Today marks four years of marriage (what????), but it also marks seven years since I sent you a letter on your missions that stated that it was one year since you first sent me a valentine. I found that letter the other day, it was embarrassing. I totally want to burn it and forget that ever happened; but I do want to share one thing with ya: “Elder Jacobs, I want you to know that of all the gifts God has given me, you are one of the greatest, and when I count my blessings each night, I count you at the very least twice. You are my Valentine and you always will be. I love you with all my heart :) Please be mine! (now and forever)”. I had no clue when I wrote you that letter that I would actually get to call you my forever valentine.
Thank you for choosing me. We had a long wait till our first date; a long long wait. You dated some and I dated a ton, but you waited faithfully for me. In fact one time you even told me when you were happy for me when I was dating someone else; later in our marriage you told me that was the hardest thing you ever had to do, choosing my happiness over your own.
Thank you for being there for me. Our relationship really started when you passed your phone number on to a friend to give to me (shout out to Jessica for texting him when I was too shy to). But even from afar on through texting that was paid for by the minute (those days were the worst!) you were there for me. You were the emotional backboard I needed through high school and college and you have been the one who has held me up (sometimes even physically- I have rough pregnancies). I can always count on you to say just what I need to hear.
Thank you for making me laugh. Yesterday was a rough day. It seriously was a dark cloud hanging over me, I want to give up kind of day. But it ended with me uncontrollably laughing while I was gasping for air and wiping tears from my eyes as you explained the steps of muffling a fart (I didn’t know that was a thing). You went into great details about how and when and you even went so far as to stand up and demonstrate. I also love when we have a moment of silence and you break it with that joke you have told me over a million times, but it gets me every time! (Did you hear that North Korea was voted Best Korea by North Korean Magazine?)
Thank you for loving me through my best and worst moments. You and I have had a lot of good moments, and those are easy to love each other through; but it’s those hard moments when the worst in me comes out. Like the other day when I called you home from work because I was overwhelmed with stress. You walked in the door to the kids crying at the top of their lungs and me in fetal position on the kitchen floor sobbing. I was not my best self. You immediately soothed the kids, cleaned the apartment and then came and sat by my side. We sat in silence while I calmed my tears and then you said one thing, “I’m not mad. I love you.” My world was complete chaos and I couldn't find the strength to handle any of the stress, but you were there when I needed you, and you loved me through it all.
Thank you for not judging me. I grew up with a fair amount of bullying at school, as well as that pesky negative voice inside of my head commentating everything I do. I assume a lot of judgement and I’m very sensitive to even the slightest bit of criticism. But I know that you will never judge me. You will love me despite the way I view myself, and you will always see the good over the bad. Also thank you for not judging me when I pile the laundry onto our bed in hopes that will motivate me to fold it, only to shove it into the dryer before bed so I don’t have to look at it and feel guilty that I didn’t fold it (no shame at the fact that I have shoved the clothes back into the dryer twice and they still are not folded).
Thank you for being my adult conversation. Communication is key for me. I spend my day talking to little humans who communicate by replacing “L’s” with “W’s” and everything takes three times longer to explain. So when you come home and start up a conversation about something other than fishy crackers and “going on a trip in our favorite rocketship” (#LivyLu is OBSESSED with Little Einsteins). Oh how I crave hearing your voice our deep conversations over “The Office” (why did it take us so long to get into that show!?).
Thank you for eating all the nasty meals I have made when trying new recipes (most people would turn up their nose and say “that was nasty”, you just say “well that was different”), for texting me with GIF’s all day, singing very loud and off key with me every time “Shut up and Dance” comes onto the radio, being the responsible adult to get up twenty times a night when Clara wakes up (why won’t that girl sleep!) when I totally heard her and woke up before you but pretend to be asleep, and being the one in our marriage who is always the first to say sorry.
I will love you forever, and I will forever be grateful for the good man that you are. I am one lucky girl to be married to a man like you.
Thank you for loving me.
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