Happy Birthday Brian!!!

By the Way-I had all these posts scheduled to post while we were gone this weekend...when much to my dismay I came home to our internet (why am I surprised) had timed out and none of them posted. So, now I have lots of posts. I hope you guys don't get sick of our trip. We've done so much since I last posted and it's all really fun...so get ready. We're flying out tomorrow (Monday) so I won't have much time to post anyway, so it works out for the best.

The MAIN reason I was bummed was because it was Brian's birthday on Friday and I wanted to give him a birthday tribute post. It was really funny because I was second guessing whether or not I should do one...mostly since I thought he would get embarrassed. But then when I mentioned it, he said, "Wow. I get a famous Christy Birthday Post? I'm kinda stoked. What are you gonna say?" He was all flattered. So, that was good. But now I'm all nervous. So, I hope I can live up to his expectations. (I get a little nervous with every one I write cuz I have this thing about me that when I have to think of things quickly...I choke and don't know what to say. I would never last on the red carpet or on Oprah's couch. :) )

Anyway, I hope I can get a few things in, and then if not, I can save the rest for next year.




Okay, so instead of just writing all these random memories and stuff, I'm going to do something different. He plays so many roles in our lives that I am going to start listing all the "titles" that he carries. Well, at least some of them. Here goes:

Stealth Nerd-First off, he's a total computer nerd, but a hot computer nerd. So, that makes him being a nerd totally okay. He and his friend came up with the term "Stealth Nerd" awhile ago cuz they're totally smart, but people on the streets wouldn't know it cuz they're so "cool." He definitely keeps my "cool" factor in check (cuz most of you know I don't have much of one) with all the up-to-date gadgets and gizmos he buys us. I always have the newest ipod (for Mother's Day he bought me the 8GB iTouch), the fastest and biggest (as in "memory") computer and every room in my house is hooked up to a remote control dimmer fan light. When I wanted a humidifier in my room, we didn't just get the $20.00 one from Walmart that I probably would have bought, we got the top of the line one from Bed, Bath and Beyond that makes no noise at all. We always have the most state-of-the art electronics in our house. I'm not surprised when a weekly box from "New Egg Electronics" shows up at our house.

Handyman/Builder/Contractor-Speaking of ceiling fans, when we got married he discovered this hidden talent for a love of fixing up things and building things in our house. And I'm not talking just a little spackle here and there. As most of you know, he built our platform bed from scratch (and it would rival any professional bed out there), he completely replaced our kitchen sink, replastered/textured our bedroom ceiling, has painted every room in our house, designed, built and epoxied our computer desks (that even have touch lights) and has replaced every ceiling fan in our house (ya, they're all balanced and noiseless cuz he HATES noise).

Chauffer & Expensive Car Connoisseur (Is there a title for that?)-Brian doesn't realize how much I love this quality in him, but I love that he is the one that drives almost everywhere we go. He looks hot doing it too. Mostly cuz he always has the coolest sunglasses on, sitting in the coolest cars, with the coolest, most relaxed look on his face. I just love watching him when he drives. Also, one thing he loves to do is make "light" conversation about EVERY SINGLE CAR on the road and why he likes it, or why it's a hot car, or why he would never buy THAT car. I definitely have gained a new appreciation for cars and their makers. I have to admit, I didn't even know that his Audi was a nice car when he and I met. While all my brothers and sisters were salivating, I was like, "What's the biggie? It's like any Ford Focus on the road." Haha. He about had a heart attack. I wonder why he married me after that comment.

Psychologist, Anger Management Counselor & Voice of Reason-I've been known to overreact on occasion. :) Not much. But there are a few people who can really get under my skin. What normally happens is that I get a lot of advice from close friends and family. On occasion, I'm not really convinced that their advice is the best for me. But Brian? He is truly the voice of reason. I know I can always explain a situation and he can see every person's view, find the most logical solution and help me figure out a way of dealing with it. He is like that in every area of his life. He has a way with his family, his coworkers, and people at church. It's so amazing and I don't think he even knows he has this quality. He also just looks at me and says "Guuuusfrabahhhhh" (From "Anger Management") and all I do is laugh. He knows how to calm me down and he knows how to make me feel better about a situation.


Motivator-I'm such a procrastinator. Not Brian. When we talk about something, or buy something at the store he puts it together the minute we get home, unlike me who would probably wait for 2 weeks to get it done, he is a doer, not a talker. I LOVE that about him.


Movie Watcher-He LOVES LOVES LOVES movies. We probably have 350 movies in our DVD collection. And he won't only just watch a movie one time. He's been known to watch movies 10-15 times. He loves movies like many of us love our favorite TV show.

Avid Reader-We have hundreds of books in our house. And just like his movie watching, he'll read a book four or five times. He is always reading.

Smarty Pants-hehe. I couldn't think of any other title for him for this. I am just always impressed at how smart he is. Did you guys know he has a Bachelors Degree and TWO Masters? And he earned one of the Masters Degrees WHILE getting his Bachelors Degree. He studies his Gospel Doctrine (DOCTRINE) lesson only an hour before church and can bounce around the scriptures no problem. He can solve almost any computer problem. And when he doesnt' know something, he actually sits and READS the pages and pages of text that the manufacturer gives on how to do something. He has taught himself skills more than anyone else I know. Sometimes I'll just see a blank screen with boring words all along the page and ask him what he's doing...His reply, "Just reading all the specs about the new windows Beta program being released this month...." "Oh, okay..." and I walk away with wide eyes and a laugh.

Giftgiver-He is the most awesome gift giver. But I don't want to just write on how his gifts are so perfect for me, and that he knows exactly what I want, but he always is thinking about it weeks in advance...every girls' dream. And any time he's going to be gone out of town, he makes sure he takes care of our birthdays and anniversaries before he goes. BEFORE he goes. Who does that!?

Stepdad & Dad- He is such a great dad to Spencer and the girls. I'll be honest. I didn't grow up in a family where stepparents were always the nicest to their stepchildren. Not my own parents, but extended family. In those families, the most important thing was that their ego was salvaged, much to the kids' expenses. It was very sad to me so I vowed never to find someone that was horrible to Xoe & Xanthe. He is very much a stable parent for the both of them. He guides them, has great advice for them, plays with them and keeps their well-being on the forefront of his mind, as if they were his own. He always, however, encourages them to have a good relationship with their real dad in Utah, and is always willing to help get them out to see him, even if it's driving the 3 hours to Phoenix so they can get on a plane to fly out there. Not to mention the fact that he brought them to Europe and already had a million things planned BEFORE we got here that he knew the girls would love. He said that when he was doing them, he thought, "Oh the girls would LOVE this!" He gets excited for their happiness and loves to give them what they need. Do we even need to talk about how amazing he is with Spencer? Spencer LOVES him. He knows that his daddy is in love with him too. Here are ways that Brian is such a good daddy...first off, he loves Spencer's mommy. That's the best thing! hehe. And second, he helps take the burden of Spencer off my hands. This whole time in Europe, he carried Spencer everywhere, woke up in the night with me, and would take him on errands and activities with him to give me a break. He gives Spencer whatever he needs and never complains about the money it costs or the time it's taking. He worries for Spencer's health and is involved in everything "Spencer". He truly is such an amazing daddy to all three of them.

Kid At Heart-Come on. For those of you who know him, Brian is the first on the roller coaster, the first in the card game and the first to hike up a mountain. He loves adventure and loves the thrill of the unknown. He's not a crazy adventurer so he knows his limits, which is good. Where I tend to be a recluse, Brian encourages me to explore and get out there. When he's here in Germany alone, he'll drive two hours to a waterfall just to see it. Me? I probably would have just done things locally. He really has taught me how not to be scared of the unknown. (And I had SO many pictures of him on rides and being all fun and stuff, but I'm saving them for my other posts. So, just keep in mind this last quality I wrote about when seeing him riding down the Alpine Slides and crossing a bridge 500 feet in the air across a water ravine.)

#1 Husband-I can't say enough about him as a husband. He's so patient, kind and supportive to me. We love hanging out together and we laugh all the time. He encourages me to be better, yet he's understanding, SO understanding about my health. Did I mention he's patient? He is so even-keeled. He hardly ever gets riled up, so when he does, you know it's serious. He sees beyond my weight, and makes me feel beautiful, all the while supporting my many a-tried diets and exercise.

Brian, I really hope you know how much we all love you and how highly we think of you. Every day I'm amazed that I found you and am so grateful to spend forever with you. I'm so very sad that it's going to be a month and a half before we see each other again, but I'm so glad knowing that you'll always come home to us and that we have you in our lives.

Happy Birthday. And to many more!