All about Emily

Normally I let Emily do all the typing and keep this blog updated. I don't normally contribute but every once in awhile I like to contribute my own trite little blogs. Not that they say much or mean much but they make me feel good. I have noticed that Emily talks a lot about the kids and she mentions me quite often but we don't really get to hear much about her and her life. So tonight since I am sitting in my hotel room in Nashville instead of being home with my family I figured I would give you a little insight into Emily's life (I'll try to keep the mushy stuff to a minimum but there will be some).

I have known Emily for just over nine years now. We will be married for nine years on the 1st of October. You would think after nine years I would know everything about her. the crazy thing is that I still am learning new things about her all the time. What I do know is that first of all she loves me very much. That means a lot to me. I have always thought she was a little crazy to say yes to a marriage proposal from someone she had only been dating for three weeks but she did and here we are. And how thankful I am for that. She committed to me to be my wife and if there is one thing about Emily is that if she commits to anything it will get done and so far she has done very well on that commitment even when I haven't made it very easy on her.

The second thing that I know about Emily is that she loves her children more than anything. I know she feels more like their slave than their mother sometimes but she does so much for them and asks for nothing in return. I admire my two sisters that are very successful at their jobs and they are amazing women, but when I compare them to what Emily does and how much she sacrifices in order to stay at home and deal with what she has to deal with - they just don't hold a candle to her. You can say that you would be bored to be "just" a house wife but frankly I could never do it. Who wants a job that doesn't ever end? I get to leave my job and come home and do something different, and eventhough I help around the house and take care of the children when I am home, I "get" to leave and go to my job. Emily doesn't have that luxury. She literally works 365 days a year at the exact same thing day in and day out. I could never do that and it seems to me that more and more women in this day seem to not be able to do it either. For this I am very grateful that Emily is one of the strong women that can be a stay at home mom.

The third thing I know about Emily is that her mother was her best friend until the day she died and that Emily's family - Father and brothers and sister are very important to her and that she loves them very much also. She also shows them this love and tells them often. This was a hard thing for me at first because my family, although we love each other, we don't show that love in any outward expression. She would literally do anything for them and they would in turn do anything for her.

The fourth thing I know about Emily is that she is very loyal to her friends. She is so thoughtful when it comes to making sure they are happy and taken care of. She worries about them a lot and is always trying to find ways that she can help them out and actually gets frustrated when they won't let her help them. (So Holly start letting her take care of your kids more often!) The thing is Emily is kinda the quiet sort and has a hard time making friends. However, once she has made a friend they become friends for life and become just as important to her as any of her family.

The fifth thing I know about Emily is that she is a clean freak. Yes, honey, I called you a freak. And for good reason. Our house is extremely clean all the time. It drives her crazy when it isn't. Now, I'm no slob and I like cleanliness too, but I don't come close to Emily. This is actually one of my favorite traits about Emily. I like it not only because it is nice to have a clean house but she also teaches our kids to be clean and they will take that with them throughout their entire life. It is part of being responsible and eventhough they don't clean up like Emily would like them to sometimes, they are still learning how important being clean is. There is a miracle that happens in our house anywhere from once to three times a week. One day when I go to get dressed my sock drawer and clothes in the closet are getting a little scarce and then magically then next day my sock drawer is full again and my clothes are all there again. It is incredible. I think we have magical elves or something.

The last thing I am going to mention about Emily is this. Emily is a righteous woman who is raising a family the right way. She is caring and beautiful and wonderful and has a difficult life with four small children and one really big one. She has as strong a will to succeed as any executive of any successful business. However, while their success is measured by how much money they bring in, her success is measured by lives touched and changed for the better. So far honey you are more successful than Bill Gates himself in my eyes. I miss you and can't wait to see you tomorrow! I love you.