HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!
for the past 6 weeks i've been asking him, "what do you want for your birthday?"
and you know what he responds with?
"skydiving or paragliding. and you have to come with."
it's like he doesn't even know who he married.
and then I plead with him and ask him to be realistic. i say, "what do you REALLY want?"
and he'll jokingly (kind of jokingly?) say, "a niño."
and then I laugh and say, "me too, but what can I ACTUALLY give you?!!?!?"
and then he's like, "I really don't need anything."
so now I'm back at square 1, trying to remember all of the things in the past 6 weeks he's mentioned that would be SO COOL to have. you know, the subtle hints.
so here are some things he's mentioned in the past 6 weeks:
- As we were walking through Lowe's, he saw a Backyard Beekeepers magazine. He said, "So now you know what I want for my birthday."
- We were fishing with Kaden and Hailey and he said, "Oh, I'd love to learn how to fly fish. I just don't have any gear . . ."
- He's always talking about how he wants our own camping chairs and our own mats for sleeping on, so we don't have to borrow the Mauldin's all the time.
so I think I'm going to get him a mix of the three. and maybe we can get bees next year or something.
BUT, THE REAL POINT OF THIS BLOG POST is to talk about 23 of my favorite memories / characteristics of Jake. i could say way more than 23 but i'll stop there, and save that for his 24th birthday (I'm just now realizing that 23 is kind of old? but 24???? o . m . g. )
1. he never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever gets mad. ever. not once have i ever seen him mad. and sometimes i can be a little rude. i love that about him. sometimes he just has endless patience.
2. from the start of our relationship, he's always made me try new things. wheelbarrowing a pig, for starters. but also camping, eating new foods, floating the river, kayaking, having chickens, and MUCH, MUCH more. he's always up for anything and loves to try new things, something I'm learning to love, too.
3. he is a SLEEPER. haahaha. he can stay up SO late but when it comes to waking up in the morning, he has T H E hardest time. in the recent weeks, he's been getting up at 6 am to go to the gym and I feel for him because I know how much he likes to sleep in. I think i have more pictures of him sleeping than I do of him awake. THEY'RE SO CUTE.
4. he is really so caring, to anyone and everything. at night, he'll usually say something like, "I'm so glad you let me marry you." hahaha. but he not only loves his wife (and his family soooo much),but he also loves animals. even though neither of us are "dog people" (we're more like sheep and chicken people haha), we both cried in megan leavey and also we don't really understand the point of hunting. ALSO, the other day, we had been given some worms from our cousin who had been fishing with them and we had left them on the counter for a couple days. as i was doing something in the kitchen, i saw Jake GIVING THEM SOME WATER. i made a funny face at him and he said, "what? they're probably thirsty." ..... so tender. hahaha.
5. he loves to cuddle. this can sometimes be good and bad ;) but mostly good, obviously. I love how much he loves to snuggle up and watch a movie or when he wakes up in the middle of the night and scoots closer. it's cuuuuuuuuute
6. he LOVES POPCORN. hahaha.oh my gosh does this boy love popcorn. last night i said, "oh i just want a treat." and he said, "popcorn?". hahaha. he can eat an ENTIRE large popcorn by himself at the mall. and if there's free refills .... trouble.
7. he's always chewing on something. when we still had plastic bottles, i'd have to throw them away immediately after he drank one because he'd chew on the camp until it was pretty much disintegrated into his mouth. I hated the noise but also I found chewed bottle caps inside the water bottles all over our room. so sick. hahaha
8. he's sooo good at whistling. you can tell how he's feeling depending on if he's whistling, how loud he's whistling, what song he's whistling... haha. my favorite story is when we weren't sure we wanted to be together and cancelled my Cincinnati trip. his mom texted me and said something like, "Jake's not whistling anymore. Can you come visit?" ... It was the sweetest thing ever. And you know when he's not whistling, something's going on ;)
9. he plays candy crush before he goes to sleep. I NEVER WOULD'VE KNOWN THIS IF WE WEREN'T MARRIED! haha. i could be asleep for an hour and he'll just keep playing candy crush. he claims it helps put him to sleep.
10. he's a SPENDER. we'll go to Lowe's and he's like, "Yeah, I need this." Or he'll tell me, "Go and buy yourself whatever you want!" It's hilarious. And when we go to the grocery store together? There's no telling how much we'll spend. (We're working on a budget... haha!)
11. He loves to build things. Whenever I say something like, "AGH all of my pots and pants don't fit in this tiny thing!" he'll say something like, "I can build this for you right here and then you can hang all of them up." Sometimes I'm like OK, YOU'RE GETTING TOO CARRIED AWAY. But other times it's nice... He's built like half the things in our house! Redid our closet so we can fit more shoes, installed our oven, installed our new vanity and counter in the bathroom (with Kyle of course), built a headboard, coffee table, shelves.... He's good.
12. If he doesn't know how to do something, he'll figure it out. He can build IKEA stuff like nobody's business, but he can also "see things in his mind" and make them come to life. A lot of the times, he'll dream of something and then draw it so he can build it later. . . if it still looks like a good idea. But seriously he's smart. And his Dad's advice is to watch YouTube. Hahaha.
13. ROAD TRIPS with Jake are the best. Mainly because he loves to drive (and looooove the hum of his truck even more) and so most of the time, I can just lay back and relax while he does the hard work (story of our lives?) If he turns on a good audio book, he's set to drive for like, the next 10 hours. One time, we we were on probably our 12th hour of driving or something crazy and it was the middle of the night and I had switched with him and fallen asleep. Well I ended up waking up in the Lowe's parking lot and he was passed out next to me... That was a long night!
14. He loves babies almost as much as I do. Whenever we see one, he'll point it out. And whenever he gets to hold one, he snuggles and kisses that baby so much. We were holding our friends week-old baby and I SWEAR he had tears in his eyes. Later he was like, "I just can't believe that grows inside and comes out this perfect, tiny human!" Hahaha. So sensitive, so sweet.
15. He likes to remind me that we're married... you know, just in case I forgot. For example, last night I was BURNING. UP. in our bedroom so I moved to our couch in the living room which is leather so it's already cooler, plus we have the fan and janky A/C in there I can crank up. I was just planning on cooling off then going back in the room and he was like, "DON'T YOU REMEMBER I'M YOUR HUSBAND? WE'RE MARRIED. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE!" hahaha. He does this regularly.
16. He likes to experiment in the kitchen... Or whenever I make something and I know it NEEDS something but I don't know what, he's usually able to tell me which is nice. He'll be like, "Oh yeah, this needs paprika." Hahaha. I don't think he's actually ever said that but you get the gist. He is also really good at cooking meat over the fire... And veggies... and corn.... And anything ever.
17. He doesn't use social media WHATSOEVER. In fact, he rarely even uses his phone. So when I posted something for his birthday... and our 6 month "anniversary" he didn't even see the cheesiness. ;) And I posted a pic he doesn't like of us... and HE'LL NEVER KNOW. Hehhe
18. He always, always, always saves his last bite of food for me, especially if we're sharing something. The other night we went to get fries from this little place near Center street after the comedy show and he was like "Oh these are soooo good!" And he was about to take the last of the fries, but then dropped two little ones and he was done. He doesn't really say, "Okay that's for you," it's just something I know he's doing... It's cute. He may not even realize he's doing it but I love it!
19. Let's not forget how FREAKING CUTE HE IS!!! Oh my gosh he came home with a new haircut the other day and I was like heartEYES!!! Seriously that boy is attractive!
20. He is SMART. He works hard in school. He studies and studies and studies and when he's tired... he drinks a monster and studies some more. He's determined and focused and I love that about him! And it definitely shows off in his grades. Seriously proud of him!
21. Speaking of how smart he is... He's also incredibly humble. He would never tell you how well he did something or how he figured out how to do something new or that he just lifted a bunch more weight than usual at the gym. He's the kind of guy that will brag about other people but not about himself even though he REALLY should!
22. He LOVES his family. That boy has the biggest heart for his brothers, sisters, mom, dad, grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins. He has so many and somehow his heart continues to grow to encompass each of them! He may not know their birthdays or their favorite colors, but I know he thinks of them often and loves them so much. And he's a total mama's boy. ;)
23. Last but not least... A few little funny things he does that I love!... He frequently dances in the kitchen, he loves to hang up clothes (my least favorite chore!), he loves to chop wood, he's constantly whistling, the other day he said "I love when I get to make your dreams come true!" (cute) He is ALWAYS complimenting me, even when I look like a grungy mess. He loves to talk and talk and talk at night even when I'm halfway asleep. He's always up for some hard work. He loves to help people (Like our neighbor Benjamin with their new roof, and a newer Singaporean neighbor when he helped her build her kid's bunk beds!) He is thoughtful, selfless, and kind. I'm SO. GLAD. He chose me to be his wife.
3. he is a SLEEPER. haahaha. he can stay up SO late but when it comes to waking up in the morning, he has T H E hardest time. in the recent weeks, he's been getting up at 6 am to go to the gym and I feel for him because I know how much he likes to sleep in. I think i have more pictures of him sleeping than I do of him awake. THEY'RE SO CUTE.
4. he is really so caring, to anyone and everything. at night, he'll usually say something like, "I'm so glad you let me marry you." hahaha. but he not only loves his wife (and his family soooo much),but he also loves animals. even though neither of us are "dog people" (we're more like sheep and chicken people haha), we both cried in megan leavey and also we don't really understand the point of hunting. ALSO, the other day, we had been given some worms from our cousin who had been fishing with them and we had left them on the counter for a couple days. as i was doing something in the kitchen, i saw Jake GIVING THEM SOME WATER. i made a funny face at him and he said, "what? they're probably thirsty." ..... so tender. hahaha.
5. he loves to cuddle. this can sometimes be good and bad ;) but mostly good, obviously. I love how much he loves to snuggle up and watch a movie or when he wakes up in the middle of the night and scoots closer. it's cuuuuuuuuute
6. he LOVES POPCORN. hahaha.oh my gosh does this boy love popcorn. last night i said, "oh i just want a treat." and he said, "popcorn?". hahaha. he can eat an ENTIRE large popcorn by himself at the mall. and if there's free refills .... trouble.
7. he's always chewing on something. when we still had plastic bottles, i'd have to throw them away immediately after he drank one because he'd chew on the camp until it was pretty much disintegrated into his mouth. I hated the noise but also I found chewed bottle caps inside the water bottles all over our room. so sick. hahaha
8. he's sooo good at whistling. you can tell how he's feeling depending on if he's whistling, how loud he's whistling, what song he's whistling... haha. my favorite story is when we weren't sure we wanted to be together and cancelled my Cincinnati trip. his mom texted me and said something like, "Jake's not whistling anymore. Can you come visit?" ... It was the sweetest thing ever. And you know when he's not whistling, something's going on ;)
9. he plays candy crush before he goes to sleep. I NEVER WOULD'VE KNOWN THIS IF WE WEREN'T MARRIED! haha. i could be asleep for an hour and he'll just keep playing candy crush. he claims it helps put him to sleep.
10. he's a SPENDER. we'll go to Lowe's and he's like, "Yeah, I need this." Or he'll tell me, "Go and buy yourself whatever you want!" It's hilarious. And when we go to the grocery store together? There's no telling how much we'll spend. (We're working on a budget... haha!)
11. He loves to build things. Whenever I say something like, "AGH all of my pots and pants don't fit in this tiny thing!" he'll say something like, "I can build this for you right here and then you can hang all of them up." Sometimes I'm like OK, YOU'RE GETTING TOO CARRIED AWAY. But other times it's nice... He's built like half the things in our house! Redid our closet so we can fit more shoes, installed our oven, installed our new vanity and counter in the bathroom (with Kyle of course), built a headboard, coffee table, shelves.... He's good.
12. If he doesn't know how to do something, he'll figure it out. He can build IKEA stuff like nobody's business, but he can also "see things in his mind" and make them come to life. A lot of the times, he'll dream of something and then draw it so he can build it later. . . if it still looks like a good idea. But seriously he's smart. And his Dad's advice is to watch YouTube. Hahaha.
13. ROAD TRIPS with Jake are the best. Mainly because he loves to drive (and looooove the hum of his truck even more) and so most of the time, I can just lay back and relax while he does the hard work (story of our lives?) If he turns on a good audio book, he's set to drive for like, the next 10 hours. One time, we we were on probably our 12th hour of driving or something crazy and it was the middle of the night and I had switched with him and fallen asleep. Well I ended up waking up in the Lowe's parking lot and he was passed out next to me... That was a long night!
14. He loves babies almost as much as I do. Whenever we see one, he'll point it out. And whenever he gets to hold one, he snuggles and kisses that baby so much. We were holding our friends week-old baby and I SWEAR he had tears in his eyes. Later he was like, "I just can't believe that grows inside and comes out this perfect, tiny human!" Hahaha. So sensitive, so sweet.
15. He likes to remind me that we're married... you know, just in case I forgot. For example, last night I was BURNING. UP. in our bedroom so I moved to our couch in the living room which is leather so it's already cooler, plus we have the fan and janky A/C in there I can crank up. I was just planning on cooling off then going back in the room and he was like, "DON'T YOU REMEMBER I'M YOUR HUSBAND? WE'RE MARRIED. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE!" hahaha. He does this regularly.
16. He likes to experiment in the kitchen... Or whenever I make something and I know it NEEDS something but I don't know what, he's usually able to tell me which is nice. He'll be like, "Oh yeah, this needs paprika." Hahaha. I don't think he's actually ever said that but you get the gist. He is also really good at cooking meat over the fire... And veggies... and corn.... And anything ever.
17. He doesn't use social media WHATSOEVER. In fact, he rarely even uses his phone. So when I posted something for his birthday... and our 6 month "anniversary" he didn't even see the cheesiness. ;) And I posted a pic he doesn't like of us... and HE'LL NEVER KNOW. Hehhe
18. He always, always, always saves his last bite of food for me, especially if we're sharing something. The other night we went to get fries from this little place near Center street after the comedy show and he was like "Oh these are soooo good!" And he was about to take the last of the fries, but then dropped two little ones and he was done. He doesn't really say, "Okay that's for you," it's just something I know he's doing... It's cute. He may not even realize he's doing it but I love it!
19. Let's not forget how FREAKING CUTE HE IS!!! Oh my gosh he came home with a new haircut the other day and I was like heartEYES!!! Seriously that boy is attractive!
20. He is SMART. He works hard in school. He studies and studies and studies and when he's tired... he drinks a monster and studies some more. He's determined and focused and I love that about him! And it definitely shows off in his grades. Seriously proud of him!
21. Speaking of how smart he is... He's also incredibly humble. He would never tell you how well he did something or how he figured out how to do something new or that he just lifted a bunch more weight than usual at the gym. He's the kind of guy that will brag about other people but not about himself even though he REALLY should!
22. He LOVES his family. That boy has the biggest heart for his brothers, sisters, mom, dad, grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins. He has so many and somehow his heart continues to grow to encompass each of them! He may not know their birthdays or their favorite colors, but I know he thinks of them often and loves them so much. And he's a total mama's boy. ;)
23. Last but not least... A few little funny things he does that I love!... He frequently dances in the kitchen, he loves to hang up clothes (my least favorite chore!), he loves to chop wood, he's constantly whistling, the other day he said "I love when I get to make your dreams come true!" (cute) He is ALWAYS complimenting me, even when I look like a grungy mess. He loves to talk and talk and talk at night even when I'm halfway asleep. He's always up for some hard work. He loves to help people (Like our neighbor Benjamin with their new roof, and a newer Singaporean neighbor when he helped her build her kid's bunk beds!) He is thoughtful, selfless, and kind. I'm SO. GLAD. He chose me to be his wife.
