Happy 30th Birthday Brian!

Recently one of Brian's best friends turned 30. His wife wrote 30 things that she loved about him, and I thought it was such a great idea, so I'm stealing it for Brian.

It's crazy to think that 30 years ago today Brian was a little baby like Landon. As Brian has said, "I'm excited about turning 30, and to see where life will take me." One of my favorite songs says, "Remember when, 30 seemed so old, now looking back it was just a stepping stone, to where we are, where we've been, said we'd do it all again, remember when" I'm sure that one day we'll look back and really see how 30 is the stepping stone, to an even greater life.

Now, here are the 30 things I love about Brian, and not in any particular order.

1. I love that Brian isn't a work-a-holic, but that he works hard.
2. I love how Brian's mind works. I love how he is ALWAYS thinking about something, and how to improve something. & yet still says "Nothing" when I ask him what he's thinking about.
3. Speaking of his mind, I love that if you were to walk into Brian's head you would find a white room with labeled filing cabinets all over. Each cabinet would contain labeled folders & be organized and accurate. When something needs to be thought about, Brian pulls that particular folder out of the drawer & thinks about it, and then puts it back where it belongs until it is needed again. Complete organization! If you were to walk into my mind on the other hand, you would find filing cabinets with every drawer opened and papers thrown all over the ground showing how random my thoughts are, but this isn't about me, so let's continue with Brian... :)
4. I love how smart Brian is & the good intellect he has.
5. I love that he goes to church & the temple with me, and even when I can't go, he still goes.
6. I love that he can play for hours in the sandbox with the kids.
7. I love watching Brian make cookies. He gets all the ingredients ready and takes about 15 mintues pretending that he is an excavator with a tractor digging dirt. The difference though is a fork is used instead of a tractor, and flour is used instead of dirt. These are the moments when I wonder what he is thinking. :)
8. I love how easy it is to tickle him. Brian gets so nervous when I stand behind him while he is doing the dishes, playing pool, or reaching for something. The funny thing is when I trace my finger along the palm of MY hand, and Brian goes nuts because it tickles HIS hand.
9. I love how tender his heart is.
10. I love how he tries every day to make me laugh.
11. I love how at nights he has a switch that goes off when he is really tired, or maybe it's when I have been talking too much. This happens almost every night, and I get the signal when his eyes start dropping and he starts breathing heavily. The other night we were talking about something, and out of the blue (which happens often at night) he said, "Meliss, I'm sorry I don't write you long love letters." which really had NOTHING to do with what we were talking about. I waited for a couple of seconds and then said, "Brian, why do you feel that way?" It is quite entertaining watching him try to think of what he just said, when he can't remember. He pauses and thinks for a minute and then sleep over rides his thoughts and he is out again. I just smile to myself and this little game we've just played. :) I tell him about it later and he doesn't remember anything.
12. I love how respectful he is of everyone.
13. I love how he treats our Grandparents, especially our Grandmothers. He always gives them hugs & makes them smile. He treats them like they are young & the beautiful teenagers they once were.
14. I love that he is becoming manly. (I don't know how to elaborate on this with out getting myself in trouble.) :)
15. I love the wonderful Dad he is to our kids.
16. I love that he gives up time for himself so he can be with our family.
17. I love that he is a family man.
18. I love that he has a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that I can learn from him.
19. I love how patient he is.
20. I love how hard he laughs when he thinks something is really funny. One day he was sitting on the stairs and holding Morgan on his lap while she was hanging upside down. He was laughing so hard at the expression on her face, and I don't think I have ever heard him laugh that hard. It made me & the kids laugh.
21. I love that even after being married for 8 years he still says to me, "Would you have married me if I looked like this?" (while he distorts his face) or "Would you have married me if I talked like this" (as he talks in a high pitched voice) and while standing 2 stairs below me he asks "Would you still have married me if I was this short?" My answers are always with a smile, "YES!"
22. I love that he calls me during the day.
23. I love that he helps me around the house. He loves doing the dishes and is always by my side helping me make treats & things for family parties or events.
24. I love how supportive he is of my goals and dreams.
25. I love that it is just as important to him as it is to me for me to be home with the kids.
26. I love how generous he is. Even when things may be tight for us, he is continually looking for ways that we can do more for others.
27. I love that when he does a project, he is a perfectionist and does it with exactness.
28. I love his integrity.
29. I love how he loves me and that he is my best friend.
30. I love that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Happy 30th Birthday Brian! I love you!