Happy Birthday Ashley-10 Things I Love About You

To the most gorgeous woman on earth: my best friend, the love of my life, mother of my kids, and stealer of my french fries…

10. I love how there’s literally no one like you– people are drawn to you and your magnetic personality. You’re hilarious, upbeat, and full of love towards everyone around you (you’d think I’d be saving these for individuals later on, but no. You’ve got enough highlights to fill several top 10 lists).

9. I love how much you love the royal family and England. I love how your eyes just light up when you see an article about the queen or Kate Middleton. Standing in front of Buckingham palace with you while you told me about where the Queen would probably be right now, or watching you walk in front of the Tower of London with our little girls trailing behind, or how you gushed at Harry Potter world (maybe even more than our kids)– made it easily one of the best vacations ever! I feel sorry for everyone else, because they’ve never had a REAL vacation like an Ashley vacation!

8. On that note, I love how you can plan a vacation like a master (scheduled rest days? Brilliant!), and somehow still have this perfect level of flexibility for the unexpected turns (like when we’ve been driving through California all day and our rest stop says “Sorry, we’re full” and we say “No, we have a reservation” and they say “No you don’t, wise guy” and we say “Yes we do, we reserved it on your website” and they say “Oh, our website has issues sometimes” and we say “Okay, then can you fix it? We need a place to say and booked this months ago!” and they say “Sorry, we’re full“. Somehow even then you manage to find an incredible spot to sleep– like Willits right next to Seabiscuit’s house– at the eleventh hour. Seriously incredible! Best travel partner ever!)

7. I love that even the smallest, simplest dates seem like an adventure with you. Even just sitting in one of those moderately comfortable sofas in Barnes & Noble reading self-help books with funny titles and usually intentionally bad advice makes for an unbeatable evening… By the way, we eventually need to buy one of those massage chairs from Bed, Bath and Beyond or they’ll kick us out.

6. I love that I can come home from a casual trip to the grocery store and not even put the grapes away before you come running in from the front room, phone in hand, and say “Do you want to hear something crazy?” I also love that sometimes that ‘crazy’ is one of your ideas for our next trip (like an impromptu drive to Oregon in two weeks). It’s almost always bundled with that excited look on your face– the one that quickly becomes the highlight– and admittedly most concerned point– of my day. I’ve even learned to love the “crazy” that is the next workout you’ve planned for us and the newfound love you have to torment me at the gym. Somehow even then, I love how you can push me to arguably sadistic levels of push ups and crunches and still be the best trainer I’ve ever had.

5. I love that we can be freezing cold in a tent on the Oregon beach (playing out a vacation we just planned two weeks ago)… in November… holding an iPad watching “Moana Lisa Smiles” and it’s still going to be one of the funnest– and funniest— vacations I love to look back on. Even driving through the empty Nevada desert for hours… with construction… feels like a short and memorable trip. And we still laugh about that creepy clown motel.

4. I love how “I Love the Way You Love Me” by John Michael Montgomery pretty much sounds like it was written about you. Two hour baths (with Chubster dog sitting next to you for most of the time, hopefully not falling asleep and rolling into the water again), crying at “Stepmom” for the 153rd time, and of course singing in the rain (usually in our driveway and stomping in puddles– is there anything better?).

3. I love what an incredible mother you are to our three girls. I love how you’ll bundle up under one blanket and read “Junie B Jones” or “The Sloth Book” and do voices for them. Nothing brings a smile to my face faster than when I’m editing a session and I hear the girls going nuts with laughter downstairs. I love watching you make a loaf of bread while our littlest stands on a chair next to you spreading flour everywhere (but in a “helpful” way). I love how the moment you get home from a trip to Boston or a retreat in Zion that all of us can’t help but jump from our seats and run to greet you at the door. You really are the nucleus in our lives.

2. I love how you build me up and come visit me in the office, usually opening with “Hey Baby Cakes” or “Hello Handsome” and a kiss. I love when we swap turns at the desk and I pass you in the hall– you’ve got that adorable smile on your face at the computer. Even when you don’t have a smile– if there’s any concern on your face– it’s because, while you’re blogging away on the Mac, Lorelei Gilmore’s on the other screen running away from one of her latest boyfriends or someone on “Shark Tank” just got the axe. I’ll never forget walking by, glancing in to see you wiping away tears and asking you, “What happened?” Only to hear you sob out, “This Mom is just incredible, you need to hear her backstory– I’m backing it up for you!” I know I never cry at anything, and I appreciate how you still love me anyway (with barely any judgement in your eyes about it). You’re so fun to watch movies and shows with, it makes things like “The Bachelor” and “Step Up” bearable. I get a front row seat to all of your hilarious (and sometimes delightfully immature) commentary.

1. I love every moment I can be with you. No one makes me laugh like you do, no one makes me feel like I could take on any task in the world and crush it like a boss– and help pick me up when the going gets tough– like you do. I love that anything we do together is better than anything we’ve done alone. You bring out the best in me and make me always want to be my best every day. You really are the love of my life!