Happy Valentine's Day, Baby

No flowers, no candlelight dinner, no jewelry, and no candy…all she asked for was a handwritten letter from me for Valentine’s Day. I hope the content makes up for the fact I typed it all out…

Hottie, Baby, Gorgeous, My Angel, Beautiful, and sometimes Sherry,

I know that you asked for a handwritten letter for Valentine’s Day, but you know it would have taken me until Christmas to complete…not to mention wadding up & trashing reams of notebook paper. And you didn’t really tell me what you wanted me to write about…so I hope that you’ll be ok with a typed letter about all things that made me fall in love with you & keep me falling more in love with you every day of my life.

I love you for the way you love God. One of the first things that I fell in love with was goal of pleasing Christ in all you do. Despite the pain and agony it caused in the first few months while you searched God’s word and for His will…despite you “breaking up” with me once or twice…your love for God and unashamed passion for Christ is just one of the hundreds of reasons I love you.

I love you for the person you are. The more I got to know you in the beginning, the more I fell in love with the person you are. I love that you weren’t afraid to make the first move (seriously…Living Nativity 2003…fess up…you started it with a simple cup of hot chocolate). I love that you are sensitive & empathetic. I love that we can sit and cry together listening to a sad story and being thankful for the way we’ve been blessed. I love that you’re willing to approach a complete stranger and give them a ride simply because nobody should waiting for a bus after dark in sub-zero temperatures. I love the way only you can make me laugh...at times when I don’t want to but need to, and sometimes when you don’t even mean to. I love that you’re a hottie and you think that I am, too. I love the way your jeans fit…let’s just say they are “flattering” in case you’re mom is reading this. I love that you’re the eternal optimist and find the silver lining in EVERY situation, and I love you for using it to balance me out even though I give you a hard time about it. I love that you can find importance, contentment, and enjoyment in the simple things in life. I love that you’re the one person who is not afraid to confront me when I need to be confronted. I love you for the mother you are to Jacob and the mother you’ll be to any other children we have. It’s hard to imagine a woman who loves her child more. You make it easy for me to love you because of all that you are.

I love you for loving me more than anyone deserves to be loved and for loving my family as your own. Despite my past baggage, despite my downfalls, & despite my many faults…I never for a second have had to question or wonder about or doubt your love (except for when you broke up with once or twice J … JK). I cherish your unfailing love for me every minute of every day. I love that you love Christie & she loves you and that you’re willing to sacrifice so much to help maintain that relationship. I love that my mom would refer to you as the BEST thing that ever happened to me. And I love you for becoming and being a part of the Cole family…and all that comes with the territory.

I love you for supporting me & trusting my decisions 100% of the time regardless of how crazy I may seem and in spite of my own doubt. “Hey…I have a great idea. Let’s buy a 100 year old church filled with pulpits, pews, and pianos and make it our house. No, seriously…let’s walk out on a perfectly good house that’s not costing us anything to live in. What about plumbing and electricity? I’ve seen people do it…it only takes a half hour TV show to do the whole thing.” A full-price offer and 24 hours later…deal done!!! Career ideas, crazy inventions, spontaneous trips…How about we buy a pottery wheel? Offering thoughtful insight and helpful suggestions, but supporting & trusting 100%.

I love you for ALWAYS wanting to be with me. I love that we can spend every minute of every day together and have fun regardless of what we’re doing because we’re doing it together. A few of things that come to mind…our first “projects” in our first house (tiling the tables, making the headboard, replacing the outlets in the dark), figuring out the plumbing and electrical and framing and drywall in our new house, getting shot with the occasional nail gun, watching the Bolton trips every Monday evening for the first year, serving together at the Community Center and in the snow at the Living Nativity, reaching out to dozens of new young couples in our church…the list could go on forever. But I love that no matter what we’re doing, you’re content as long as we’re together. I love that we’ve never spent a night apart and that we’ve never NOT gone to bed together.

I love the memories we’ve made and the ones yet to make. Through the good times and the bad times, I love that you are there with me. “Sneaking” off to Florida for our first real vacation is a fond memory as is the walk from the elevator to the hotel room on our honeymoon night (you remember what I’m talking about…how awkward). The bird that got into our first house and the bats that get into our new one…memories that I love sharing with you. Losing our first baby shortly after mom’s passing…not fun times, but memories not soon forgotten and surely one that helped us to grow in our love for one another.

There are so many ways that I love you, so many memories we’ve made, and so many more thoughts that I could share. But it suffices to say that I think you’re more incredible today than when our crush first began five years ago…you continue to amaze me in everything you do and in every way…and you still give me butterflies in my belly and make me weak in the knees.
Hottie, Baby, Gorgeous, My Angel, & Beautiful…I don’t know what God has in store for us tomorrow, but I know my love for you grows with each day that he gives us. Thank you for being you and loving me.

I love you more today than I ever have before!!! Happy Valentine’s Day, Baby.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO