My husband

I'm not big on public displays of affection, even when it comes to writing them on a blog or Facebook.  But I'm going to commit one of my biggest pet-peeves and give a huge shout-out to my husband.

We're celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary today, and he deserves all of the praise and love that I have in my heart. 

Payton and I met almost 8 years ago exactly, in a fine establishment in downtown Austin called the Aquarium.  3 weeks later (and a few funny stories in between) we went on our first date to P.F. Chang's.  I was still in college, and had never been on a "real" date.  I was so impressed by this man who had graduated from college and had a "real" job at an advertising agency, and he valet parked. 

4 years after we met, we were married. 

And now 4 years, 2 dogs, a house, and a baby later, we're celebrating another anniversary and I want to send a special thank you to my husband:

Thank you Payton,
...for being my partner.  My partner in crime, my partner in life, my partner in everything, always right by my side.

...for being my friend.  For making me laugh so hard I choke on my wine, listening to me complain about my day or how I feel about the way I look, watching all the silly shows I love, getting up to turn the fan on when we've already gotten in bed.

...for being my luver.  Telling me that you love me every day, telling me how pretty you think I am, telling me you like my outfit, telling me you like my dress (even though it's really a skirt).  And always leaning over every night right before we fall asleep to give me a kiss and tell me goodnight.

...for being my team mate.  We often talk about what a great team we are around the house getting projects done and I can't count how many times we have actually high-fived at the end of one of our over-the-top possibly "in too deep" projects.  And Eli has taken this teamwork to an entirely new level:  you do the bottle while I do the bath, I'll do his breakfast while you get him dressed, if you get the dogs ready for a walk, I'll put him in his stroller, if you'll take him to the car, I'll get his diaper bag ready.  Every day, we're together, and we're a team.

...for being my baby-daddy.  I love watching you with our son.  Our Son.  I'll never forget the first time you told me how you and Eli dance in the mirrors at restaurants when you go to wash off his little hands after he eats.  That little secret made my heart flutter.  You are such a dedicated daddy who loves his little boy more than anything else in the world.  When you get home, his face lights up.  I say "where's daddy" when you pull in the driveway and he starts pointing and saying "Da". 

You do so much for us, and especially right now, during a transition in our lives, you are literally working three jobs, up at 6:30 in the morning and not back in bed until midnight, going from one thing to the next.  You keep going, as hard as it gets, and as drained as you are.  You have so much drive and ambition and a huge desire to be successful and provide for your family. 

You are an amazing man, an amazing man who is a wonderful friend, father, and partner.  Thank you for choosing me to spend your life with years ago.  We have built an amazing life together, and I am looking forward to many many more years together.