Happy Birthday, Michael!

For thirty great years, I thought I would list thirty great qualities that I love about you. Here they are, in no particular order:

1.You have an infectious smile. It was the first thing I noticed about you. It brightens every day. I love how you are always smiling when you walk in the door from work. It sure makes it hard for me to keep glowering on a particularly difficult day.

2.You are adventurous. Whether it's new food, a new talent, or a new trail, you are always ready to explore something new. I loved it when you decided you could learn to play the piano and sat down with me in earnest to learn the notes. It was so great to hear you even days later sitting down to practice and stretch yourself more!

3.You have a great sense of humor. I love that we are so connected and find the same things funny. You make me laugh everyday and help me see how absurd things can be sometimes.

4.You are supportive. When I learn a new way to do something better in any aspect of our life, whether it is with our children, finances, or whatever, you listen attentively, help me work out the details, and then support me in it. I know you are behind me in my goals, even when we sometimes lose sight and falter. You always get up and try again with me.

5.You are encouraging. We can always count on you to tell us that we can do it. You encourage your children to read, to learn new things and reach beyond what they can already do, with you coaching along beside them saying, "you can do it!" You encourage me to keep trying and stretch myself to become a better person.

6.You serve others. You are always willing to help anyone in need. You are there for your friends and family in whatever capacity they need, installing sprinklers, fences, floors, bathroom tubs, fixing sliding doors, putting up drywall, stopping for drivers in distress... A common phrase I hear from you is "can I get your _______ for you?" You not only think of others, but you act on it. This is very admirable to me, and something I'm trying to emulate.

7.You are affectionate. You always shower me with hugs and kisses and I love it! Whenever we go for a period with either of us being so busy that we barely see each other, I really miss the closeness I feel by receiving your affections. I love that you kiss me goodbye every morning before you leave for work, no matter how asleep I may be, and you always say "I love you" before we fall asleep at night. You hug and kiss our children, too, so they know how much you love them, as well.

8.You are a fantastic father. I don't worry about our children growing up feeling distant from you or wondering if you really care about them; you show them everyday how much you love them by playing, reading, wrestling, tickling, and joking around with them, as well as taking individual children with you on little errands -- which gives me a break as well as provides some one-on-one time for you and that child.

9.You are the king of communication. One of the first things I learned in our marriage, and one of the most important things, is to communicate clearly. That lesson has helped us so many times, and has prevented so many problems. Sometimes we communicate things to death, but at least we know what each other thinks and how we feel, and we are always on the same page. (Not always in the same paragraph, but at least on the same page.)

10.You are confident. This is another trait of yours I would like to have. You know who you are and you don't worry so much about what other people think of you. Your confidence allows you to plow ahead and try many of the ideas you come up with, with most of them being successful; and when they aren't quite a success, you don't give up. You re-evaluate and try another way.

11.You are assertive. This goes along with being confident, but I admire it so much that I wanted to list it on its own. I love how, even though it may be uncomfortable and make some waves, you stand up for yourself and for your family. You say what needs to be said, not what is desired to be heard. This is a valuable quality, one that I keep trying to develop.

12. You are honest. I love this about you. I know that you will always tell me the truth. Because of this, I feel completely safe with you. I trust you more than anyone else in the world. I know you have my back.

13. You are strong and handy. It is always so nice to have you around, because you can do so many things a million times easier simply because of your strength! You open jars and sippy cups lids for me (usually the ones you have closed so tightly), you lift heavy boxes, move the piano, assemble furniture, fix major and minor household dilemmas, and keep things going smoothly. You are always fixing things and doing such a great job at it!

14.You always do your best. No matter how little a thing it may be, you always do a job you feel good about. I have grown so confident in you over the years as I've seen time and again the quality of your work. In fact, it's gotten so bad, that I've resorted to photographing handymen do their work so you can see what they did when you come home and improve it, if needed! (Usually their work is just fine.) I guess there's a bit of a negative aspect to this quality -- I'm convinced you can do almost anything and have it be great.

15.You are intelligent. You grasp concepts quickly and can see how things work. I appreciate so much your willingness to explain things to me that I haven't been able to comprehend. I'm always amazed at how much you know, and a lot of it is just figuring it out.

16. You are sensitive. I love that you have a tender heart. I love that you can cry with me over touching stories or movies. I love that you can empathize with me and our children. I love that you have no qualms expressing your most vulnerable self; it makes you more of a man in my eyes.

17.You plan ahead. This is important, because I am so spread out that I'm mostly concerned about the moment and don't think of the immediate future much. You think things through, so you pack the diaper bag, you pack well for camping trips and outings to the park, you think ahead to have dinner prepped so we can eat soon after church. You even buy extra at the grocery store, which usually results in "the look" from me, but I'm always grateful for that extra bag of cereal or whatever, so I can put off a trip to the store for one more day.

18.You are passionate. You care deeply about things close to your heart and demonstrate this in your words and actions.

19.You are ingenuitive. You come through for me so many times with your resourcefulness. You literally saved the day on Halloween by creating and sewing Mason's monkey costume! I was so proud of you!

20.You are enthusiastic. You make life so fun by pumping up those around you. You make even the most mundane things fun. I thought it was hilarious how you got the kids so excited to eat their dinner the other day. Thomas wound up eating all of it and laughing all the while!

21.You are focused. When you start a task, you stick to it until you get it done. I am always amazed at how quickly you accomplish things, because you don't allow yourself to get distracted.

22.You are a leader. You have a natural quality where others look to you for guidance. You excel in all aspects of your life, and people look up to you for that. I love how you lead our family in Family Home Evening, Family Prayer, and Family Scripture Study. These things have brought a sweeter spirit into our home. I'm grateful to you for remembering to guide us in these things day after day.

23.You are spiritual. You have been blessed with a gift to understand the scriptures. I love when you open my eyes to a deeper understanding of them, like last Sunday, when you shared that verse with me that I had just read several times over, yet you peeled off another layer of it for me.

24.You are kind. You give people credit and try to see where they're coming from. You recognize that most people are not malicious, and the problem often lies in miscommunication.

25.You are understanding and considerate. You seek to understand where other people are coming from and try to see their viewpoint, even if you don't agree. At least, you understand.

26.You are a fantastic cook. I don't know how you do it, but given the same recipe, yours turn out better. You have the ability to look in the very same refrigerator and cupboards that I look into, and pull together a delicious meal, whereas I would have served up cereal or sandwiches.

27.You are protective. You would do anything for your family, and you have always strived to provide for our needs. You have gone through severly trying circumstances to take care of us. You are my hero.

28.You are diplomatic. I know you sometimes feel like your words get mixed up and you have difficulty getting across what you mean, but for the most part, I think you do a great job. You have served as an effective mediator, and try to handle sensitive issues with care.

29.You always have a positive attitude. You lift me up and bring so much sunshine into my life with your positive, happy way of going through life. I'm so grateful that you don't dwell in negativity; you seek to find how to make things better and find the positive in them. You bring such a joyful spirit into our home.

30.You are my absolute best friend ever. I know that there is nothing you would rather do than hang out with me. I love being with you. I love how you make me feel priceless. You are my perfect partner. I am so blessed to be your wife! I love you always.

I hope today is your best birthday ever, and that you will have many, many more to come! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!