No I’m not living in a fairly tale. My life is not all roses and champagne. Lee does plenty of things that really get under my skin. But some time ago I realized I married him for some pretty good reasons and I need to learn to pick my battles. Is it really that big of a deal if he leaves the butter sitting out on the counter after dinner? Or that sometimes the lawn doesn’t get mowed as soon as it should? Is it worth a screaming match? No.

I don’t know about you, but for me [as a woman] I like to be in control of things. Well who am I kidding? I like to be in control of everything. Unfortunately, Lee doesn’t like to give up all of that control. Sometimes that leads to an argument. If he would just realize I am always right, things would work out so much better. But since that’s probably not going to happen any time in my lifetime, I’ve decided to take a new approach. We compromise. And instead of constantly nagging about all the things that drive me crazy, I’ve decided to be more conscious of the things I love. Every now and then I like to just do a little reality check and write down all of the reasons I’m in love. So, in no particular order, below are some of the reasons I love my husband:

• He always orders the pizza. For some reason I don’t like to call and order the pizza. I don’t know why. I never claimed to be a perfectly normal person. So Lee always does it when he’s home. And if he’s going to go out for softball or bowling or whatever else and he knows I want pizza, he orders it before I get home from work so it’s on its way before he leaves.
• He does the grocery shopping. I almost never have to go to the grocery store. I just make a list and he buys it (along with some other stuff not on the list).
• He always buys me candy at the convenience store even when I don’t ask for it.
• Even when he’s comfortable, he will get up to get me a glass of water when my glass is empty.
• When I came home from a 5 day trip to New York, he left me a dozen roses on the kitchen table.
• He sends me e-cards to remind me how much he loves me.
• He lets me sleep in every day (not every other day…every day) and he gets up with the kids.
• He likes to cuddle in bed. In fact he tells me it’s hard for him to sleep when I’m not there. He likes to touch my leg with his foot or my back with hand. Just a little reminder that I’m still there. Or is it a reminder to me that he’s still there? Either way, it’s very nice.
• He massages my feet or my legs when they cramp up.

There is so much more, but it’s late and I need to get to bed. Lee’s not perfect, but he’s all mine. And I consider myself to be pretty lucky to have him. Sometimes with our busy lives, we forget to stop and smell the roses. I know that’s an old cliche, but have you ever actually stopped to smell the roses? You can smell a rose right now, right? And do you remember how beautiful the sun is as it sets? You’re envisioning it now aren’t you? We tend to forget about the beautiful things until somebody actually points them out to us. Well you live 24/7 (for the most part) with your spouse. Nobody knows him (or her, for you gentlemen readers) better then you. So it’s up to you to remind yourself of the good things. Remember why you got married and why you stay married. Remember why you get a big smile on your face and why your heart skips a beat when you see him at the airport after a few days away. Don’t forget to appreciate the little things. And don’t forget to recognize the reasons you love your spouse.