Of course it was probably the gloomiest day of the year: constant rain, overcast skies, totally absence of sunshine- but it didn't really matter:
It's my baby's birthday.
Because of the weather conditions and the fact that we spent six hours in the car yesterday driving to and from the funeral of Kelly's great grandmother, Kel decided that we'd take a raincheck on full birthday celebration. That's one of the blessings we've had in our relationship: the ability to take a holiday mulligan to make it more conducive to our lifestyle.
Regardless, we've had the chance to spend some quality time in conversation together and it reaffirms how wonderful my wife is. There are numerous reasons to back this up: she's intelligent, hard working, a dedicated mother, and a phenomenal woman of God. But on this, her 29th birthday, I'm going to bring up a reason that could supersede them all:
She loves sports.
I never knew how critical this trait would be when looking for a spouse. I've even gotten her to take a walk on the wild side and venture into the realm of football, a sport she swore she'd never like. Just the other day I was watching ESPN and they were doing an interview with NY Giants RB Tiki Barber. Kelly makes the statement, "He and his twin brother have the friendliest smiles." I paused and stared at her, impressed that she knew that Tiki had a twin brother, Ronde, who plays for Tampa Bay. "I can't believe you know that," I responded, amazed at my wife's sports knowledge.
Then she then admitted, "Yeah, I saw them one time on Martha Stewart's show."
I had to laugh but then realized that if the Barber brothers were dumb enough to go on Martha's show, I should laugh at them and applaud my wife's skills to recognize the guys.
Kelly, you're incredible. Being married to you is the best deal I've ever made. Thanks for putting up with me. Thanks for showing interest in my interests. Thanks for being a great example for our daughter. Thanks for being my friend.
Love you.