August 15th was Parker's birthday. We really didn't do much, we were in Burley for the 2nd week in a row to celebrate the fair. But I did take the time to make him a "Lemon Zest" cake, which he took to work and shared with the HR department. He even took a piece over to the pastry chef at the casino (the same chef who has won "death by chocolate" for like 4 years in a row) and gave him a taste. Parker tells me he liked it.
With all of the craziness of the fair going on, we really never had the time to actually throw a party for Parker. But I did manage to order a few movies for him from Walmart.com. These are movies that we both love, always quote or talk about, and seem to think we already had....but didn't. Space Jam, Newsies, and Better Off Dead.
Parker's 32nd birthday has got me thinking a bit. He was 22 when we met, and when we got married. It's been 10 years. A lot has changed since then. The biggest change, of course, has been the 3 children that now live with us. They consume so much of my time and energy, that I'm sure there are days when he feels like I'm nothing more than the crazy lady who does his laundry and asks him to do a million things every day. But it's not true. The hours when I'm home and he's not, my heart aches for him to be here. He's the only other adult living in this house, and after my days and evenings of speaking "child" I love being able to just have an adult conversation with him. He's the one that I want to tell about my highs and lows each day. And he's the one who makes me laugh.
I know he doesn't think these things are that big of a deal, but he has fixed quite a few things this summer. Starting with my car. Every time something breaks down, I go through this mental stressed-out crazy-spell. I think, and worry, and lose sleep over these things. After he fixed my car, he fixed the AC in his car (only a week later). Both of these things, I was worried we would have to pay a mechanic to fix, but he was able to do it. Next he fixed the lawn mower (even though....the time has come that it needs fixing again, I have no doubt he'll be able to do it), and then just yesterday I noticed the AC in our house wasn't working right. Our power bill last month was ridiculously high, and I thought it was a bit odd, but it was also a peak summer month and rates always go up. I paid the bill and didn't think much more about it. But yesterday, I noticed it was 76 in the house all day, and the AC was running ALL DAY, and the temperature never seemed to go down. Then, when I put my hand over the vent, I realized there was hardly any air blowing. I laid in bed that night and tossed and turned just worrying about how long our house could handle this before we had to call somebody to fix it. I started making mental lists of who I could call (Terry's heating and air-conditioning, Brizee, etc) and wondering how soon before they could make it out here. And then how much was it going to cost. I made a mental note to quit using the oven and keep the ceiling fan on all day to keep the temperature down. Parker was gone hunting when I discovered the problem. But the following afternoon, he arrived home with a new filter, and the first thing he did was go outside and clean the leaves, weeds, and grime from the blower out there. Such a simple fix, but it never crossed my mind. And even though, I'm sure in his mind it was just common sense, and completely easy.....it's moments like these when I am so grateful to have a husband. My worries washed away in one swift moment when I realized he'd solved the problem....AGAIN.....without a phone call.
So many things seem to just come naturally to him. He has an understanding of how things work, and an in-born ability to figure things out that is so completely foreign to me. He works hard at a job doing things I could NEVER do. He takes criticism on a regular basis (which I have never handled well) and makes himself better for it. He loves to have fun, and spend time outside. One of my favorite memories this summer was our day-trip to the south hills, which was nothing more than our little family spending the day outside.
One thing about my husband that brings me so much joy is watching him spend time with his children. Parker is a great dad, and has a very tender place in his heart for the relationship that he shares with his own father. I never mind that he's not helping me with house chores when he's playing with the kids. He teaches and plays at the same time, and the kids really do love him. I've especially seen it in little Garrett. He wants daddy to hold him EVERY time he walks through the door. And if daddy walks outside without him.....TEARS! Caleb loves to do things with daddy, like shooting bows, or golfing, or just working in the garage. Angie likes to sit on daddy's lap and listen to him tell her she's beautiful. And Garrett just loves when daddy's around. He crawls to the laundry room every time he hears that garage door open.
It brings me so much peace to know that he's here to watch over us, but also that he loves me unconditionally. Over the past 10 years, there have been moments when I've lost it, and I've sad some hurtful things to my husband. And even when he has hurt me, the question that NEVER crosses my mind is if he still loves me. It's because of that, that we have been able to heal the hurts, and overcome our differences to become closer. I love his smile, and his loud and obnoxious laugh. I love that he'll listen, even when he's sick of me talking. This year marks the point when I've spent 1/3 of my life with my husband. And even though the years I count with him are not a majority yet.....they are by far the best. I'm grateful for a righteous priesthood holder to be my husband. And for the love that we share as a family each day. I love him more every day.
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