Happy Birthday Jennifer!!!

For my thirtieth B-day Jennifer blogged thirty things she liked about me (which made my head swell thirty percent bigger.)

I would like to return the favor by jotting down a few (30) of the many things I enjoy about my Booey Woo.

1) I like that she calls everyone she deeply loves a Booey Woo. At first I struggled to understand why she called me the same thing as her dog but like her school kids I soon learned that there was no higher or loved filled praise than to be called Booey Woo (except perhaps Booey Wooey Woo).

2). Her enthusiasm and energy for the world around her is infectious. When I debated becoming a wifeless hobo or marrying my smoking hot southern belle, some of the most convincing evidence that we would be great together was the time we spent talking in the Galley Cafeteria while I mooched off her dad's meal plan (thanks Jim) and shared our thoughts, jokes, gossip, dreams, & opinions (it's still my favorite thing to do).

3) I've read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", Jen hasn't but she didn't need to, to know that a true friend doesn't just ask questions but cares about the answers. I watched Jen interrogate her friends extracting their likes, dislikes, romantic turmoils, etc. As easily as cracking a walnut. They (and I include myself) found themselves telling her things they didn't talk about with anyone else and the reason we did is because we could feel how much she cared and how important we were to her.

4) I've never really watched a movie until I've discussed it with Jen.

5) Jen is a visualizer. One of my favorite of her laughs is when I tell a joke and she laughs and then is quiet for a moment while she really visualizes the humorous image and then bursts into a wild, unfiltered, crazy pure laugh.

6) She is totally supportive of my education & career goals. With only one semester left of a very long bachelor program I told her I wanted to go to 3+ more years of school. Her only real regret (of which she frequently reminds me) is that I didn't learn how to be a masseuse. (My regret is that she never worked at Great Harvest Bread Co., although the Smoothie King is a good runner up.)

7). Jen loves stories. She has to be careful with a book series or tv series because it will consume her until it is finished. She takes her time reading books fully visualizing the story. She will often help me to love a character that I hadn’t formerly paid as much attention to (Ron Weasley, Ross Geller, Eric Forman). I inevitably love them more after I have seen them through her eyes. She gets so anxious for her characters that I have often found her with several fingers stuck in various stages of the book as she reads ahead to make sure they are okay.

8). There is a special light in Jen that draws her to happy things. She loves christmas & christmas songs, she loves comedies. She loves having innocent fun whether its reading grade-school books or Mmm-bopping with the Hansen brothers.

9). Although she doesn't believe it she is a fantastic mom. Scarlett and her will smile as they stare at each other and make identical sounds that pass right through high pitched and go beyond the capability of the human ear. No matter how much Scarlett loves her Daddy she never laughs harder or smiles bigger for anyone more than her mom.

10) Jen loves to organize/purge--it's something we really enjoy (which is good because it doesn't ever really end). There is nothing quite as satisfying as going through a closet or room and throwing away/donating a bunch of now unnecessary stuff.

11) Jen loves to game. Don't let her sweet exterior fool you. She has a competitive edge--she will not hesitate to bring out her Darwinian strategy & crush you--although she is very polite about it (In Catan that is, don't play Monopoly with her.)

12) Jen is a truth seeker. She is always open to logic & reason. She will consider your argument even if it directly conflicts with her own; if it makes sense she won't let her ego stand in the way. I'm not explaining it well but it's one of my favorite things. (Also, if your argument is weak sauce you won’t be changing anybody’s mind; she knows how to stick to her guns.)

13). On that same note Jen has this funny way of deciding she doesn't like something until she tries it. I just remind myself of the childhood story her Grandparents told me, about how firmly set she was against eating fried steak, rice & gravy until they got her to try it & it became the requested main course every time she was at grandma's, every night she was at grandmas.

14) I love that Jen supports me in my creative ambitions i.e. she continues to support my cooking of all the recipes in my Betty Crocker cookbook even though she finds my strategy flawed because when you cook all the recipes you can't be choosy, you have to cook the gross ones too (I look for ways to serve the ones she doesn't like elsewhere, so . . . sorry about the weird potluck dishes.)

15) If you really get to know Jen it doesn't take too long to realize that although Jen is most often sweet she can also be spicy--personally I wouldn't have it any other way.

16) Jen is incredibly brave. She had a hard pregnancy. In addition to the usual challenges we found out first hand about ones we hadn't even heard of--culminating of course in a scary delivery. Through it all Jen was a trooper and an all-star.

17) Family is important to Jen, of course it is more difficult since we live far away but Jen makes the effort, stays in touch, and loves doing it. Her thoughts are often with her extended family and mine. When I'm around I love listening to her tell her parents about Scarlett and me.

18) Jen is decisive. Whether its deciding on her top five movies or picking a quirky husband. My nature is to gather more data and conduct an exhaustive approach it's refreshing & breathtaking to see just how fast she can make a good decision.

19) Jen is wicked fast at math, Sudoku, cooking, cleaning, purging e-mail, cracking The Prestige, basically everything. It's not really an ego booster to have a spouse that's smarter than you but it does come in handy--especially for basic stuff like not letting me drive down the wrong side of the median.

20) The language of Jen's love is definitely Quality Time (or QT time for Beanie). Playing words with friends, Catan (as long as Jen is to my right), kayaking, riding dumb-and-dumber style on a moped, making christmas goodies, going to craft fairs (within reason),

21) QT continued: (Hey you might stop reading if I didn't break up this bullet.) standing in the book line for Harry Potter & reading it together, Gatlinburg, Disneyland, Disney World, cooking, talking to you outside the shower curtain, team diaper changing w/ Scarlett, watching movies, Hubble & Hudson gelato, regaling our experiences to friends & family.

22) Jen is always either a) supportive of or b) creating ideas for our improvement. Whether it's 30 minutes daily clutter control, packing the night before, or reading seven to heaven (reading scriptures together).

23) Changing for yourself is hard, changing for others is even harder. If Jen is doing something that she realizes I really don't like she will change. I think that is super sweet. Maintenant j’ai dit.

24) Quirks: Doesn’t like beans, raisins, shredded carrots. Loves crawfish et tu fe, strawberries on waffles, Crystal Burger, and french toast. Needs a moment to mentally & emotionally prepare before stepping on an escalator.

25) Jen sees things for what they are. She is realistic and pragmatic. She has a way of cutting through the fluff and calling a spade a spade. It’s a rare quality, one that would sometimes surprise her school kids and that I really enjoy.

26) I suppose you don’t want to hear me go on and on about Jen’s natural beauty and her sultry southern saunter. So let’s just say sometimes I feel bad for guys that aren’t as lucky as me.

27) Jen makes friends with super cool, awesome, interesting people, which is great for me because I can stand near them and laugh along. People that conduct lucrative business deals, landscape colorado, work in Shelley, Idaho, Shelly Idaho, etc. (and there are a lot of etceteras).

28) It wasn’t a surprise to find out that on those color/personality tests that Jen came out a deep blue. She is very caring. She cares deeply for the feelings and happiness of those she loves. As you can imagine little Miss Scarlett has a super mom who loves showing her the world. They laugh, dance, read stories. Scarlett knows she will get the best, most interested, and most excited reaction from her mom. I’m so excited to continue to explore life with both of them.

29) I love interacting with Jen whether it is witty banter, singing silly songs, or saying funny phrases that we have picked up in our many experiences together (“One shot would have done it.”).

29 1/2 Jen will mark places on the DVR to share funny or heart-warming moments with me from various shows. She loves to share with me. She is super sweet and gets teared up watching talk shows and reality tv.

30) For whatever unfathomable reason, Jennifer has a rock solid unwavering love for her husband. She has been through a lot with me. I've realized that not everyone has that and I do not take it for granted even though it may seem that way sometimes. Happy Birthday Booey Woo you are my one and only, I love you just the way you are. I hope you feel the same warm blanket of security, care, and love that you have always given me.