I consider myself a private person so isn’t it crazy I am writing a blog for all the world to see?  Maybe. But at this point in my life it works for me and I am in a sharing kind of mood.

This one is for my hubby, Norm.  He has a big birthday coming up – the notorious big five-o.  That being said, oh boy,  here goes…

Dear Norm, for your 50th birthday…
50 Things I Love About You

1. Your warm boyish grin with those twinkly eyes that still make me melt a little every time you smile at me.

2. The way you sometimes reach out to hold my hand when we are sleeping.

3. The respect you have and show towards your mother and all women.

4. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done/said that” is something you say (if not totally willingly) when it matters most.

5. Your ability to lighten my mood when I am irritated at the world by bending over and flashing your pasty white buns my way.

6. Your ability to laugh with me, at the most ridiculous things, to the point where non-stop hysterical giggling has set in – much to the utter dismay of those around us.

7. Your masterful use of misdirection to get me to forget my pain.
e.g. in the labor and delivery room during my grueling 10th hour of labor, you exclaimed, “Come on! Your contractions aren’t that bad. Some women in other countries give birth while on their feet tending to farm chores”.

8. Your ability to survive a barrage of swear words screamed at your face.

9. The way you love me.

10. The way you love your sons.

11. The way you love your friends.

12. The way you love your family.

13. The way you always offer a helping hand to complete strangers. e.g. pulling over to help an older lady who has a flat tire, building bikes for foster children, helping moms carry strollers on the airport escalator …just to name a few.

14. Your complete and utter loyalty to your football team, the Colts, even though they suck.

15. The way you encourage me to go on my girls’ weekends and never seem to tire of your same lame-o joke:
Him: “Be sure to send me a pic of your nude-y pillow-fights!”
Me: …sigh…
Him: “O.K. then if no pillow-fights then a pic of you fondling each other?”
Me: “Oh, Good Lord!”

16. Your loyalty and fierce defense of your childhood friends when they do stupid things.
e.g. “He didn’t eat much today” –referring to the friend “sleeping” on the lawn outside the front door to a college bar we entered.
“It was hot!” – why his friends drove from Canada to Michigan buck naked, exclaiming to the border officer that they had nothing to declare…

17. Your ability to build big, roasty-toasty, campfires.

18. The way you take pride in your Latvian heritage. e.g. serving the Latvian community by supporting Latvian schools, summer camps, cultural and sporting events.

19. The way you raise your sons to honor not only the USA where they were raised and live but to also honor and take pride in their Latvian heritage.

20. Keeping family traditions alive by baking THE best Latvian rye bread and “udens klingeri” (soft pretzels) that are so great hot out of the oven, smothered in butter and chased by cold beer…Yum!

21. When you are away for business or pleasure, how you always check in with me before going to bed.

22. Your unabashed endless love for “Blazing Saddles” and ability to quote any scene from the movie.
e.g. “No, thank you. Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben.”
“Mongo only pawn… in game of life.”
“Harrumph!”

23. The beautiful tone of your singing voice.

24. The love you have for nature, the ocean, mountains and wildlife.—(Who can spot the first signs of wildlife? is a game we played on every camping trip, vacation or road trip).

25. Your excitement at seeing a big ball of tumbleweed rolling down the highway.

26. Your excitement at seeing a little ball of tumbleweed rolling down the highway.

27. Your excitement at seeing any kind of dry bush on the side of the highway –cause that is going to turn into tumbleweed someday!

28. Your total lack of self-discipline when it comes to whipped cream.
Who needs the ice cream, banana or toppings? Multiple shots of whipped cream straight out of the can and into your baby bird opened mouth is your idea of part of an essential breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

29. The saddest little whimper you make when you hear the sound of those last drops of whipped cream struggle to eject from the bottom of the almost empty can of Reddi Whip.

30. The saddest, biggest boo-boo face you make when you realize, after several failed attempts, Yes, the can is truly empty.

31. The utter joy on your face when you see your kids at the airport when they fly home from college for a break.

32. The sense of calm and peace that radiates from you the second you step within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park.

33. The fact that you always carry all of the heavy water bottles and other heavy items in your back pack and let me carry the tissues, chips and chapstick.

34. Your reaction when a grizzly bear walked through our Yellowstone campsite as we were setting up our tent.
Him: “This is fantastic!!! What a beautiful bear!!! Where is my big lens camera?”
Me: “This is terrible!!! What a huge bear!!! Where is the closest hotel?”

35. The way you snuggle with your dog as you watch sports on T.V.

36. The way you make the dog wear a Colts jersey.

37. The way you pretend the dog loves wearing the Colts jersey.

38. Your ability to come up with a solution for every mechanical problem that arises in our household.

39. Your knack of calming me down by your even-tempered manner.

40. The cool way you look as you carry your surfboard towards the water.

41. The way you show off your questionably good dance move aka The Wave, to try to impress anyone that is willing to look.

42. Your talent for making really good vodka tonics, margaritas, lari’s and white russians.

43. How much you pamper me on Mother’s Day and my birthday.

44. How much you pamper me every other day of the year.

45. Your unapologetic hankering to always buy yet more succulents for your enormous succulent collection.

46. Your willingness to go sea glass hunting with me so I can add to my enormous sea glass collection.

47. Your inescapable charm.

48. The fact you have kept every love note I hid in your luggage during your business travels over the course of the years.

49. Your choice of friends (well, most of them).

50. Your choice of a wife and mother to your children. 🙂

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Daudz Laimes Norm!

“Ze moon! Ze June! Ze spoon! C’est l’amour!! C’est toujours!” Pepé Le Pew

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