The LBDDiaries.com Blog

Last Sunday, Alpha Hubby and I were sitting at the kitchen counter on our 18th year anniversary. We were talking and listening to old country music on DirecTv (he’s a country music fan).  I recognized some songs because I used to waitress in a place that had one of the last juke boxes and people played it all the time. Otherwise I’m not much of a country music fan.

Or here, the link to the You Tube video – http://youtu.be/yWGDeBFLsf8 – right click, open in a separate window.

When this song came on, You’re My Best Friend, by Don Williams, I recognized it and said, “Oh, I remember this song.  I liked it.”

Alpha Hubby looked at me and said, “Well, you are my best friend.  And you know you gave me a reason to go on. You do the things he talks about in this song.  Come to think of it, women – wives – are a lot like God.”

I looked at him in shock because I had no idea where he was going with that statement and wondered if we were getting ready to be hit by lightening bolts from heaven.

He went on, “Think about it.  You are my protection, just like God.  You protect me even if it is from myself.  You are my shelter, just like God, and I can ‘run’ to you when I need to.  You are my inspiration, you inspire me, just like God. You are everything I need and you do everything for me to help me, take care of me, bring me joy, be there for me.  Just like God.”

I was speechless. I was so amazed he felt that way. Kinda gave me the shivers inside!

It is always something special to discover things about this man that I didn’t know. And to rejoice that those “things” don’t indicate he’s a hidden axe murderer deep inside. I guess if he was, I’d still love him, ’cause he sure loves me. I’d hide his axe, though.

It is such a wonder to realize that the more I know him, the more I learn about him. When we are 120 years old, I bet I’ll still be looking at him saying, “I didn’t know that about you! I am such a blessed woman.”

I think if more women would be “like God” with their men, the world would certainly be a better place. 

And lest you think this is a little one-sided, the Bible says a man is “to die” or “give his life” for his wife, as Jesus died for us. Yikes!

I’d rather be the shelter!

**********
You placed gold on my finger
You brought love like I’ve never known
You gave life to our children
And to me a reason to go on.

You’re my bread when I’m hungry
You’re my shelter from troubled winds
You’re my anchor in life’s ocean
But most of all you’re my best friend.

When I need hope and inspiration
You’re always strong when I’m tired and weak
I could search this whole world over
You’ll still be everything that I need.

You’re my bread when I’m hungry
You’re my shelter from troubled winds
You’re my anchor in life’s ocean
But most of all you’re my best friend.
(repeat)

This is one of my most favorite songs – and I’ve never even seen the movie Casablanca.  What most people don’t know is that the song was not written to start with “You must remember this” – there were actually three verses prior and “you must remember this” was part of the chorus. 

So when Ilsa told Sam to “Play it, Sam, play ‘As Time Goes By’”, the song sung by Dooley Wilson in Casablanca (and here) didn’t include those verses in the movie.  Probably time constraints.  It’s a shame, really, because it explained so much about the song.

This day and age we’re living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.

Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein’s theory.
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax, relieve the tension

And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed.

Even though this was written in 1931, those verses still fit today.  It really does still boil down to “the simple facts of life”… that they really “are such (that) they cannot be removed.”  Love and lovers.  Some things never change over time; they are fundamental.

You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by

It is those couples who retain those fundamentals, who remember what is important and what fundamentals really apply as time goes by, who will remain lovers their entire lives.  We really need those kisses.  We really need those *sighs* caught in between two lovers as they touch, ache, love.  We really need romance, passion, and the feelings that go along with the committment.  Without the fundamentals, love can wither.  Without love, there is nothing.

Kissing, sighing, loving are fundamental to an intimate relationship.  Romance is a fundamental.  Touch is fundamental.  The things of life are there (children, bills, jobs, friends, other family), but they should never interfere or interrupt those fundamentals of life between lovers.

And when two lovers woo
They still say I love you
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by

It is necessary to woo and keep wooing.  I love that word “woo”.  The original meaning was “to court a woman.”  Better is “To seek the affection of with intent to romance” which goes both ways.  Best are the synonyms – “to court, pursue, chase.”  Woo, court, pursue, chase – fundamentals to any relationship!

When a couple first meet, they woo, they court, they pursue, they chase.  A dance that leads to intimacy, to becoming a couple.  Now here is another fundamental:  KEEP IT UP.  My mom once said to me, “Just because you marry doesn’t mean to stop doing what it was that caught the attention in the first place.”

That is a fundamental I find myself working on all the time – keeping up the earlier fundamentals.  I have areas I haven’t done well in but he still woos me.  I need to be woo-worthy!  To be that woman he first married, only better now.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That, no one can deny

Although we work to keep jealousy and hate out of our life space, Alpha Hubby is everything to me.  I do need him (of course, he must have me to live!).   He saved me.  He helped me heal.  He gave me the sweetest dreams to replace the nightmares.   He pushed and prodded me into being confident enough to re-seek my best me.  Could I have found myself without him?  Sure.  But he made the journey shorter and sweeter, and gave me the one thing I’d never had before – a backup, support, a foundation to lean on, and the power of BELIEF.

It’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by

He believes in me.  He is fierce about it.  He had to be (and occasionally still has to) in order to convince me.  His belief is what gave me the ability to put the past behind me once and for all, and to seek to be a stronger, whole me.   To pursue my dreams whole-heartedly. 

There is power in knowing someone is there to catch me, prop me up then PUSH me back out there to go at it again.   To be surrounded in complete acceptance is a heady experience.  He has given me THE fairy tale.  He helped me kill the wicked witch then gave me the weapons to go stomp out those imps who would cause me to doubt myself.

A fairy tale ending.  We really did ride off into the sunset toward a better life together.  We live it.  Why?  Because we do not forget those fundamentals… as time goes by.

Oh man, I need to lighten up!

I kissed a frog.  And I liked it.

Heh heh heh.

So the other day I was minding my own business, folding towels and assorted things.  Suddenly I found a shirt that was stuck to one of the towels and pulled it off.

I thought it was Alpha Hubby’s gym shirt.  I then realized it was my shirt and it was a shirt that wasn’t supposed to go through the dryer.

“Well, crud,” I mumble.

“What?” asked AH from the other room.

“I just found a shirt that wasn’t supposed to go thru the dryer,” I reply.

“Well, what is it doing in the dryer then,” he asks, starting the male trek toward death.

“I must not have seen it when I put the clothes in the washer,” I reply.

“Well, if you had been more careful, it wouldn’t be in the dryer,” he tosses out, edging closer to death with each word.

I’m thinking, “What is the matter with this guy that he doesn’t value his life?”

He smirkingly continues, “I’m only trying to help.”

“I don’t need your help here.  There is no fixing this.  The shirt is shrunk,” stating the obvious.

“Bet you’ll be more careful next time, huh,” he says, laughing as he saunters down the hallway toward the bedroom.

*cricket cricket*

“You know,” I shout, “you’ll have to fall asleep sometime.”

*Snicker snicker*   “Yea right, babe, shaking in my boots here.”

“Grrrrrrrrr,”  a typical ending to most conversations a woman has married to an Alpha Male.

Because of Valentine’s Day, I got to thinking about the power of True Love.  It really isn’t magic but when you see it, it looks and feels like magic.  My parents were a perfect example of True Love.

Ordinary, no – really don’t think so
Not a love this true
Common destiny – we were meant to be
Me and you

They didn’t marry until 12 years after high school, but my mom says she fell in love with him the minute she saw him.  Dad used to joke that he ran for 12 years and finally gave up – but he would say it with a special secret smile they gave one another when he said that.  The pix below are years apart (hers in 1944; his in 1966).

They were romantic, often breaking out in dance when my brother and I were growing up.  I loved watching my dad’s face when they were slow dancing.  There was never a doubt in my mind they were a romantic, madly in love couple even after 55 years of marriage.  I thought all parents were like my parents.

Like a perfect scene – from a movie screen
We’re a dream come true
Suited perfectly – for eternity
Me and you

After both my parents died, I was going through their effects and discovered each had saved romantic cards they’d received from each other over the years.  What surprised me is that the best ones (and most) were given later in their marriage.  Their love truly did get better and stronger as time went by, as evidenced by the little notes they hand-wrote in the card.  I felt I was a peeping tom looking at something intimate.

Contrary to all the negativity out there in the world, many couples are forever couples (like my friends Pamela and Eric) and work very hard to keep the romance and intimacy protected in their relationships.  They learned the secret that while it takes work to protect that intimacy, it is well worth it. 

Some people even get married right out of high school (like my friend Steph and her hubby Mike) and years later, are still madly in love and creating a wonderful life together.

Or like my son and his wife LeighAnn – after 5 years, they were married in 2010 in Vegas by Elvis thankyouverymuch.  They have so much fun together.  They play.  They laugh.  They fit like a hand and glove!

Alpha Hubby and I made a solemn promise to one another right after we married.  We promised not to become roommates.  We promised to keep the honeymoon going.  We promised that we would not allow what we had to fade and become stale.

Sometimes we have to slap our own faces and remind ourselves to put the other first, to keep that intimacy going, but it truly does just keep getting better and better. 

Everyday I live – try my best to give
All I have to you
Thank the stars above – that we share this love
Me and you

Alpha Hubby is incredibly adept at romantic gestures.  He wants to stop and dance.  He loves dancing with me.  He is always giving of himself for and to me.  He has learned a language of love that blesses me to hear.  Even after almost 18 years of marriage, he is able to take my breath away by how he feels and what he says.

He truly loves me and everything he does is for me and for us. 

The power of True Love is not just romantic gestures like sending flowers.  It is constantly letting one another know “you are so loved.”  It is believing in one another.  It is getting caught bragging about each other.  It is speaking words of life, positive words, over one another rather than pointing out each other’s faults.  It is in seeing that person as valuable and precious to you.  It is in keeping promises.  It is in not taking each other for granted.  True Love is far too rare to waste.

Ordinary, no – really don’t think so
Just a precious few – ever make it last
Get as lucky as
Me and you

Life is about True Tove.  It means you put your love for one another first, putting yourselves ahead of everything else.  Then you arrange that everything else around that precious love.  Then that everything else will work out from that point.  Never put anything else first ahead of each other – not children, not careers, not hobbies, not others.  The only thing more important than your love for one another is your love for God. 

You must nurture True Love.  Learn that rule.  Then go forth and Enjoy It.  Enjoy it more than just on Valentine’s Day!!

Baby, a few white hairs later (altho why yours is in your beard and mine is all over my head…), a lot of laughs, fun, joy, happiness, and True Love:

Every day I need you even more
And the nighttime too
There’s no way I could ever let you go
Even if I wanted to

And trust me, I don’t.  Ever.

.
Others to check out:

http://www.nancygrayce.blogspot.com
http://www.highheeledlife.com
http://www.myinnerchick.com
http://www.bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com/
 http://www.thekeepingtime.blogspot.com/
http://www.wildchildmama.com 
http://www.cinfulcinnamon.com
http://www.classicnycstory.com
http://www.stardustsavannah.com
http://www.winsomebella.wordpress.com
http://www.gypsyroxylee.wordpress.com/
http://www.amysadventures.org
http://www.momentsofwhimsy.com

It’s kind of funny to feel like a very romantic couple, to post little tidbits of romance like you know what you’re talking about, to be held up as a standard by some, to be told “you guys help me know what real love is” – and then to have nothing to say during the “romance month” and Valentine’s Day!  It’s like (*horrors*) – I have no romance left in me!

Say it ain’t so, Joe!!

OK, it ain’t so.  I just can’t seem to find any words right now!  Well, there is a word – a cool word – a word they used to use in historical romances all the time to describe the hero.  Ennui (ahn-wee):

A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety

The kind of ennui that comes from having too much time on one’s
hands and too little will to find something productive to do

Synonyms: blahs, doldrums, boredom, listlessness, restlessness,
tedium, weariness

Oh no, I am not talking about my feelings for Alpha Hubby.  I am talking about trying to find things “romantic”.  Things romance-related.  To find something DIFFERENT  that is romantic.  You know, like all the magazines suggest, “Keep your sex life and the romance kindled and hot-hot-hot!”  Blah.

Those people don’t live in the boonies.  Living in the boonies means you can’t dress up and go to the opera.  You can’t take a carriage ride.  You can’t even find an up-scale restaurant right around the corner…

 …(you know, the kind with linen tablecloths and CLOTH napkins, real silver, candles, and waiters that DO NOT introduce themselves to you with a, “Hello, my name is Bubba and I’ll be your waiter tonight and since I’m working my way through college and really need the money I am going to interrupt you many, many times tonight to make sure you are satisfied and will leave a good tip.”). 

You get the picture.  We have no place to go unless we want to drive over an hour plus to get there… which sort of stifles the romance when you also have to drive back home late at night without a limo and chauffeur so you can mess around in the back seat.  The lack of choices produces an unbearable ennui sometimes.  It is so exhausting to search for different ways to be romantic.  It means you have to THINK. 

It is so bad that I asked Alpha Hubby last Saturday night, “What are we going to do for Valentine’s Day?” 

He says, “I don’t know.  It’s on a Tuesday which makes it kind of hard to do anything.  What do you have in mind?”

I say, ‘Nothing. I’m not sure I want to do anything.  I mean, I don’t want to waste any money right now because I want that master suite addition done more than anything.  I don’t want us to spend money on each other.”

He says, “Yeah, I know what you mean.  It would be nice to have that finished.”

Then I began thinking, “Oh my gosh is the romance dead here?  Have we finally lost the honeymoon period after 18 years?  Are we doooomed?”

He adds, “We could go to Rivertown BBQ if you want.  So-in-so at work said it was the best.  I would be glad to take you if you want to go.”

I reply, “I’ve been there.  It’s okay but it is just a joint not a romantic restaurant or anything.  I think I remember the BBQ being very good, though.”

He says, “Well, it’s just a thought.  I would be glad to take you anywhere you want to go.”

I say, “I can pick some BBQ up and bring it home so we can eat here, on our beautiful table (that he made me), with candles and such.”  (Altho truth tell I am thinking, “BBQ is not romance food.”

He says, “No, that’s work on you and not romantic.”

Silence ensures.

I say, “Well, fine then.  Then we’ll do the usual.  Just come home and we’ll share a glass, romantic music, candles, and have wild, hot sex.”

He says, “Works for me.”

And they say romance is dead!

. 

When I found you I was blessed
And I will never leave you, I need you

Chorus:
Imagine me without you
I’d be lost and so confused
I wouldn’t last a day, I’d be afraid
Without you there to see me through

Imagine me without you
Lord, you know it’s just impossible
Because of you, it’s all brand new
My life is now worthwhile
I can’t imagine me without you

Hello goils!  I’m baaaack.  Didja miss me?  I missed you… for awhile.

Today’s post will be quick, just a check-in to say ‘yes, I am alive’ and ‘yes, there were some incredible lessons and changes’.  In later posts, I’ll let you know the really good, the morbidly bad, and the monstrously ugly of unhooking from the internet.

I have to say that although I knew in my head that it would be good to take a month off from blogging and internet stuff, I was really not prepared for the application of it.  At. All.

This was sort of a blind test although I did have some knowledge based on the article by Christie Glascoe Crowder over at http://typeaparent.com/going-off-the-grid-planning-and-surviving-a-digital-sabbatical.html.  I honestly didn’t think it would make that much of a difference.

I was not prepared to discover the addiction I had actually developed, not only to blogging, posting, reading – but also to surfing, shopping, and researching.  And the withdrawal symptoms I had to go through?  Good grief.  And the agony of how much I failed in the first week.  Oh, OK, the first week and a half.  And how disgusted I became with myself.  And while I did not crawl into a corner to rock and whimper through withdrawals, t’was bad enough.

I was also not prepared for all the wonder, awe and blessing I discovered by doing this.  I re-learned the art of taking time to enjoy scents, sounds, textures, views, and heartbeats.  I listened to the wind shush through the trees, loving the icy sound.  I noticed the brilliant colors of a sunrise and soaked them in.  I rubbed the nap on my diva faux mink throw that I use when sitting in the living room, and really enjoyed the softness.  I realized that the sunsets sometimes look like the world is on fire (pix above from my front yard). 

It is like I became more aware of what was around me, not realizing at all that I’d forgotten how.  

Alpha Hubby was gone two weeks of the 4 ½ weeks of January.  I discovered that I missed the quiet sounds of him.  Tinkering in the kitchen before he goes to bed at night.  Breathing softly beside me in the dark.  The humming sound he makes when he reaches out and touches me as he sleeps.  The sqeech sound the floor makes when he slips out of the room in the morning.  I do not sleep well when he is gone.

I missed the scent of him.  Burying my nose in that special place under his ear, in the nape of his neck, to inhale his special fragrance mixed with his cologne.  The fresh air bouquet he brings inside when he comes in from working outside.  The faded cologne scent on his shirts and pillow kept me company.

I do not think I realized how much I hear him without realizing it.  And as much as I love smelling his nape, I took it for granted.  It had all gotten lost in the noise of life.

It isn’t necessarily the internet itself so much as how much it can suck life out of us.  It is like we stop taking time to realize what is going on around us because the internet world becomes more real than the real world.  There are precious things of value disappearing in the busy-ness of our life. 

I discovered a lot of that busy-ness is not necessarily necessary. 

Busy-ness causes you to miss your real life.

Is it just me or did 2011 just zip by?   I’m kinda of feeling like I missed something!  What do you think 2012 will bring to you?  It really is YOUR choice, you know.  It isn’t that we are magicians who can pull miracles out of a hat but we can bring about changes. 

We live self-fulfilling prophecies all the time through the words of our mouth.  Words like, ‘I always get sick this time of year” or “I am never going to get ahead in my life.”  “Money sure goes!  There will never be enough to pay all my bills.”   How about, “My kids are driving me crazy; they’re never going to do right” and “You’ll always be this way.” 

Worse are the “too’s”,  “I am never going to accomplish anything with my life because it’s too or I’m too  (fill in the blank).   Suggestions?  It’s too late.  I’m too old.  I”m too young.  I’m too broke.  It’s too hard.  Even worse?  I CAN’T.  And you would be absolutely 100% right.

I think that every year, no matter how many times we’ve been proven wrong, we actually dream of and believe that we just might be able to do better this time, this new year.  We harbor private hopes that things can change.  We want to believe that resolutions work or that this time, we will keep them.

We dream of a fresh start.

Well GOOD NEWS!  I’m here to tell you that it is NEVER, never, never, ever too late.  NEVER.  Each and every one of us can make changes to make our lives better.  Even the most negative of Grinch-y people can change.  No one is exempt.  Change is possible for every. single. person.  Amen.

Of course if you SAY, “I don’t believe that.  Forget it.  It won’t happen for me” – you are absolutely right here, too.  It won’t.  Believe it or not, being positive draws good things to you.  Being negative draws negative things to you.  

Dare to believe – to have hope and keep the flame of it burning bright.  Never give up on yourself.   Never stop dreaming BIG.  If you make up your mind that you WILL make changes and you WILL enjoy your best year ever, you WILL.  You will find little things in your life that can lead to big changes.  You will find yourself looking for the positive, looking forward, and changing your own attitude and, dare I say?  Destiny.

We really do live lives full of self-fulfilling prophecies, bad or good.  And these are the ONLY lives we get here on earth.  You’d think we’d take better care of ourselves!  Quit following others and their way of doing things.  Don’t listen to those who nay-say you or your deam.  Keep away from toxic relationships!  Make choices just for yourself.  Your life is exactly what you make of it.

On that note, I am going offline for the next month.  30 big ones.  Thirty days. Thurty long daze.  It’s all the fault of Christie Glascoe Crowder who posted an article over at Type-A Parent:

http://typeaparent.com/going-off-the-grid-planning-and-surviving-a-digital-sabbatical.html

She posted the article after she went “off the grid” for a month and is creating an e-book of her experiences in a few weeks (January sometime).  I can’t wait to read it. 

Similar to her points, my thought process is to establish, for that month the following:

No blogging (posting or reading) – I tremble as you read
No engaging in social sites (Twitter) – Ditto
No surfing the web (including shopping) – full blown panic attack

All my writing, note-taking, and ideas will be done by hand with pen in my paper notebooks (thank goodness that I have a huge pile of both). 

I unsubscribed from all my digital newsletters, RSS feeds, and blogs.  I will return to the blogs (had to write down their web addresses) but I don’t need the temptation popping up every time I check my bank account or pay a bill!

As Christie pointed out,  this time period is a “full system overhaul, starting from within.”   

I have a support system in my friend Steph from over at Momma’s Soapbox.  We both began working on our Aloha lives in 2010, (her link for Aloha) (mine is HERE)  and want to build on that this coming year in more specific and powerful ways.

So do I think this is going to be a breeze?  Oh ha.  Heck no.  I have the queasy’s inside.  I actually am very nervous about unplugging myself.  But I have to do this, for me. 

I have to plug back into my life and my “self”. 

And isn’t that a wonderful way to begin a New Year?  It’s all right!  Have a good time, cause it’s all right, oh, it’s all right!!

Miss me a little bit, OK??

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

~ Frank Outlaw

(Pardon my redux, slightly updated.  I pulled out [and revamped] a post from 2010.)

Okay. I know I chat a bit about Alpha Hubby.  Oh, OK, I chat a LOT.  And yes, in case you haven’t noticed, I am absolutely one hundred percent head-over-heels, over-the-moon wild about him.   There’s a reason.

Let me digress a bit.  Long before I met Alpha Hubby, loooooong before (what took you so long to find me, baby??), I’d done some studying, learning, changing, realizing what was important, what wasn’t, observing, growing, and growing up. 

I also did a lot of listening.  I used to listen to the women at work talk about their husbands.  I used to listen to women at Ladies Group (Bible study) talk about their hubands.  I used to listen to friends, store clerks, and near strangers talk about their husbands.

And when I say that what these women were not saying, “Oh, he is THE best man ev-ah!!”, I’m probably understating it.  I’d listen to women put their husbands down, talk about his faults, what irritates them about him, how he messed up (like they are so perfeft), everything he does wrong, and personal details that should never have been shared in public.  It was a total lack of respect and honor. 

I swore to myself that if I ever met a Knight In Shining Armor, I would make sure a day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t know I love him.  I would protect what we have together.  I would cherish him (even in the face of dirty laundry).  I would honor him.  I would respect  him.  I would never expose him to public scrutiny in a negative way.  No gossip, no “sharing” and, for sure, no bad-mouthing.  Ev-ah.  I made up my mind to do long this before I met him.

When you consider how long I waited for this KISA (12 years), I was certainly not going to waste any part of our life together.  Oh my gosh, I’d had enough drama in my life before I met him that I swore I would NEVER EVER live like that again.  And along comes this man who loves me!  He loves me!  He’s not afraid to show it.  I love him.  I’m not afraid to show it.  I like gagging people.  I love how he loves me!  And I absolutely refuse to allow one day to go by where he does not know how much I treasure his love.  I thank God for him.

We’ve been married 17 years, 9 months, 4 weeks today.  I only grow to love him more as each year passes.  He is my best friend and support.  He believes in me.  He is the first and only man to send me flowers.  He gives me everything I need.  And if it is within his power, he gives me everything I want and desire. 

Of course, I, in turn, do not want and desire things.  I want and desire him.  He is crazy about me!  And I can honestly say to you that not one time in 17 years, 9 months, 4 weeks have I ever bad-mouthed him to another person on this earth.  Ever.  Oh, I might have talked to myself but…

We work very hard to protect our marriage.  We do not speak badly about one another to others.  We hash out everything and even tho I’m sure he wants to pinch my head off sometimes, in 17 years, 9 months, 4 weeks, I think we only went to bed mad at one another one time – sometime 16 years ago.  It was no fun.  We didn’t like it.  We decided not to do that again.

He is strong, a man of honor and unwavering in what is right and what is wrong.  He is a man of God and is beyond my wildest dreams.  He’s got my back at all times.  AND he even does the dishes and sometimes clears out the dryer, folding the clothes AND not just because he’s on the hunt for socks.  AND He vacuums.  I know!!

I am his biggest cheerleader and he is mine.  I believe in him totally.  I believe in his dreams.  And sure, there are times we holler – well, I do.  He sulls up.  We learned that we don’t like that, either.  We decided not to do that again, either.  We work to keep the poison out of our marriage.  We don’t spend time alone with the opposite sex, or have intimate conversations with them about anything. 

Today I decided that I wanted to do a tribute to Alpha Hubby.  I wanted to publicly thank him for loving me like he does.  He makes my world a better place with his powerful love.

I want to thank him for working hard to support this family and allowing me the freedom to be home to write and pursue my dreams.  I want to thank him for getting up every morning 5 to 6 days a week to go to that job.  I want to thank him for the work he does in our home, creating dream rooms for me.  I want to thank him for the passion we have together (BOY! Do I want to thank him for THAT!).  I want to thank him for the unconditional support he has given me while I am on this journey to get back into my Little Black Dress.  UN-CONDITIONAL.  His heart burns for ME (and it’s not indigestion).

I’m so glad I tangled up my life and dreams with his! 

Baby, I love how you love me.  You do an excellent job!