So, about 21 years and three weeks ago, I started dating this guy. I was a nanny in Virginia, he was an intern in Virginia. We met at church. (There is a long, crazy story behind this, but this post is not about me, my clumsiness, nor my ensuing scheming, so we'll save that for another day). Anyway, 21years and three months ago, I started dating this guy...
He was a good guy, I could tell. It wasn't because he opened car doors for me, because he didn't. His passenger side door wouldn't open from the outside, so he would have to get in and lean over to open my door. It may have had something to do with the fact that he just kissed me on my forehead on a night where he probably deserved a real kiss, and that he sat hungry and watched me eat a cheeseburger, fries and key lime pie that he boght me on a night when that's all the money he had in his wallet! (I didn't know that at the time, or I would have shared!) It had a little bit to do with the fact that he knew, loved, and owned the music to "Somewhere in Time," which was a must for any man I would seriously consider marrying, and I asked him if he had heard it on date #2 I think. I was 19 and immature when I met him, but smart enough to know he was a keeper pretty early on.
3 weeks after our first "date," we celebrated his 25th birthday together with friends. I wrote him a poem in a card about being a quarter of a century old...then I taped a quarter into the card. I bought him the soundtrack of 'Dances with Wolves' on cassette (we're sooo old!), because John Barry of Somewhere in Time fame had also composed that music and I knew he would love it! We watched the movie together on our official first date! I also gave him a mug with Hershey kisses and hugs in it. Well, he kept the mug but gave away the candy and he spent the quarter...but he wore out the cassette in his Walkman, so that's okay.
So now it's 20 years of marriage and 5 kids later...wow! Today is his birthday and he's...older than 25! :) He's a wonderful husband and a great father and people love him. They love him because he's kind...to everyone...even, and especially those whom others are not kind too. He always has time to talk to people; friends, family, co-workers and strangers. There are homeless people that are on a first name basis with him...not because he's always given them money, but because he's always talked to them. It's a running joke in our family that the homeless and mentally ill are attracted to Kelly - and it's true. He's been approached by so many different people over the years that I know they can sense the kindness and sincerity in his spirit. He is honest to a fault (don't ask him how you look in something if you don't really want to know) and works harder than anyone I know. I don't think he always gets all the credit he deserves, but he's humble and just keeps on keepin' on. He does what he's supposed to, when he's supposed to and how he's supposed to. He's not perfect, (if you've read other posts you know that), but he's perfect for me. He's so much nicer to me than I am to him. He will do anything for me that I ask, including, but not limited to, getting up at 1am to get me socks for my cold feet, a drink of water, Tylenol or a barfing kid. He'll do anything for our kids; pick them up late from movies, get up early to take them to basketball, make a midnight run to a.m./p.m. for nachos and soda...you get the picture? He'll do almost anything to help anyone, and yes, I have occasionally had to put my foot down- but that's who he is. The only times he's not nice is if you mess with me, then heaven help you!
What a blessing for parents to have a son like that. I hope our kids will follow his example of service and Christ-like love for others. Now that I have known him for almost a quarter of a century, I can honestly say I am the luckiest girl in the world. Love that guy!! Happy Birthday!
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