Are You Living It?

For lots of reasons, I rarely write about my husband on this blog, except maybe in passing. It’s human nature to focus on the negatives, as anyone with kids must caution themselves, and I’d never want to criticize him publically (duh), so I don’t write about him when I’m annoyed with him. It’s also extraordinarily easy to take someone you’ve lived with for almost 12 years for granted, so I don’t write about him when I’m happy with him (which fortunately is most of the time).

As anyone who knows him will agree, his personality is a force of nature: plainspoken, outspoken, perpetually in motion, exceptionally patient in matters shortcomings of wife, friends, and children, exceptionally impatient in matters of shortcomings in all other adults, no need to prove himself to anyone, and no shortage of ego (perhaps leading me not to point out all of his attributes as publically as I should, in a futile effort to prevent him from getting big-headed ;).

If you can get used to hearing words without a “nice-ity filter” then you can learn a lot from Pete. If you can’t…well, you’re going to get your feelings hurt a lot. But there’s always love and compassion behind it…if Pete doesn’t like you he just won’t say much of anything to you at all. But once he cares about you, he’ll literally do anything for you…at least for a while (see Ironman training posts).

Bottom line…my life would be completely different, and not in a good way, if I didn’t have the husband I have. Training, coaching, OCD, constant hungry need for learning, UNIQUE parenting style, an odd set of domestic skills (I ain’t cooking, but I can cut a mean lawn, grow awesome veggies, and run a household budget)…I’m not the easiest wife to live with. And he points this out regularly But the proof is in the pudding as they say, and his pudding is pretty sweet. Nine years we’ve been married now, and the old cliche of ups and downs couldn’t be more true. But there is no up without him…he’s the best husband and father that THIS woman could ever hope for…

Hey Pete - quit reading this and get back to work!

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