Mother Tucker

#3

Ok, the numbers don’t line up . . . as you can tell . . . so I’m going to include #3 and #2 in this particular email.  I apologize, but it is me . . . so what did you expect. hee hee

#3 on my countdown is the simple fact you survived and thrived through pregnant Mother Tucker.  I won’t go into how mean I got or depressed . . . we both know how bad it got.  I won’t talk about how fat I got . . . too fat for anyone . . . but you loved me and never once criticized me.  Not once but twice, in a row, you dealt with the severity of the situation and made the best of it. Now we have two gorgeous boys . . . so worth it but not to be repeated. 

I absolutely love your God given love and grace towards me as a human being.  I know I don’t deserve it but I am so very grateful! And during one of the toughest seasons, so far, in our relationship . . . I say ‘thank you’ for hanging in there and I love that about you!! #3 on the list.

My prayer is I can show the same love, devotion and grace towards you at all times. High calling but one I pray dearly to achieve!

#2

We could have had a fancy wedding . . . all the trimmings, etc.  But I couldn’t picture that for us.  I tried, believe me. I bought the planner, I added up the costs, and shopped for spiffy dresses . . . but I just could not envision my day in a church anywhere in this world.  We talked about Vegas and making light of the ceremony . . . but that was shattered with my mom getting wind of that . . . yeah, I really don’t know how she found out. hee hee.  Um, anyhoo . . . we ended up doing what I originally had wanted to do . . . in the most beautiful, natural cathedral created by the very hand of God . . . right on the beaches of the Oregon Coast. We ended up having gorgeous weather and the day ended up being so blessed . . . considering I planned very little to none of it . . . Thank God for family and friends who know me too well. It was a day I couldn’t of done better and I love that it was with you!!! You made the day . . . obviously.

We didn’t have a fancy honeymoon either . . . we had looked into it but nah  . . .  we stayed where we were most at home, right there on the coast.  A warm and inviting bed and breakfast was perfect and the room, stunning!! We traveled up and down the coast, doing the touristy thing, though we weren’t really tourists. Relaxing, fun and memorable. I won’t mention the unmentionables.

Ah, the man of my dreams . . . I love you with all my heart!  Thank you for choosing me . . . thank you for having a sensitive heart to God and recognizing what HE had in store . . . for us to fulfill life together.  As tough as it gets I know I’m with whom I’m suppose to be with and I know I’m where I’m suppose to be.  That, in itself, is so peaceful.

#4

You’re in the next room with a wet dog running all over my bedroom from bath time. My favorite . . . not really.

Anyhoo, #4 . . . wow, getting close to the super date!!

I have to say for number 4 is one that I had the hardest time appreciating . . . and at times, still do.  But its when you are taking your lead as the head of this house that peace reigns.  You are highly sensitive to me and my needs but its the final say that, if I allow, brings rest to my very soul.  I know this is a sticky subject with pretty much any woman on the planet but between you and I  and in this relationship, I appreciate and admire you being the lead of this house . . . the head of the household.

I love you and the God-strength inside of you!

Ok, this has little or nothing to do with the above anniversary countdown message . . . but I ran across this newby pic of Samuel and I just had to share!! 

#5

In the past 6 years there have been times that stress has been in the equation of life.  Fears of the unknown, stress and fears related to finances, fears and stress related to new additions to the family (i.e. two bouncing baby boys); the doctoring and death of my prized filly, surgery ( gal bladder, though routine and easy peasy . . . still stressful for me, especially with a 6 month old Toby in tow); so many changes and circumstances where I thought the fear and/or stress would overwhelm me . . . but you held my hand . . . you chose to calm those fears and reduce the stress as much as you could, instead of leaving me to deal on my own. Within my relationship with God and having you . . . I deal much better with what life throws at me. And that is definitely in the top five of the wonderful and unique things I adore about you! You are a peace-maker . . . and thank you for that!

Flowers, watching them grow into beauty from nothing but a tiny seed . . . about stress-busting as it gets . . . God is so good to us!!

#6

You are as hot as they come! A main attribute that I have deemed as one of my favorites is your smile.  It might literally be a million dollar smile . . . according to your mother . . . but it was well worth it . . . gorgeous smile that lights my heart everytime!

Wow, I need more pics of the hubby! I’ve seem to run out of decent ones.

#8

This ties in with superb work ethic,etc . . . but the fact you can remain awake for well over 24 hours at a time . . . sometimes 2 days in a row . . . has managed to astound me . . . annoy me and now completely makes sense with the career path you’ve decided on.  I’ve watched as personality traits I sometimes balked at, are coming into play in what God had for you (us) as a lifestyle and career.  Being a firefighter/EMT will definitely require the crazy “I can stay up all night, function without fault and sleep it off in one night” genes you inherited from your mother.

So, #8 . . . kind of boring but important in my little list of things I love about you . . . stay up all night and all day . . . crazy and endearing!

On Shift.  October 2007

#9

Not that anyone is truly paying attention to the crazy anniversary countdown . . . but #9 you shall never see.  Yet another private message between husband and wife. Shock!

God Bless!

#10

I am one that bull-heads her way through each day . . . the future rarely occurring to me unless absolutely necessary.  I focus on whats right in front of me at all times.

You do not.  You are  constantly aware of the future!  So much so that focusing on the here and now becomes a challenge for you at times.  But its a quality I admire because of my lack of such.

And, with the addition of two boys, the future has become even more important to you, and me, but you’re better at planning.

This ties closely in with #12 but sits separate at the same time! I’m a truly blessed woman and I know it . . . I’m just trying to be more grateful for what God has given me in this life . . . its so easy to get our eyes off what really matters and onto frivolous material and other worldly stuff.

God Bless

 Toby, so cute, as always!

#11

Within a week of being married to you I realized there was something strange about your grooming and hygiene habits.

I will start out to say, I take a . . . one . . . shower a day, unless I happen to work out late in the day, then two at the most. I know I might actually be the odd one, but thats how my entire family is . . . and most people that I’m aware of their grooming habits, i.e. former roommates, etc.

But I witness you entering the bathroom in the morning, when you first get up . . . again around, sometime, after lunch and then again before bed (sometimes more). These showers can range from 10 minutes long to baths of more than an hour . . . sometimes I find you reading, sometimes napping in luke warm bath water, sometimes just staring at the ceiling . . . lately its been homework and scheduling stuff.

This first annoyed me but, as time passed, it just doesn’t anymore . . . its become more endearing than anything and its something that makes you unique. You tell me that it helps you think, rejuvenates you, etc . . . I guess its your equivalent to my cup (10 cups) of joe.

So thats #11 on the ‘reasons I love you’ list . . . your clean . . . very very very clean!

Um, Sam, not so clean. Needs to accompany dad to the shower, I do believe. hee hee . . . fully enjoying his cupcake.

#12

You’ve always been a hard worker . . . no doubt about it . . . and it even was more so when the boys were added to our little life.  And as our family grew so did our desire for a better future . . . for our own sakes, but mostly for the boys . . . to know more than poverty.  It took a few years but you settled on what you wanted to do . . . and, as everything else you take on, once you made up your mind, you went full force to see it through; as you’re still doing today.  That drive and tenacity is a quality in you that I absolutely cherish and admire!

Thank you for your hard work, you tenacity and drive to see our family succeed! I hope I can live up to my end of the bargain with just as much dignity!

Last summer at the aquarium . . . shortly after Tobias melted down because he was tired.  Gotta love toddlers . . . notice hubby’s tense expression . . . I was backpacking Samuel so he had to deal with the minor melt-down.  hee hee, not so funny at the time. 

You’ll have to excuse the excessively lovey dovey header on my blog. Its less than two weeks before our anniversary and I tend to be over the top lovey dovey thinking of how blessed I’ve been to be married to such a wonderful man for the past six years. So its just to commemorate our time together . . . you can go throw up in your shoe now.