birthday boy

josh turned 32 on monday! we both took the day off from work and walked around boston until we couldn't feel our toes. greek gyros for lunch. thai food for dinner. duncan hines classic yellow cake with chocolate whipped frosting for the ending. married for 6 years; here are some of the things that make me love him more and more every day.

-he is such a great husband, son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend. even though we live miles away from most of our family, he keeps them laughing. he is a breath of fresh air in many people's lives because he doesn't take things so seriously.

-if you were to ask him if he likes desserts, he would say "no"-i guarantee it. but, when i make cookies, cake, or a pie he eats it like there's no tomorrow. so cute.

-he loves taking care of our plants. he treats our aloe and rosemary plants with the most respect-religiously watering them and using the kitchen spray faucet to get the leaves and soil. he dreams of having a huge garden someday where we can grow vegetables and herbs. i have a feeling it will be well taken care of.

-josh is left-handed. creative. not mainstream. a designer. landscape architect. he likes clean lines and believes that less is more and that simple is better in design, nature, and photography.

-i respect the fact that he left the field of sales to enter the field of landscape architecture that gives him more personal satisfaction. it wasn't easy changing careers, going to graduate school and taking the path less traveled, but he did it and i am so proud of him. i think landscape architecture feeds his soul and lets his creativity soar.

-he was such a strong support when i was working full time and going to grad school at night. when i would come home from a 14 hour day of work and class frusturated and wanting to quit; he would have an incredible meal waiting and would listen to me and would give me the confidence that i needed to fight through and finish.

-he loves nature. hiking, moutain biking, kayaking, skiing, sledding. and especially camp fires.

-he's concerned about the environment. if i accidently throw away a used jar that could be recycled, he'll find it in the trash and call me out on it. his master's thesis was on alternative energy (wind turbines), a topic he is very passionate about.

-in the morning when josh is walking from the bedroom to the bathroom he usually does something goofy by saying something funny or pulling his pajama bottoms up to his armpits. it makes the morning easy and light.

-he loves tales of survival; man vs. wild, ernest shackleton, everest, jon krakauer books. i think he would thrive if he lived in the wilderness without modern conveniences.

-no matter how long we live in the boston area, he will always remain loyal to the browns, cavs, and indians.

-hard worker. he doesn't just get something done. he takes the finished product to another level and is detailed oriented and conscientious.

-he has embraced my family. he and my brother have so many inside jokes i can't keep them straight. and he leaves funny voice mail messages at my parent's house so that they can play them back through the year and crack up.

-he can take a boring routine chore, and turn it into the most hilarious thing of the day.

-we do everything together. we grocery shop, take walks, explore boston, read magazines in bed together before we fall asleep, cook, laugh and dream about our future together. he is my best friend, my soul mate and the one that makes life interesting. i think he's really neat and i'm really excited about spending the rest of my life with him.