17 Reasons Why I'm Glad I Am Married to Larry

Today is our 17th anniversary, so I decided to go with a "17" theme & give you 17 reasons why I am glad that I'm married to Larry.

1. He makes me laugh.
I'm not just talking about giggling now & then. The boy makes me laugh until my face hurts & there are tears running down my cheeks. And I snort because I can't breathe well enough. Oh yeah, I'm talking about that kind of laugh.

2. He thinks I'm beautiful.
I'm constantly amazed about this one. Things are not anywhere near as toned & tight as they were when we got married. Gravity & aging have taken effect. My hair has silver streaks here and there. My skin is not as smooth as it once was. I gave birth to 3 kids within 4 1/2 years' time and my waistline is far from the size it was when I walked down the aisle. But he still thinks I'm hot.

3. He knows my love language.
He knows what I need to feel loved and he speaks my language. 'Nuff said.

4. He protects me.
Not just physically, but emotionally & mentally. He sees darts coming my way & dives in front of them, even if it means being hurt or dealing with ugliness himself to shield me from it. He gets teary-eyed telling me how precious I am to him, how I am his first priority above all.

5. He waited for me.
I know this one will make some of you squirm, and I'm sorry about that, but purity was very important to both of us before we got married. After dating for nearly 2 years, that became very, very difficult for both of us. But we waited and our honeymoon was awesome! There are no words to explain how special & important that is to both of us. I know it's out of the norm these days and almost unheard of.

6. He knows I like to snuggle, but then I want him to leave me alone & let me sleep!
Snuggling is all sweet & nice, but I don't want him to cling to me all night--and he feels the same way.

7. He lets me poke him with my foot.
Even though neither of us are snuggle-all-night-long sorts of people, I do like to fall asleep with my foot touching him. Kind of a security thing....knowing he's there. I'm on my side of the bed, but my foot scootches over to his side just enough for a toe to touch his leg.

8. He sleeps by the door.
At home & in hotel rooms, he always positions himself on the side of the bed nearest the door. In case someone breaks in, his positioning himself like that tells me "They'll have to go through me before they can get to you!"

9. He cooks & cleans.
I don't guess that one needs any elaboration, does it wives?

10. When he's worried or afraid, he says so.
He's never been one to hide things from me like his emotional state. If he's freaked out or worried, I'm the first person to know. I hate to hear girlfriends say that they've never seen their husband cry.

11. He takes care of me.
When I'm sick, he is the best nurse.

12. He works his butt off.
Yep, I said butt.
He has never been one to shy away from hard work. Or long hours. And while those long hours have been a detriment to us at times, I know that I can always count on him to take care of us financially. He will take on 3 jobs if he has to and won't complain about it. (This is the same man who worked full time AND a part time job while going through college to get his bachelor's & master's degrees while I was a stay at home mom. I'm telling you....the boy can work!)

13. He hates to see me cry.
When I cry, he will drop everything & come to wherever I am to comfort me. That is, unless it's my usual sort of tears --- over a movie or a commercial or one of the kids' accomplishments. He understands those tears & loves to tease me about them. But when I'm upset or fearful & the tears come, he is there until I feel better.

14. He is an awesome Daddy.
He was amazing with me during all three labors & deliveries. I'd almost be willing to go through another pregnancy & delivery just to share those sweet hours of tenderness with him all over again. And he's been proud of his kiddos ever since. He's a hands-on dad who has never shied away from changing diapers, giving baths, feeding, doctoring, getting up in the middle of the night to help clean up vomit, going to school meetings and being there for every event.

15. We make such a great team.
Where I am weak, he is strong. And vice versa. It's amazing how well we complement each other. We are ridiculously compatible.

16. He is tender & gentle while being a man's man at the same time.
He can swaddle a baby & wipe a little nose.......and in the same day go hunting & fishing & arrest a bad guy. He really is the complete package.

17. He loves God.
Above everything else, he loves the Lord. He is a wealth of Biblical knowledge & can explain Greek & Hebrew to our kids (and me!). His passion for Jesus is overwhelming....and I love that.