H is for Husband

It's time to honor "The Doug." He thought I wasn't going to do this...boy was he silly. So here it is, my post dedicated to the man with the plan, Doug Dwyer.

I've known Doug since the Fall of 1999. It's your traditional story. We met, we fell in love, we got engaged, we got married. We married on July 5, 2003. This year will be our fifth anniversary.

Some people talk about soul mates or true love. I don't know how to label what Doug and I share. I think the best description of it is "real." We stick together because we love each other, but there is more than that. Our relationship is something that takes a lot of work. We fight, we make up, we aggravate each other, we soothe each other. We really just work to make each other happy. But people who talk about soul mates and true love, I don't really think they get that it's so much more than that. Couples who stay together because it's easy don't necessarily get the work that goes into a marriage that takes work. A marriage of two very strong-willed people. In the end, our relationship works because we fight for it and each other. We really only can work with each other and that's the best way to explain it.

So, who is "Husband"? Well, he is a computer programmer, a math guru, an amazing cook, a strict and loving father, an ardent conservative, and a loyal friend. He does the dishes, a job I hate, and keeps our accounts balanced and in check. He makes me think, he forces me outside of my comfort zone, and he is brutally honest. The man is confident in who he is and what he wants, but he respects what others want, too. In short, he isn't perfect, but he is "real" just like our love. That's what earns him a spot in my heart and in my alphabet.