"They say it's your birthday!"

"Dah, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh!"

Well, another year, and another birthday has come again. THIRTY-FOUR years old today. Whew! I remember back when you were only 24 and I thought that was old back then! I was hoping to reminisce on some of those great memories that make YOU special to ME. It's like a non-tangible gift, right?
I know we just talked about this recently, but I do love remembering back to the first time you asked me out. Your pick up line was so genuine, "Are you related to Fred Duran?" you asked. I knew exactly what you were up to just by the look in your eye, but was totally impressed by the personal connection you were trying to make. And that's where our story began...

Since then I've heard ever so many stories about your past. Your family loves to share the good ones over and over and we never tire of hearing them. I bet you can guess their #1 pick - yep, you got it. The one year before Christmas when you were 7 or 8 years old, you decided to unwrap every present you found hidden in the house. Oh, your poor mama - all that time it takes to wrap presents! After you had finished unwrapping (and spoiling every surprise for Christmas) your common sense thunked you in the head and you realized that you were in deep doo doo. That common sense helped you pack up and run away - to the tree house in the back yard. It wasn't until the next morning, after you had been found and scolded for your unwrapping of the presents, that your mama discovered all the meat that had been in the freezer and all the pots and pans from the kitchen had gone missing. She searched high and low until she questioned YOU about the missing items. You'd learned your lesson by now and admitted to taking all that meat and the pots and pans up to the tree house - a kid had to eat if he was running away on his own, of course.

Oh boy, it's stories like these that give me a small glimpse into the future that we will experience with our own children. And Jackson already has us running in circles!

I do love all those stories. They make you who you are today - my most excellent husband and father to our children. You love to camp, hike and spend time in the outdoors. (Note his bday present in the last picture.) You love spending time with the kids going for bike rides and jumping on the trampoline. You make me laugh - even after all these years. You still ask me out and take us on dates every weekend. I love all these and so many other things about you. What's the line? "He [YOU] truly is [ARE] the best man I've ever known." You should know that by heart because I say it enough.

So, enjoy your special day. I love you my honey buns.

(A NOTE TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY: please feel free to share your favorite Jeremy story in the comments - he loves hearing stories about himself!)