My Most Excellent Man

Today Eric is in Louisville, Kentucky to receive an award for Excellence in Managed Care at Kindred Healthcare. One of the heads of the company called him personally to notify him of the honor.  Eric, along with other award recipients and the heads of Kindred, will enjoy a special recognition dinner tonight.  I wish that I could be there to share this special night with him.

I hope that Eric knows what a truly excellent man he is.  He could receive an equally prestigious award for Excellence in Service, or Excellence in Fatherhood, or my personal favorite, Excellence in Partnership.  He is reliable, generous, kind, thinks only the best of everyone, and somehow puts up with all my crazy ideas.  He is my very best friend. I don't know where I would be without him.

I am very proud of Eric, and happy that he is receiving recognition for the wonderful, hard-working, innovative man that he is.  But I don't need the head of Kindred Healthcare to tell me how excellent he is.  I discovered that for myself over twenty years ago, as he reached across and took my hand at a church roller-skating party, changing the future of my life forever.  

Commitment

Today was a busy Sunday.

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I sang in a quartet this morning in church. Heidi was teaching her Sunday School class. I was supposed to teach the Beehives (which I ended up getting a sub for, thank goodness!) Eric gave a talk at another Ward. I had choir practice, with the song that I am accompanying on the violin. And tonight was the Adult Christmas Fireside, in which I participated in three of the numbers, one being the violin piece.

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Last night as I was stressing over the song to be performed this morning, I was agonizing over the fact that Eric wouldn't be there to hear it. He would be going over to another church building to speak instead. Eric was also stressing over the talk he had to give. We were each pretty wrapped up in our own commitments.

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This morning I sang my song. It turned out great. I was a little sad, though, thinking that Eric wasn't there to hear it.

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After the meeting I decided I would slip out and go listen to Eric speak. When I got to the building, I could hear his voice piped out into the foyer, but I could tell that he hadn't been speaking very long yet, so I slipped into the back of the chapel. We caught eyes for a moment, and he continued on with his talk.

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After the meeting, I waited for him in the back of the room. He told me it surprised him to see me walk in and it threw him off for a minute since he wasn't expecting to see me. We laughed about that.

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Then he told me that he heard me sing. He stopped at the church before he went to his other meeting and was able to listen to it from the foyer.

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That warm, wonderful feeling of being loved and loving in return is something that I never get tired of. Something as simple as being there means the world! Even though we have a list of commitments a mile long, number one on that list is each other.

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I feel like I am the luckiest woman in the world.

Summary of a Marriage

16 Years Together=

*4 kids

*2 college graduations

*64 birthdays

*10 moves

*9 cars

*15 jobs

*6 Wards

*16 church callings

*1 cat

*1 hamster

*8 fish

*11 major appliances

*5 computers

*4 cameras

*6 couches

*2 houses

What can I say? We've been busy!

Happy Anniversary, Babe!!

Ode to Eric

You are the....

apple to my pie

butter to my bread

sail to my boat

sun to my flower

snow to my flake

monkey to my wrench

sweet to my tooth

bear to my hug

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Thanks for making my life a whole lot sweeter and totally complete!

Happy Birthday, Babe!

I love you!

Isn't it Romantic...?

On Valentine's Day I came home after running errands to find a surprise gift for me from Eric. I dare you to guess what it was. No, it wasn't the standard flowers or chocolates....way too cliche'! (Although flowers are always a good idea! Hint Hint)


It was....(drum roll, please)


A new computer chair.


I will admit it, I was a little disappointed at first. It was a little hard to get excited about an extremely practical computer chair for an extremely non-practical holiday.


I started to think back to last year's gift. He presented it to me in a beautiful purple velvet satchel. I immediately got excited, thinking it was some kind of expensive jewelry. Then I opened it to discover....my own, three-year old watch. I hadn't been able to wear it for a while because the battery had died. He was very pleased with himself because he had gotten the battery replaced for me. My practical man.


So, for Eric's sake, I tried to be excited about the computer chair.


But then I sat in it....Ooooh, it's nice! I was starting to warm up to this gift.


Then, to seal the deal, Eric explained why he thought of getting me a computer chair. He recognized that I spend a lot of time on the computer (ahem, no comment here), sitting on a hard dining room chair. He felt that I would be a lot more comfortable sitting on a nice, soft computer chair. So he not only picked out a comfortable one, he chose one that adjusts in height to fit my smaller stature, and also one that matched our living room decor. There you go! How could I complain?! I was touched.


He may not be the King of Romance, but he does hold the one and only (practical and economic) Key to My Heart!

Dear Eric....Yours Forever, Heather

Dear Eric,


From the moment we met, I knew that we would always be together. We have a special sort of connection that has only strengthened as the years have passed. We are so alike, I think that we were made for each other. You are my very best friend.


Thank you for being the sort of husband who lets me be who I am. I don't feel like I have to pretend to be something I'm not, and yet you inspire me to be the best that I can. What more could I ask for? You encourage me in everything I do, helping me to learn and grow and accomplish the things that are important to me.


You are a wonderful father. I love to watch you with the kids. You are a natural! From the moment they were each born, you have doted on them as much as any father could! I especially loved to see the look of wonder and adoration in your eyes as you looked at our babies for the very first time. You are a hands-on kind of dad and have always been a tremendous help for me in caring for them, at any age.


I think the trait about you that I have always loved the most is your willingness to work hard. You apply this in everything you do -- your career, your family, and your church callings. You also apply it in how much you love to help and serve others. I am in constant admiration at your dedication to your calling and those that you serve. You are the first to volunteer to help, and the last to leave when an assignment is completed, just to be sure there is nothing else needed! I have learned a lot by watching you and hope that I can try to be more like you in so many ways.


Above all, I know that you have a testimony of Jesus Christ. You are a true example of Christ-like love and you are not afraid to share your love of the Gospel with anyone around you. You are a true missionary at heart.


I feel so blessed to have you in my life, it would be so incomplete without you. Ever since we were dating, we talked about how we wanted to be together forever. I even inscribed in your wedding band, "Yours Forever." I love knowing that our bond will be able to last longer than time, through time and all eternity. I remember how it felt when we stood in the beautiful house of the Lord the day we were married, looking into each other's eyes, and then looking in the mirrors that seemed to go on for eternity. I could see us together, dressed in beautiful white, holding hands, about to embark on our most wonderful adventure yet. And I remember how wonderfully happy it made me. I couldn't stop smiling and crying. You have made me so happy. I feel so lucky that I get to spend eternity with you!


I am, and always will be....


Yours forever,
Heather