Will you be my Valentine?

I am not going to lie life has been pretty hard lately. As all my readers know I have been handed a challenge in my life that has tested me in every which way possible. After 2 months of gaining sole custody of Justin’s girls I have realized that I have a greater appreciation for foster parents.

Not that my stepchildren are foster kids but they are children that I don’t know. I don’t know much about their background other than what has been told to me. I don’t know how they have been raised, their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, their likes & dislikes. Somedays I feel like I don’t know how to relate to them but yet day in and day out I try. OH HOW I TRY…
There have been moments when I just want to throw in the towel and give up. I have found myself upon my knees pleading with God to just “make it work”

I have felt anger, I have felt pain, I have cried, I have watched my husband cry, I have felt compassion & love. I have fought the fight.

Through this trial I have realized that at the end of every day that I have a rock.

I have a firm, strong, patient, loving, giving, ROCK!! That rock is my husband.

I met Justin in 2005 & from day one I knew he was what I wanted in a husband. He has been handed some lousy trials in life & it amazes me on how he has risen above it all & become a better person through the hardships.

He lifts me up, he reminds me of all that we have to be grateful for. When I am at my lowest of low’s he has a way to help me see the good in all things. He has been my greatest support system & has patient with me while I learn patience with the situation.

So today I would like to tell you a little about my “Valentine” Justin.

1. Justin loves to travel with me. He & I both agree that it has to be somewhere with white sandy beaches, snorkeling, & lots of peach smoothies! We both also agree we dis like cruises!

2. He has this secret love for his golf cart. The day Justin brought home the golf cart I wondered if he had really lost all of his marbles! I was NOT happy & thought it to be a complete waste of money but he was out to prove me wrong. It only took me a month of sitting next to him in the golf cart for nightly cruises around the neighborhood to recognize it was worth every penny he paid. He has since used the golf cart to pull kids behind it on sleds, skateboards & even uses the water skiing ropes to accomplish this! He truely knows how to find fun no matter how redneck it looks!

3. Justin loves to suprise me. He bought me a jewelry box for Christmas one year & hid it in his jeep. Me being the snoop that I am found it & had it all set up before he got home. He was not happy about that & ever since then he will go to great lengths to hide & cover up gifts to make sure my birthdays & holidays are a suprise for me.

When we got engaged I had no idea he was going to propose he planned out the whole proposal perfectly. We had never gone “ring shopping” I hate picking out my own ring. I refuse & would rather be suprised. Justin picked out my ring on his own & even stole a ring out of my jewelry box to make sure my wedding ring fit the second he slid it on my finger. To this day it is my favorite piece of jewelry it means more to me that he took the time to figure out what I like & suprise me with it.

4. He doesn’t care what other people think, Justin stands up for what he believes in & doesn’t back down when he knows what it true. He fights for what he believes in. Literally, I have watched him fight for truth for 4 years now!

5. He uses teen spirit berry blossom deodorant & loves it! 😉 I got him hooked on it & he will tell you it works better than any man’s deodorant! (haha Jus I just had to throw that one in there!)

6. Justin is a giver. He gives his services to people all the time, he doesn’t hesitate to use his tools to help a neighbor build a loft in their garage, fix their car, help them haul garbage off or work in their yard. He uses his skills to help other’s with tasks that they cannot do themselves. It amazes me at how he loves a project & no matter where it is at he is right there willing to jump in and work.
(here he is installing my sisters dishwasher)

7. He rubs my feet with lotion & cuddles with me almost every night until I fall asleep.

8. He has patience with his daughter’s. Sav & Sam have had a rough road but Justin is so patient with them & takes the time to focus on his kids. He has taken Kaden on numerous camp out’s & enjoys “cart boarding” with Kade.

9. He makes me laugh, I can be completely angry or upset with him & he will tell me we can’t fight unless we fight NAKED!! It gets me everytime & of course after a comment like that it is hard to fight with him at all.

10. He is my human alarm clock. I sleep through alarms & so every morning he will rub my back & talk to me until he knows I am awake.

11. Justin does laundry & dishes. He cleans up after dinner every single night, starts the dishwasher & always makes sure he unloads it in the morning so I don’t have to.

12. He also scrubs the shower…

13. He is loyal & can keep a secret – I know because I have shared A LOT of deep dark secrets with this man. He is loyal to whomever he is in a relationship with. I can trust him & never question anything he tells me.

14. He loves the Fourth of July & I can’t wait to share the Idaho Falls firework show with him this year!

15. He like sweettarts, sprees, smarties, runts – any type of candy that is sweet.

16. His favorite soda is Mountain dew. He RARELY drinks water but drinks a lot of gatorade, orange juice & Hawaiian punch.

17. He is very competitive. Just ask anyone who has gone go cart racing with him.

18. Justin is a priesthood holder. He cries sometimes during hymns.
He has influenced my children to be strong in the church. He has set an amazing example for Kaden & Maeli in accepting the challenge to baptize Maeli & ordain Kaden.

19. He is the love of my life. I never really knew the depth of love until I met Justin. He drives me absolutely crazy sometimes but he gets me through most of my days. I couldn’t imagine life without him.

JUSTIN – I LOVE YOU!! Thank you for being you! Thank you for being my husband Happy Valentines!