HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!!!!!!!

Joe's Birthday was last week...October 23rd. I was HOPING to make it super special for him, but was busy packing for Tennessee. If I were normal, I would have just thrown stuff into a suitcase and called it good. Packing for me this time meant cleaning out my closet (filling 4 trash bags with clothes for Deseret Industries), and cleaning the whole house top to bottom. I just can't leave a dirty house. Unfortunately for Joe, he's not coming until TOMORROW. Being the good husband that he is, though, he's home re-cleaning whatever he's dirtied since I left so that we can still come home to a clean house. That alone deserves a special birthday tribute, so here's to the many things I love about Joe!

1. He's a GREAT daddy! While it's true that sometimes his idea of "watching" Parker for me means getting up early so that I can sleep in only for me to be awakened by Parker's crying at my bedroom door while Joe is asleep on the couch, he really loves spending time with Parker. And Parker is SO GLAD when daddy comes home! 2. Joe will HONESTLY eat anything. This makes my job SO MUCH EASIER. Not only will he eat whatever I make him, he usually likes it. I can only think of ONE time so far in 3 1/2 years of marriage that something was so bad that he couldn't take more than a few bites. I knew it had to be REALLY bad for Joe not to eat it. Luckily I was in a good mood and laughed with him about it.
3. He loves to have a good time. He's also very willing to compromise for the benefit of others. He'll go along with ANYTHING if it's what everyone else wants to do. (He doesn't compromise his standards, however...) Joe is VERY easy-going...much less high-maintenance than I am (unfortunately for him)!

4. Joe is incredibly adventurous! He'll try ANYTHING if it sounds remotely fun (unlike me...I don't like trying new things unless I know I'll be good at them.) Joe's not afraid of laughing at himself and he's usually pretty good at whatever he tries! 5. Joe tries really hard to make everyone happy...especially me! I'm definitely the "fighter" in the relationship. Sometimes I just really want to fight, but it never works with Joe. I usually end up laughing instead!
6. Joe is very sentimental...more-so than I am! He really wanted to save hairs from Parker's first haircut...I thought a picture would suffice!
7. He loves his family! He's a great husband, father, son, brother, and uncle. Everyone needs an Uncle Joe! (Doesn't Luke look like Parker in this picture?)
8. Joe's great at planning for the future. I'm definitely the spender...he's the saver.

9. When we first started dating, I was still sort of hanging on to a former fling. My dad pointed out the night and day differences between Joe and this guy. He knew by how Joe treated me from the very beginning that I would always be a priority in Joe's life. Not so much with the other dude. How right he was! A girl in our student ward called Joe the "best kept secret in the ward." How right she was! I am so grateful EVERY DAY to be married to this cute, hard-working, fun, smart, amazing guy who puts up with the many faces of me and loves me anyway!

HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY, JOE! I LOVE YOU!