Reason 96...

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this one. a lot of the time I feel like I don't give my wife a lot of time. Sure, I don't have many friends other than my brothers and a couple guys I grew up with, and I rarely go out without her but I still feel like I neglect her sometimes.

But maybe that's just it. We're a unit. We work as one. Maybe it feels like I neglect her because we're always together but rarely alone. Perhaps she means that I make the time to do stuff for her. But I could do more.

As simple as this reason was it might the one I'm most unsure about. Maybe I'll revisit this one in the future. Or maybe I'll try to make more time for her this year.

Reason 147...

Hey-o! Sexy man! Somehow, in some parallel reality, my wife thinks I'm sexy. That's pretty awesome if you ask me. I've already said what I can about passion in marriage. So I won't go on line a broken record, but I will say this: my wife is sexy!

Sometimes I just grab a hold of her like, as she says, a caveman. I can't help it, she's beautiful, she's the mother of my children and she still lights my fire. And I love her because of that!

Reason 138...

I'm an Electrical Engineer. To anyone with that degree, it just means we're basically electrical math majors. All of our EE classes were essentially higher order math sessions. Shit was rough.

It gave me a heightened awareness of how integral (pun not intended...ok, yes it was) math is in every day life. Nothing happens or gets done without math. Nothing. And I try to instill that value into our seven year old because we need American engineers who are experts in their fields. And at a minumum, she needs to understand the importance of math and how it makes our world go 'round. That unique perspective is invaluable.

Now, I'm not the only one who does the math. My wife, although not the greatest mathematician, still gets the homework done. I love that about her. She tries her hardest to teach our daughter everything she needs to know and goes way above and beyond to do so. She's her biggest advocate and that's incredibly important in her life.

Reason 152...

October 26th, 2014

Interesting or nerdy? Either way, I'm glad she loves it! When we watch Jeopardy three of four times a week my wife always tells me that I should go on and win us some money. I insist I'm not that smart.  But one thing I have made a point in my life is to know at least a little bit about a lot, and know everything about a few. Apparently that makes me interesting.

I love that she finds me interesting and not derogatory-ily nerdy. Even though she does think I'm a nerd at times and glosses over when I talk about motorcycle mechanics or the finer points of Arduino programming. At least she can brush that aside and think I'm interesting.

And I also love that she's had different life experiences as me. I think that makes her unique. And I love her for it.

Reason 18...

I'm pretty weird. If I'm not whistling, I'm singing what I'm thinking about. Or maybe dancing...or grabbing at my wife trying to get a laugh out of her. I'm always talking to my daughter and singing things to her. I love that my wife tolerates it, however she does it.

I also think that puts her at ease. She's able to just be herself. If she wants to act weird or do a little dance or anything...I don't judge or think she's weird. I love her for who she is and I'd never want to make her feel like she couldn't do what makes her comfortable. I'm glad she wrote this one because it's important for her to be her.

Reason 43

I make it a point to give my wife a kiss and tell her I live her every morning before I leave for work. Some families I know don't say I love you very often. But when I was growing up and to this day, my family always says it.

I think it's one of the things that keeps us so close. Everyone knows that they're loved by everyone else. It's not some unspoken truth.

So I keep it that way in my own family.  I tell my wife, my daughter and my son I love them all the time.

And they say it back.

Reason 13...

October 23rd, 2014

I think for a time there my wife thought we might not get married. She moved to Texas to be with me and after a year we moved back to Pittsburgh. At that point it was about three years into our relationship. She says she knew I was the one she wanted to marry from the beginning but maybe she didn't think it would happen. After all, something she felt so strongly about hadn't happened after three years! But it did. After we bought our house and got all moved in, I decided on a whim almost to buy her ring. And I proposed to her under some trees in our side yard. She said yes.

And I loved that. She said yes.

Reason 19...

October 22nd, 2014

Before we re-met, my wife wasn't in the best of circumstances. She was a single mother living in a not so nice part of town. And, in my opinion, wasn't very full of self esteem. I go out of my way to make sure her sails are full when she wants to do something. Sure, I'm a grump at times, and maybe I don't always encourage enough, but I try my hardest to get her where she wants to be.

I love her for doing the same for me. She encourages me to do things that I love to do and let's me know I'm a good father...which may be all the encouragement I need.

Reason 230...

Not sure if insult...-_-

 

I'm stubborn. No denying it. And I'm damn lucky to have a wife that doesn't mind that much. She's stubborn too but she also has a lot of trust in me. At times that can be overwhelming. I'm at the helm of a family ship and where I steer it is where it goes, for better or for worse. Just like marriage.

 

Her trust, though overwhelming at times, allows me to be the head of the household (I wouldn't dare suggest that she's submissive...she is not) and see my family to success financially (haha) and spiritually. And I love her for that. I love her for her unwavering trust in me. I can't imagine a bigger statement of love.

 

 

Reason 20...

Hey, what can I say! I do love kissing my wife and she sure knows it!

Passion is a very important part of any relationship but especially important to a long lasting marriage. And I love her passion for our marriage, me and our children.

Reason 167...

This is a good one. I learned this from my dad when I was a little kid. After church he would always make up lyrics to the church hymns that we had listened to during mass that that day. Funny enough, they were always inappropriate lyrics and he would always stop halfway through and say oh no no we can't do this. Needless to say, I do the same thing when I'm walking around the house on a Sunday or after church just like my dad. And it always makes my wife laugh.

The moral of the story here is, even when something may be inappropriate she is still laughing at me...or maybe with me. And that's what I love about her, she thinks I'm funny. I always tell her that I'm the funniest person that she's ever met and frankly I think that's the truth...although she never actually said that.

Reason 154...

(October 18th, 2014)

When we were first dating, our relationship was loooong distance. My wife was in my hometown Pittsburgh and I was in Houston. For Valentines Day (or maybe my birthday) she sent me a card that had a whole bunch of glitter hearts in it and a bunch of laminated pieces of paper that she had kissed with lipstick on. The idea is obvious...she was sending me kisses that I could keep. And I did. That was in 2010 and I still keep one of those kisses in my wallet at all times.

She goes above and beyond in this relationship. I'm sure that took some time and this 365 Reasons project blows my mind too. She puts a personal touch on our love...and that's what I love about her.

Reason 143...

I'm attractive? Hardly...but maybe she thinks so. And that's pretty awesome. Physical attraction is an important part of a long healthy marriage, or so I believe. There has to be a certain fire in the relationship and thankfully we have that.

And I love that about my wife. Her passion for our marriage and our relationship.

Reason 11...

I think my wife was struggling in the beginning when she first started this list. I still don't know how she did it, to be honest. Not just the fact that there are 365 things she loves about me, but that she had the patience to do it, to write them all down then cut them out then fold them. She amazes me sometimes.

My eyes aren't special. I'm pretty certain of that. But if she says so, then I believe her.

What's important here is that she accepts all of my physical flaws...and trust me there are many of them. And that's why I love her. She loves me for who I am, regardless of my less than attractive attributes. I think that's important. It is to me at least.

Reason 161...

I don't know about this one. I struggle sometimes with being a grumpy ass. Especially right after I get home from work or when I'm tired at night...or hangry. This morning I told her I didn't want the cinnamon bun she made for our daughter and me because she wrapped it in tin foil and all the icing came off (she also made me coffee and lunch). Who says stuff like that? A spoiled 5 year old brat, that's who (I took it though cause I instantly felt bad as soon as I said it...it was delicious).

I don't treat her like I should all the time, and I guess that goes both ways. But in the end, that's sort of what marriage is. Give and take. She IS my queen, my bride and my best friend and she does deserve to be treated more like royalty. Especially when she has a baby hanging off her bosom 8 or ten times a day like a human bottle.

And perhaps that's what I love about her. That she deserves to be treated like royalty.

Reason 162...

I like to think I take after my Dad. He was and still is always playing with the kids. My friends always liked it when he was around. And when he was younger, the neighborhood kids in the apartment complex he lived in with my mother and older brother would ask for HIM to come out and play.

This type of thing doesn't happen without a strong woman. A man doesn't get to play and be a weirdo with his kids if the woman isn't holding things down. Homework, breakfast, dinner, cleaning, laundry (haha)...that all has to be done or else the men can't play. And my wife takes care of those things. So I get to play. And I don't think there's anything more fulfilling than chasing kids around the yard or piling them in the lawn tractor pull cart for improvised tractor rides. Kids need to see adults play and have fun. They need to know that life should be fun and that even adults, all seriousness and discipline aside, can still make funny faces, sing and run around aimlessly having fun. She makes that possible.

Reason 23...

(October 13th, 2014)

When we first met, my wife didn't know how to drive a car. A year later she (and our daughter) moved 1400 miles away from home to live with me in Texas. She had to drive. No way around it. So I made sure that I bought a car that would be easy for her to drive and taught her how to do it. It was rough, but she got through it. And because of that, she really was able to take care of things. Our daughter, the house, the errands...she does everything (about 75% of the time :)

That's what I love about her. She's a stay at home mom, but she gets shit done. Her independence makes my life easier and we're a better team because of it.

She wrecked that car though, totaled it. I loved that car.

Reason 170...

We met in grade school. She had a crush on me throughout and never told me. After leaving St. E's we went to different high schools and never saw each other again...until Facebook,  about 10 years later.

Much had changed since then. She had a child, and I was living in Houston working for NASA.  But she still had a crush on me...and I had one on her.

I love her for thinking of me, without delving too deeply in rationality,  as that boy in grade school who she has a crush on. Otherwise, our love may have never blossomed into a marriage and our son. And I might have never met my (step) daughter, who I love as if she were my very own princess.

Reason 155...

Capturing a bee in this photo was pretty ironic. Bees are usually a skittish insect, flying into your life for a fleeting moment and wandering back out.

I love you for allowing me to walk into your life and your daughter's life. What started as a flirty conversation quickly blossomed...and I didn't expect it either.

Reasons

This is my wife's gift to me on our first anniversary...the paper anniversary. 365 Reasons Why I <3 You.