He rarely utters a cross word. I take a secret pleasure when Faye has been naughty enough for him to actually use a stern voice and tell her "NO!!" because he NEVER raises his voice. He may seem kinda tough on the outside but has a heart of JELLO on the inside. Even when I am upset at someone or something, he never fails to really try to understand how or what they are feeling, what the motivation was, how it could be looked at positively. (It's annoying how open-minded he can be, actually.) He is always encouraging me to think of it "from their perspective."
We have our differences, but really, they are few and far between. I'm about half (ok, realistically, less than half) as nice and kind as forgiving as Brad. He makes our marriage work about 75% of the time and I take the other 25%. He asks so little from me, it makes me ashamed how much I demand of him, his time, his energy.
He listens. He cares. He is observant. He can tell you almost all the people he has ever met and something about them. He remembers all the details about all the childhood memories. When we are with his family or friends from growing up, he can fill in all the gaps in their stories.
I think I am the luckiest girl in the world. He is funny and clever, he loves our children, and I LOVE HIM. He is the answer to many prayers. He is my better half. I love our children more bc they are part him. He makes me happier than I could have ever imagined a friend, confidant and husband could.
For our anniversary he took me to Amelia's on Balboa Island where we went on our first date. It was delicious and romantic and lovely to be out with my favorite person all to myself.
Brad Barttels, I love you. Thanks for the best years of my life. Here's to an eternity more!
