mind numbing interviews with scientists on the History Channel discussing all the myths about Noah’s ark, debunking the Shroud of Turin and filling his photographic memory with more evolution theories than you can shake a stick at... all the while calling me (AT WORK) to complain that he is officially on his death bed, while I work my ass off, suffocating in my own snot, talking to clients through the worst sore throat ever and when I finally make it home to relax, I discover that I have LOST THE ABILITY TO TASTE!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Of course that did not stop me from eating. Somewhere between the first chocolate pudding cup and 3rd piece of chocolate covered peanut brittle I realized that no matter what I consumed my taste buds were not going to perk up. Sound depressing? Well, the REALLY depressing part of this story is the fact that I am trying to maintain a healthy weight with this pregnancy and by testing every food in the house to tease my tastebuds I probably managed to consume 3 days worth of calories. I started off with the chocolate pudding, moved onto pizza, 3/4 of a bag of popcorn(extra butter) and without boring you (or incriminating myself with the entire list) I ended this battle of wills with Hershey Kisses. By the 8th kiss I began to sob uncontrollably. Realizing that all of my consumption had been in vein. I WANTED to taste the chocolate SO BAD!!!! All the while I am watching the movie “Spanglish” and after one of the worst movie endings EVER, Keith advised that I just admit defeat and call it a day. I am happy to report that while I am still suffering through this cold, Keith went back to work today, Isabelle’s sneezes have stopped producing 4 inch long (TOTALLY DISGUSTING) yellow snot strings that defy gravity, and I can taste chocolate again.

A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be.

Can I just take a moment to publicly announce the fact that I LOVE my husband? Seriously, we say I love you several times a day. Early in the morning as we leave for work, casually on the phone before we hang up, sometimes in passing just because, or right as he switches off the nightstand light as we turn in for the night. I don't really think that those "I love you's" honestly convey the amount of love and admiration I truly have for Keith. I REALLY REALLY LOVE HIM. Keith is the man that changed my life forever. He made me want to be a better woman, person, individual. He has kept me honest, encouraged me to follow my dreams, never settle for less, and always look on the bright side. He is an amazing person. He excels at everything that he does. On the short list of amazing things he does... he can fix anything, entire sprinkler systems, hot water heaters, garage doors, computers (of course), he can single handedly build a crib with no instructions (amazing... that it hasn't collapsed), he tackles all household emergencies with calm, collected, baby steps. He handles me the same exact way.

Aside from his physical abilities, there is a long list of wonderful things that he does for me and Isabelle. He is so compassionate, caring, and thoughtful. I'm the type that will call you once I've gotten all the way back to my car and ask if you need anything from the store hoping that you will say no(If I remember to call at all) and Keith is the type that will compulsively dial me until I answer before he even steps foot into a check-out isle. He spends his weekends building tall towers of blocks, watching Barney's Birthday Party episode for the 3,745th time, sitting in the driveway drawing rainbows, fish, sunshines, and whatever else Isabelle demands that he chalk onto the road. Occasionally I will trip over a toy that I don't recall purchasing and he plays stupid, but I know that he takes Isabelle to Walmart and lets her pick out a new toy almost every time I disappear to the nail salon on saturdays, I love that he cannot help himself and that he enjoys spoiling her. He cooks dinner, loads and unloads the dishwasher, scrubs toilets, vacuums, and empties trash cans without being asked, he is a wonderful man. He tucks me into bed at night, he stops me in the middle of some mundane tuesday night while I am loading the washing machine, hugs me and says, "I love you, I love Isabelle, and I love our life, I am so happy with our life," he says amazing things when I least expect it, and he continues to shower me with love on a daily basis.

He spends ungodly amounts of time with my family, humoring my mom and my Aunt Etta, suffering through long family meals, holiday get-togethers, helping them with chores ie: moving heavy objects, installing fans into concrete ceilings (which takes HOURS to drill), fixing wiring problems (my favorite of which was the night-lite debacle at moms house), and does it with no complaints what-so-ever, which is a lot more than I can say for myself when we encounter his family...

So this week as I prepare for Father's Day and try to pick out a gift that appropriately fits the wonderful, selfless, doting father and husband that he is, I find myself at a loss as there is no t-shirt, tie, or watch in the whole wide world that represents the great man he really is. There is no Hallmark card that truly expresses my love and appreciation for who he is, what he represents, and how he has changed my life forever.

Happy Father's Day Keith, I love you more than you will ever know.