10 Years

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary. It is the day Dean moved in with us in 1997 - into the little farm house I can see from here. 6 more sleeps until we leave for Mexico. But to celebrate, here are some of my favourite pictures and a list of 10 things I love about him (there are so many things I love about him but here are the top 10 for today)... in no particular order


1. I love that we both enjoy the outdoors so much - we have taken many great hikes together and both appreciate the grandeur and beauty around us.

2. This is probably the thing I love about him the very most. It has been said that I am bossy. And I can accept that this is true. I often try to hold myself back so as not to overwhelm people... which can be a hard thing to do. I don't mean to be bossy, I really don't. But as the eldest of 12 children (and started babysitting at 8 yrs old), it seems ingrained in me. Sometimes I don't mean to sound bossy, it just comes out that way when really I am enthusiastic.... Anyways... my point is that with Dean I don't have to hold myself back. Not that I boss him around, thither and yon. What I love about him is that he lets me be me and just ignores me when I am too bossy or stands up to me. It is a huge relief to not have to hold myself back (I also have great friends, too!) and not worry that I am hurting him. I am so grateful for his quiet strength that allows me to thrive in this relationship.

3. Or maybe this is the thing I love about him most... I love what a great father he is. I love how hard he tries and how much he cares. I am so grateful to the effort he has put into step-parenting my 3 older kids. I know it has challenged him more than he ever thought possible and he has risen to the challenge.






4. See this lamb? His name was Charlie. He was Dean's favourite. Eventually we ate him. This is the fourth thing I love about Dean. Although he would have never thought of raising bummer lambs and eating them, he got right into it. He played with those lambs, carried them about on his shoulders, cleaned up their poo off the front walk. Although he swore he wouldn't eat them after all of that, he was there, chomping down on the first BBQ'ed lamb chops! And although he didn't ever even think, "hey, we should get chickens... wouldn't that be nice?" And I got them while he was gone on the road..., he loves them and goes out to the coop and plays with them, feeds them from his hand and picks them up. When Rhiannon and I show him Brownie's first egg, he is almost as excited as we are. I really love that about him.

5. I love his incredible creative energy. I love to listen to his guitar playing whether it is the gentle, melodic strummings on an acoustic at home or his hard rocking groove on stage. There is no one more sexy to me than this guitarist rocking out in his own incredible creative groove. I am always in awe. I could watch him for hours...

6. I love that he enjoys discussing ideas. We have talked hours into the night about a good book and what it means, the truth about ancient british history or the philosophical underpinnings of "The Doors". After the initial flush of passion and infatuation waned in our relationship, there was so much real stuff to talk about that has kept us going for 10 years of great conversations.

7. Did I mention he is great in bed? hehe

8. I love his warm brown eyes and the way they look at me. I think it would be a very cold and lonely world without those eyes looking at me like that.

9. I love that he loves the clothes I sew for him, the hats I crochet for him and the food I make for him. He does. He loves them. He asks for more.

10. Maybe this is the thing I love about him most. It is surely the thing I count on the most. I am so grateful for his commitment to me and our family. It has seen us through many rough times. I can be much more mercurial. I am grateful for his steady commitment. It has been a great example to me and a great comfort.

Here's to another 10 years. I love you, babe!