And Then I Stepped in Gum . . .

Things I Admire and/or Love About My Husband

You're not going to believe me, but I really didn't intend to start a fight with my last post. Really, truly. And I wasn't feeling nearly as pissy as it probably came off sounding. So to make up for it, I am posting a completely unsolicited, unexpected list of things that I admire and/or love about Dave.

Here goes, in no particular order:

* He's incredibly intelligent, and a little bit nerdy, but not in an obnoxious antisocial geek sort of way.

* He's an excellent teacher, and can get obscure points (about many things, but especially about physics and astronomy) across in ways that anyone can understand.

* He spends way too much time thinking about how to do things in a goofy yet brilliantly imaginative way. For example, I just went into our son's bedroom, and he has taken those little plastic glow-in-the-dark stars and put them on the wall in the shape of the constellation Orion. (Most people would have gone for the Big Dipper, but that's not nearly complex enough for Dave.) He has also put up little cardboard representations of the planets, not just in the correct order, but with appropriate spatial relationships (extra space between Mars and Jupiter, etc.). Another example from a couple of years ago was the cardboard box that he turned into a tiger cage for Katie's Little Tiger (stuffed toy). It was the most elaborate cardboard box I'd ever seen, complete with hinged door, "beware of tiger" signs, and Latin name plaque.

* He has a great sense of humor, and we enjoy being catty about other things/people with each other -- we can make each other laugh.

* He's really good about not procrastinating on work-type things, except for grading papers.

* When he takes the kids out in the back yard, he actually plays with them -- soccer, baseball, etc. -- which is better than I do.

* He is ever-optimistic in his as-yet-unsatisfied quest for the perfect Maryland-style crab cake outside of Maryland.

* He comes home from work and is willing to take over the kids when I've had enough of them, even though he doesn't get much of a break to switch gears, and he's appreciative of the fact that it's hard to be the one who stays home.

* He still thinks Letterman's funny after all these years.

* He is a musical genius. He doesn't get his guitar out at home all that often these days, but when he does, he plays beautifully. He can pick up almost any instrument and do something with it that sounds intentional. And he really enjoys it.

* He aspires to decorate our home in a Ross School, Asian-influenced style and actually believes it can be done, despite the giant plastic toys scattered throughout every single room.

* He gives great, extravagant, thoughtful presents on gift-giving occasions that I would never buy myself. He spends more on jewelry (not gemstone-type, but other types) than I ever would, but everything he's given me has become one of my favorite pieces.

* In grad school, he used to write notes and put them on my car whenever he saw it parked on campus when he was walking around. The thought of those notes still gives me warm fuzzies.

* He takes on more domestic tasks than many other men I know, from bathing the children to dishes to laundry (his, but still).

* When he dresses up, he looks like a gay Mafia accountant.

* While not particularly demonstrative, he shows his love for me and for the kids by hanging in there every day and just being there. I appreciate that with two young kids, things are a little tough right now, but he doesn't complain and does what he can to help things run smoothly.

So is that better, honey?

posted by Jennifer Morgan, at 10:35 AM