An Open Letter to my Husband on His Birthday

Happy birthday, my love. It’s a big one, this year. The big 3-0.

I’ve been thinking all day about how I’ve been lucky enough to be next to you for an entire decade. I’ve known 20-year-old Eric, and now I’m married to 30-year-old Eric. I’ve watched you grow from a cute boy who loves Creed and had frosted tips in his hair to the most handsome man with a burly red beard who works his butt off, inspires others to be better, loves and leads his wife phenomenally… and still loves Creed. Some things never change.

You had a pretty “ehh” birthday. We just got done with the busiest week we’ve had thus far in our photography career and a double-header wedding weekend, so we spent a lot of the day in bed, resting our throbbing feet. We went for a yummy lunch, you decided you actually didn’t want to see a movie and the zoo was almost closed before we decided we wanted to go, so you chose the “old man” option of going to Home Depot to look at landscape timbers, which you LOVED. And I love that about you. You’ve always had such an old soul, and you find joy in sitting on the front porch sipping coffee and spending what feels like hours in the hardware store. At lunch, we were eating our chips and salsa (would you expect anything less!?), and when “Day-O” played on the radio at the restaurant, we acted out the scene from Beetlejuice (anyone remember? It’s much creepier as an adult than as a child. Watch it here) and laughed hysterically at each other. I think, despite the uneventful day, we had a lot of fun. Just being silly and being with one another.

I would not have gotten through this last year without you, and I thank God for you every day. So much has happened this year, and you’ve been such a stronghold through it all. You’re such a good man and a good husband. My biggest accomplishment is being your wife, and I hope you know how much you are loved.

So here’s to you, old man. I love you always, forever.