30 Shades of Josh

Oh yes, I went there. Today is Josh's 30th birthday! Although he's not a big birthday-celebrator, I am. And it's such a milestone! So I thought I'd present to you a special post celebrating all of the amazing factors (or shades) that comprise Josh. He's one of a kind, I'll tell you that.

1. Josh is humble. He got into an internationally prestigious master's program but that fact never goes to his head.

2. He has a huge heart for animals. One of my favorite pictures of him is the above. One of the reasons I know we're MFEO is that we're both obsessed with animals.

3. He's thoughtful. And when I say thoughtful I mean he brings me home cream puffs from a local bakery.

4. He is talented. See item #1.

5. He's got an incredible sweet tooth. The boy loves sugar.

6. He is one of the funniest people I know. He might be funnier than me, and that's hard to admit.

7. He's got killer 90s boy-band dance moves. Maybe you'll be lucky to see them one day for yourself.

8. He is probably the BIGGEST fan ever of the band the Mountain Goats. Quite devoted.

9. He used to be in two bands in high school... One was called California Casual.

10. He's very good at baking. Better than me possibly. Geez.

11. He's patient. With me especially. Because I can be totally bonkers sometimes.

12. He is encouraging. Whenever I have a freakout moment about what I'm doing with my life, he's there to cheer me on.

13. He loves silly movies like The Room and Troll 2, but his all-time favorite film is Apocalypto. So weird.

14. He's really good at making up songs on the spot. Sometimes they're jazzy-blues style, other times they're Christian praise style. Either way, I'm buckled over laughing.

15. One time I got a teeny piece of glass stuck in my finger, and he looked up a way to get it out... mix baking soda with water to make a paste. When I told my mom this, she proclaimed him a keeper.

16. After our third date, he sent a bouquet of flowers to my office. SO ROMANTIC.

17. For our first anniversary he took me on a trip to British Columbia. It was a surprise for me, and I couldn't believe what a lovely gift it was.

18. His favorite Christmas song is "Last Christmas" by WHAM!

19. Two of his celebrity crushes are Amy Grant and Catherine Keener.

20. He does a really good Billy Corgan (of the Smashing Pumpkins) impression.

21. He's not ashamed to go to such un-foodie restaurants as Chili's, the Rainforest Cafe, and Red Robin. He actually prefers it, to my horror.

22. One time Dotty went missing and he made an elaborate poster to hang up around the neighborhood. It was beautiful. She wasn't really lost; just being a brat.

23. When he was a little kid, he was really into opera, specifically Wagner's "The Ring."

24. He asked for my family's permission/blessing before proposing... Not that it was necessary :)

25. If he wasn't talented enough already, he's also a wonderful writer. Geez louise!

26. He held my hand when I got my ears pierced, and when I had my IUD put in (the latter was a bit more painful than the former).

27. He's great at karaoke. Even if he doesn't know the song, he makes it work.

28. He has good taste in baby names... Kylie, Kaelin, Katelynn, Kendall... The WORST! (I heartily apologize to anyone who has one of those names)

29. When I'm having a bad day, he'll send me silly animal photos to cheer me up.

30. He tells me he loves me every day.

That's Josh. In a nutshell. Babe, thank you for being all that you are. I'm glad you were born.