14 Years With the Love of My Life

Today is December 21st... the exact day 14 years ago (an icy freezing cold day) that I married the love of my life. Since Brandon is on call today, and had to go to Colorado for work, (nice on our anniversary, huh?) I thought I'd celebrate the day by sharing 14 things about Brandon Christopher. Brandon has always loved nature. He thinks the best sermons happen when you're alone in the mountains. I have loved our time together enjoying the great outdoors, camping, hiking, walking, driving... I love this about him, that he is an outdoorsman.

I love that he knows how to do anything and everything. (At least it seems that way to me... I'm sure he'd say differently.) I love watching him do those manly things... cutting wood to keep us warm in the winter (he actually enjoys splitting logs out back), fixing things, building things (he builds GREAT things, and by great, I mean fantastic, and BIG... he always ends up with a bigger table/chest/armoire than he planned on.)

Even though I pretend to hate his dogs, I love to see him with them, and I'm glad he loves animals. He is like a little boy when he gets a new puppy.

Brandon loves fishing. Loves. Fishing. But this is what I think is amazing... he got to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Canada to fish, and he chose me to go with him. He has fishing buddies... guys who would fish all day, never complain that they were cold, never toss cookies over the side of the boat, never miss a day out on the ocean to read a book because they were queasy from the day before, and never end up catching more fish than Brandon did. He didn't choose those guys, though, because he loves me. I love that he loves to fish, because I love to eat fish. I wish that he was able to go more often.

Brandon doesn't quit, or give up early on a job. When I'm doing something hard, I take "breaks" far too often, or decide that I can "finish tomorrow". Brandon starts a job, and finishes a job. He also sticks with his money-making jobs far longer than most of his co-workers do. He's just the kind of guy that when he starts something, he wants to make it work, and sticks with it to the end. He's an amazingly hard worker, and puts more effort in than most people would. I always know that he'll take care of us, no matter what.

I always want to be around Brandon. We have been lucky enough to take a few trips together, like this one to Mexico, the trip to Canada, and California. I enjoy every minute with him, and wish that we had more of these trips together. I crave time with him, and never get tired of being with him. He's funny, he's smart, and he agrees with everything I say. (Okay, I just threw that one in for fun... he definitely does NOT agree with everything I say, but that's what makes our conversations so much fun.) Sometimes we'll both be exhausted, but we stay up waaaay too late talking. Even when he's too tired to talk, he enjoys listening to me talk, and tells me not to stop. I know he's really sleeping, but sometimes I have to talk anyway.

Brandon is a cowboy. The kind of cowboy who feels the wildness in his soul but has to live a different life. I hate that he can't live the life that is so much a part of him, and I'm hoping that heaven can be all the things he's missing out on. I want him to have a ranch, horses, land... lots and lots of land. I want him to be able to spend his days doing the things he loves. Someday, babe, someday.

I love that we fit together perfectly. I have a hard time sleeping without Brandon next to me, because he's so comfortable. We fit together perfectly in every way... he's the sweet to my sour, he's the calm to my storm. He balances me out, and makes me a better person.

Brandon's only fault as a dad is that his work takes him away too much. He loves his kids so much, and has always been amazing. I love that he was there for me through every pregnancy... through bed rest, bed pans, and numerous trips to the hospital to stop early labor. I love that he mourned with me the loss of three of our babies. I love that he's always been happy with what we've been blessed with. He teaches his kids so many things, and he blesses our lives often with priesthood blessings and guidance.

I love to listen to Brandon play his guitar and sing. He started late in life, when I got him a guitar for Christmas one year (oh boy, was that fun! He was so surprised!) He sings from the heart, and I love the songs he "writes" for me on the spur of the moment. I love how supportive he's been of me, and my music, and everything I've done with the violin.

I love his adventurous spirit, and his willingness to try things. He tortured his mom at times when he was a kid... climbing up tall trees, getting on top of the fridge when he was teeny, and getting into one scrape after another. Sometimes, after listening to his stories, I am amazed that he made it through childhood at all.

Brandon makes friendships slowly, but when he makes a friend, he's loyal for life. He's definitely not a social butterfly, and will usually avoid being around a lot of people if he can. He'll do anything for you, though, once the bond is there. Landon is one of those friends... Brandon will drive hours to go hunting with Landon, and looks forward to opening day for pheasant or duck hunting.

Brandon loves little kids. Sometimes you wouldn't know this, because one of the ways he shows it is to tease them mercilessly, but he has a way with most kids. He can calm just about any baby, and has nephews and nieces that call on the phone for Uncle Bobo. I often wish that there were more babies in our future, partly because I love watching Brandon with them. I guess I'll be content with the babies-on-loan.

There are so many more things I could say about this man... I love him more every single day. I love him more now than I ever could've known 14 years ago. I am grateful every single day that I married him, and I am even more grateful that our love will never end. I love you forever, Brandon!