That Goofy Redheaded Guy?

(The Hubby circa 1984)

In the middle of my courtship with the Hubby, he was given the opportunity to return to Taiwan as the first BYU student to study in an intensive Chinese program at a university in Taipei. Heartbroken, I said goodbye to him - wondering what the future held for us.

Within three months of his departure, an opportunity arose through my job that would allow me to fly to Taiwan for Thanksgiving at an extremely low price. I made the crucial decision to take the trip, then called to inform my family. A well intentioned loved one (protect the innocent, blah, blah, blah - you know who you are) after hearing my news, exclaimed, "That goofy redheaded guy?"

Let me just state for the record, that going to Taiwan to see that goofy redheaded guy was THE single decision that changed my life forever.

My well intentioned family member's assertions were not incorrect. The Hubby is goofy. It is one of the things that endears him to everyone he meets. He makes people laugh. He makes people happy. He makes people feel good about themselves. I cannot think of one day in our marriage where he hasn't made me laugh. The Hubby is also redheaded. I love that he has red hair. I hate that none of our kids have red hair. The RedDog did, and there is still a hint - so we'll hold out on puberty and see what happens.

But here are a few things that my family and I didn't know about the Hubby at the time of my trip to Taiwan. The Hubby is brilliant. I mean like, really, truly quite smart. He's the officianado on pretty much anything unfamiliar to me and the kids. He always got good grades in school. He learns things really quickly. He just knows good stuff. The Hubby is handy. He has built, fixed, painted, caulked, improved and remodeled more than I care to mention in our 12 1/2 years of marriage, and mostly at my request - without complaining. The Hubby is athletic. Ignore previous comments on this blog about broken noses from basketball. He really is a sporty guy who can beat me in just about every sport known to man. (I still have skiing.) He is competitive, but not at the risk of having fun. The Hubby is great with money. He is the financial brainpower behind our marriage. He is a budgeter and a saver. We are able to live in a great home because of his financial know how. And now he's passing that knowledge onto our kiddoes. The Hubby loves to do things for others. I think this may just be the thing that brings him the most joy. He always trys to help other people, but doesn't want the praise for doing it. The Hubby is an amazing father. He knew what to do with a baby when I was clueless. He is still the apple of his children's eyes and they would rather hang out and have fun with there dad than just about anything else.

There is more, of course, but this post is long and my time is short. This man I call Hubby has made my life and I am so grateful every day to be married to him. Happy Birthday Goofy Redheded Guy!