10 Years

LOVE...

MARRIAGE...

(Los Angeles Temple, 1998)

BABY CARRIAGE. (Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, 2006)

We celebrated our 10th anniversary on August 14. It was a low-key dinner out in August because the REAL celebrating started Friday when we arrived on the big island of Hawaii!

In honor of our decade of adventures together, I'm posting 10 things I love about D that have made our ride together a thrill. And to quote Bill Parrish in Meet Joe Black, "My, how they go by in a blink."

(Engagement photo, Leo Corillo Beach, CA, 1998)

1. He's fearless. Not in the "I'll jump out of a plane if you dare me to" kind of way. Rather, give him any challenge and he'll rise to the occasion (that's how he ended up on the BYU cheer squad with no previous experience). He worked full time during his undergrad years with a software company that had him traveling to Europe - he convinced professors to reschedule tests for him because of the out-of-classroom experience he was gaining during his travels.

2. Traveling is a passion we both share. He loves the adventure of landing in a new place and figuring out how to get around (I just try to keep up with him on our trips!). He is a master traveler now because of it. We've visited 9 foreign countries together and he's been to many others by himself on business.

(Paris in front of Notre Dame, 2001)

3. He loves to learn new things - no matter what the topic. Like art, for example. I've always loved it and he's grabbed on to it since we got married. He even knows the big names to look for when he's at a prestigious museum. We were in Spain doing research for my master's thesis and we didn't have time to hit the Prado and pick up copies we had ordered from the library. So he told me to head to the museum and he'd meet me with the copies at "Las Meninas" (the masterpiece by Velazquez he had already seen on his last visit to Madrid). I smiled with pride for my supportive husband.

4. He's a foodie. With all of his travels, he made a commitment to try any food in any place at least once. He's got a "mature palette" as one of our food-snob friends said. He's a much better cook than I and he never uses a recipe.

5. He can talk to anyone (comes in handy during the travels). He's not afraid to strike up a conversation and he's interested in most topics. We were at an extended family function for my side of the fam and he was at a table with my great-uncle and his sons who are all beekeepers. D knows nothing about beekeeping but asked them about the sale of honey and if bees or honey are traded in futures on the stock market like other livestock commodities. The fellas got into a lengthy conversation about the production and sale of honey and D came away with a new interest in bees (btw, bees are not traded in futures).

(Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2006)

6. He's a model father. Little S could not be luckier. She adores him - he is definately her favorite parent. The other day she told me, "I'm saving these stickers for my best friend, Daddy." She and he are SO alike it makes me laugh every day.

(Near Palmares, Costa Rica, 2007)

7. He's a genius at TANGRAMS. You know, those shape outlines that they give you triangle and square puzzle pieces to make up the outline? Well, I'm not exaggerating when I say he's genius level. His brother gave him the tangram portion of the IQ test and was amazed at the few seconds it usually takes D to figure out the puzzle. This equates into his uncanny ability to pack a trunk or moving truck in the most spatially efficient manner.

8. He's a great listener. Friends have always come to him for advice on marriage, college majors, graduate school, etc. He's no expert on any of these topics, but his friends know he's logical and great at helping one weigh the pros and cons of the decision before them. He never forces his ideas on them, just helps people figure out what they really want to do.

9. He's got great hair. As we get older and so many of our friends are losing it, I'm proud of his thick dark hair (if only our kids could be so lucky).

10. He's my best friend.