What makes me love my Valentine

Seeing as tomorrow is the Day of Love, Valentine's Day, and my favorite holiday of the whole year, I thought it might be nice to post a bit about my husband and the top... how ever many things I think of off the top of my head that are my favorites about him.


His smile. His eyes. His red hair. His perfect nose. His freckles. His neck. His shoulders. The way he holds my hand. The way he keeps my feet on the ground when my head's in the clouds. The way he taps his feet when he's pretending to be a little boy. The way he sleepily tucks me into his lap to be his little spoon. The way he lays his head on my chest after a hard day. The way he leads me to church even if I don't feel like going. The way he asks about my day. The way he prays. The way he leads us into the Word of God every evening.

That he carries a knife. His love for watches. His style and awesome fashion sense. That he's tall enough to tuck me right underneath his chin when he hugs me. His hugs. His kisses. His pillowy lips. His love for puppies. His love for babies. His love for any living thing. His gentle heart. His strong mind. His brilliance. How smart he is. How good of a cook he is.

How he takes care of my fibro. How he takes care of me when I have a bad migraine. How he spoils me and surprises me. How I still get butterflies every time he comes home from work. That he gets his haircut at an old-fashioned barber shop. His vintage style tattoos. How caught up he gets in my smile. How he plays with my hair. How he holds my face when he kisses me. How unashamedly he brings up Jesus to anyone we meet. How he shares his faith so uninhibitedly. How much He wants to obey and be like the Lord. How much he loves my parents. How much he loves Pennsylvania. How easy he is to trust. How faithful he is. How selfless he is. How thoughtful he is. How creative he is. How he makes me feel even more excited about the things I'm passionate about. His love for WWII.

How he can sound like the seagulls from Finding Nemo perfectly. His Russian accent. His British accent. His Mexican accent. His redneck accent. His natural surfer accent that is so. damn. sexy. That he was a semi-pro surfer. That he has a knack for shaping surfboards. That he can talk to anybody no matter what; he's so friendly. The way he looks in a wetsuit. The way he gets when he talks about surfing, surfboards, wetsuits, the ocean, anything. How he attaches himself to things quickly. // See entrepreneurship of cigars, beer, dress suits, watches, and I suspect many other things.

How he gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, always. How he challenges my faith and demands me to face the truth. How he calls me out with my diet and exercise. How he looks when he sleeps. How he twitches in his sleep. How he's always there to hold me when I wake up from a bad dream. How he's always thinking of me and going out of his way for me, even when I don't see it.

The way he wraps gifts. The cards he picks out to show me his love. The way he does the dishes without me even asking sometimes. How he tips generously whenever we go out to eat. How giving he is. How effing hard working he is. His honesty. His desire to be a blessing wherever we go. The way he drives so safely. How he always makes sure I have my seatbelt on.


The way he always knows what I want to drink when we go to Bogart's or Starbucks. How he protects me. How he protects me from myself. How he'll watch chick flicks with me. How he'll take a quick shower in the morning so I can have a hot one. When he sings to me. How he calls me his Lynn, or Little Lynn, or Cara Lynn. His love for my middle name. The he's an HP nerd just like me. Also Star Wars. That he encourages my love for Hello Kitty. and High School Musical.

And tens of thousands of other things about Dan that cause me to still have a huge crush on him after (almost) 2 years of being together; things that make me do a double-take, or catch my breath, or that stop my heart right in its tracks. I married up, that's for sure, and I'm so glad I pushed through all of the pain and heartache some of my ex-boyfriends brought into my life so that I could meet Dan. Everything that has ever led me to you, Valentine, was worth it. And everything that brings me back to your warm, safe embrace are the only things I want to experience. You are my true love and you make me who I'm supposed to be in this world. I love you with all of me.