days of gratitude: {2} my husband.

i can't even begin to describe in words how thankful i am for the man that i married.

i was twenty seven when we said "i do".  after visiting one of my lifelong friends in dallas when i was twenty four, i decided on a whim to move to the lonestar state.  why not?  i went to grad school, lived with a few girl friends, got a job at an awesome church and was told by several of my coworkers about this guy named nick, who they thought was my future husband.

turned out they were right.

i can't imagine my life apart from this man.  we make a good team, he and i. and the bottom line is, i just really love being with him.  he is loving, tender hearted and the most likeable guy there is.  if you run into him, you're likely to see a huge smile across his face.  that's just who he is, and one of the many reasons i love him so much.

everything he does in life centers around loving others, and doing what he can to impact those around him.  from the day i met him, he knew he wanted to be a coach and a teacher because of the opportunity it was to reach out to so many kids.  i respect so much that his career choices were not driven by money or status, but by how god wants to use him to influence young lives and to make a difference in this world.  any time i attend his school for an event, i'm stopped by several parents or other students telling me how much they love and appreciate my husband.  it makes me so proud. 

a couple of weeks ago, the girls and i were at one of nick's football games.  this was his second year assisting the football team where he teaches.  he loves it, and so do i... i love seeing him in his element, pouring his heart into a group of young men that look up to him and respect him so much.  after this particular game, the girls and i ran out on the field as we always do, and i stopped for a second as a sea of his players gathered around him, taking turns shaking his hand, hugging him and telling him "thanks, coach" or "love you, coach".  tears began stinging my eyes.  football can be a long season for all of us and means less time as a family for a couple of months, but that moment right there made everything worth it.  it was such a testament to who nick is, and yet another reason why i respect him so much.

sometimes, while we're playing with the girls, i think back to when people first mentioned him to me and were so convinced that we were meant for each other.  i can't help but smile and think how crazy it is that we are where we are today.

so thankful for the life we have been given.  beyond thankful for the father he is to our girls.  forever thankful for the love of a good, good man.