Happy 10th Anniversary!

Married and sealed in the Mesa, AZ temple.

It is day 6 of Dustin being out of town and we have far surpassed the longest we have ever gone without speaking, which was 48 hours at the most.  He is two thousand miles away in Honduras, doing work that makes me so proud of him, and I am in chilly Cheyenne taking care of Jackson, throwing shin digs, and missing him terribly.  And today is our 10th anniversary.

Honestly I think we are handling the anniversary in the best way possible.  We were able to go away on an amazing vacation at the beginning of the month to Hawaii where we did nothing but giggle together, lay on the beach, and eat delicious food.  It couldn't have felt more like a honeymoon.  Then, after coming back to the harsh realities of real life, Dustin took off for ten days, allowing me to miss him more then ever and to be so grateful of the amazing man I married and how much I need him in my everyday life.

So today, in his very noticed absence, I wanted to share the things I love most about him, and that no doubt the others in his life love about him as well.

1. He always says sorry.  I joke that it was probably 7 years into our marriage when I was able to genuinely turn to him and say sorry in the middle of the fight, that not being one of my strong points.  But Dustin will say sorry immediately, even when he is right.  He always seeks to make things better and hates when he makes me or anyone else feel bad. And if you don't accept the first apology, then you have to suffer through endless apologies until he is satisfied that the problem is resolved, a lesson that I am still slow to learn :)

2. His laughter is infectious.  If you haven't watched a comedy with him, come on over and do it immediately!  He can make the most mundane of shows become hilarious.  I still remember being so embarrassed when he bounced out of his seat in the theater and laughed out loud at a scene in Napoleon Dynomite, and once when we were watching a movie at my parent's house and more and more people came into the family room to see what we were watching because Dustin was laughing so hard, eventually all joining in themselves.  I have learned to no longer be embarrassed and instead I join right in with my thigh slapping husband.  I can no longer evaluate for myself if something is funny because I loose all objectivity when he is around.

3. He thinks I am hilarious…and I most definitely am not.  I love that there is a lot of laughter in our home and most of it comes from Dustin laughing with me as I dance around the house, talk in our dog Penny's voice (this can make Dustin laugh in the middle of an argument), or just joke around.  His laughter makes me feel wonderful and like a comic genius.

4.  He is an amazing father.  It hasn't always been easy for Dust to be a dad as he has gone through medical school, studied, left home for rotations and interviews, and participated in his church assignments, but Jackson is a top priority to him and he makes every moment with him count.  Last year when he was Young Men's President they held young men's on Friday nights.  Since Dustin wasn't home a lot, he took Jackson with him to those meetings.  Jackson still thinks he is a fellow scout and loved that time with his Dad.  Now they love playing basketball and soccer together and Jackson knows he can always talk his dad into a making a fort.  I know Dustin is his hero and that, because of the love and effort Dustin puts into his relationship with Jackson, it will last forever.

5.  His faith.  This is perhaps the reason I first fell in love with him, that and that he did an awesome rendition of Who Let the Dogs Out during karaoke.  I met Dustin the day he came home from his mission at a ward Christmas party.  He was tall, dark, and handsome, but what attracted me the most was the great theological discussions we would have at night with his family.  Today he uplifts me constantly and always reminds me of what is most important.  I am so grateful I was able to be sealed to him in the temple and that we can return to the temple to remember the covenants we made.  When I struggle with any issue of faith, he doesn't judge but shows me such love that allows for our home to be a place where we can always grow together.

6.  He is a dreamer.  Along with his regular pronouncements that he should have been a rockstar, mechanic, in construction, a basketball player, and many other things, he has big ideas with what he wants to do with his career in family medicine.  We are still in our infancy in our knowledge of this career path, but that doesn't stop Dustin dreaming about all the changes he wants to see take place and the things he wants to implement.  He always comes home with inspiration about how he can help a certain demographic, change the way something is done administratively, or change the world in general.  His optimism is exciting and I can't wait to see where he takes us as a family and how he grows as a doctor.

7.  He cannot tell a lie. Now this can be infuriating when you need him to tell someone that you are busy and not in the shower, but overwhelmingly it allows for myself and others to trust him completely.  I wish sometimes he would lie a little when I ask him how something looks on me, but I also love that we can have an honest discussion about anything.  His integrity is very important to him and he won't let anything compromise it.  I know this is something he really wants to instill in Jackson who, when caught in a lie will just say, "kidding, I'm kidding".

8.  He loves animals.  When we first got our dog Penny six years ago, a first child while we waiting to adopt, he would take her everywhere. He would study with her on his lap, hold her in his arms while playing soccer, and fall asleep with her on the couch. While he was separated from his little girl for a few years while we lived abroad, he is just as in love with her today as when she was a puppy, hence the fact that I can make him crack up if I talk in her "voice" and talk about what she is thinking.  And the love of animals is not limited to Penny.  In Brooklyn he would stop dog owners on the sidewalk and ask to pet their dogs, and a commercial with a dog can get an "awwwe" out of him anytime.  Such a softie.  Jackson has learned this same love and they both coo at animals and love, something I can't stand, movies that have talking animals.

9.  He loves to talk.  Honestly I couldn't have married someone who didn't like to talk.  I would have driven anyone else up the walls in a minute, but Dust can talk right back.  When we were dating, if there was a movie on we would talk right through it.  I remember a special night where we talked all night and watched the sun rise together, a night that let me know he was worth all the effort and was the type of many I wanted to marry.  We still love to talk about religion, books, history, politics, and in my case, any random idea that pops in my head.

10.  He is the best friend I could ask for.  He calms me when anxious, comforts me when sad, makes me laugh when frustrated, and makes a good day even better.  There is nothing that I want to do or experience without him.  This journey we took through medical school was a doozy, but I wouldn't have changed anything, especially how close we grew as a result of being in new surroundings and away from family.  Dustin and Jackson are the most important people in my life and I would go anywhere with them…provided it had a Costco and Target :)

I am so grateful to Dust for the last 10 years and for the many, many more to come.  I look forward to raising many more kiddos with him, to living in more places, having more adventures, and falling more in love everyday.  Happy anniversary Dustin!!

First Christmas Tree chopped down in Durango, CO 2005

Birthday dinner 2005

2006

Halloween 2006

Halloween 2008

Dustin and Jackson, 2009

Sunset Cruise, Grenada 2009

White coat ceremony in Newcastle, England 2010.

New Year's Eve 2010

New Years's Eve 2010

Thanksgiving in England 2010

Alnwick Castle, England 2010

Grenada 2012

Mt. Carmel Falls, Grenada.

Central Park 2013

Valentine's Day, Ice Skating in Bryant Park, 2013

Governor's Island, New York 2013

Halloween in Brooklyn 2013

Fall, Prospect Park, 2013

Bed Dad Ever! Fall 2013

Sledding in Brooklyn 2014

Valentine's Day 2014

Brooklyn, NY 2014