I have to warn you…if you’re looking for anything money related today you will want to read some of the other posts on the site. Life is about more than money (shocker, I know!) so today I’m taking a step away from all things finance to give a special shout out to my lovely wife – Mrs. Frugal Rules.
Fourteen might seem like a strange number to list, but we are celebrating our 14th anniversary tomorrow. So, there is a method to my madness. As my wife will tell you I’m not one to show emotion. For a variety of reasons I don’t wear them on my sleeves, though I do when it comes to one thing and that’s my family and especially my wife.
With that being said, I wanted to take today to share some of the reasons why I love my wife. You’ve been warned…cheesiness follows!
Why I Love My Wife
#1 – She left San Diego for me. I know this might not be “special” as people move all the time. That’s very true. But, how many leave San Diego for Omaha? Omaha people, Omaha! It’s the ‘staple in the atlas.’ It’s in the middle of a fly over state. We have tornados and it gets butt cold in the winter and we’re known most for our world famous zoo and that Warren Buffett lives here. Mrs. Frugal Rules left living less than 10 minutes from the Pacific Ocean for me! She sold her surfboard for me – which many of her friends questioned her sanity for doing. I always used to view California as the land of “fruits and nuts.” It now has a very special place in my heart and would consider it home before pretty much anywhere else (seeing as Mrs. Frugal Rules is my editor I’m putting myself in serious trouble here). We scattered our son’s ashes there. All the way around, it still baffles me that the beauty of my life would leave such a place for me.
#2 – She puts up with me. Working from homewith your spouse is great…except when it’s not. Not only does she put up with me, but she still loves me. I’m pretty blessed indeed!
#3 – She colors outside the lines. I’m very much a routine person. I suppose it’s because I’m a little OCD, but I like to think foolishly at times that things belong in a nice, neat little box. I suppose a big part of it is that I’m a man and that’s what we like to do. 🙂 Mrs. Frugal Rules is the exact opposite. She’s spontaneous. She disrupts my routine…in a good way. She brings light into our home. It makes life fuller, richer and much more fun.
#4 – She challenges me. Outside of the loss of our son, one of the toughest things I’ve gone through personally was leaving my job close to three years ago. People shared a range of opinions, but the overreaching sentiment was that I was being an idiot for even considering it. Three years later we have a growing business. That wouldn’t have happened without Mrs. Frugal Rules challenging me to think outside the box and having the faith in me that I and we could do it together. I still remember her telling me, “It’s time to give yourself the opportunity others won’t.” It makes me wonder why I didn’t listen to her earlier.
#5 – She’s a loving Mom. What Mom doesn’t love her kids? I know this really isn’t unique, but that doesn’t discount its importance. She pours into the lives of our kids and is really a big kid herself. The love I see her show our little ones challenges me to be a better Dad.
#6 – She makes me laugh. It doesn’t matter what kind of day it is, Mrs. Frugal Rules always makes me laugh. This is of utmost importance and really adds another spice to life.
#7 – She loves sports, especially football. I know, sort of random, but I love that she can have a conversation with me, or anyone else for that matter, about football. I mean, how many wives want to go to football games and know when the NFL Draft is?
#8 – She grows more beautiful each day. I’m not talking about her physical beauty here…though she is the most beautiful woman in the world. I’m talking about her inner beauty. It grows in abundance each and every day.
#9 – She is my best friend. I know this point is not unique to us, but it is of incredible importance. Coming from a divorced home I seriously doubted getting married, let alone having my wife be my best friend. But, it very much is and makes our partnership and relationship that much stronger.
#10 – She cherishes our time together. When you run a small business, have three young children and a host of other responsibilities and obligations it can be easy to let things slide by. One of those is spending time together as a couple and going on date nights. I, too often, let them slide by. Mrs. Frugal Rules does not. She places high priority on our communication and relationship – in fact protecting those times. If we don’t have that, then what do we have? I suppose a lot of that developed as we dated long distance for the entirety of our relationship prior to getting engaged, but she makes it top priority. Having that time together to communicate and just be together is vital and is the fertilizer to our marriage.
#11 – She doesn’t back down from a challenge. I used to think things were impossible and while some really are – like I know darn well I’ll never play a professional sport, don’t tell that to Mrs. Frugal Rules! She looks at a challenge, takes it on, and finds ways to take it down. She has done this personally, professionally and in a variety of other ways. It challenges me to live the same way.
#12 – She views money the same way I do. We both came from homes where money was either mishandled or unhealthy things were going on. Added to that, I brought debt into the marriage. We haven’t always made the wisest decisions but we’ve come a long way over the years and hold to the same convictions with finances. We openly communicate about money and work towards the future we want without sacrificing some of the niceties of the present. This understanding and communication is vital to have as finances play a huge role in unhappiness in a relationship.
#13 – She is different…in a good way. I knew this the moment I met her. I never used to believe in love at first sight and that changed the moment I saw her for the first time. She looks at life in a different way and I am in awe that I get to be in the car ride of life alongside her.
#14 – She loves me. This still blows me away. Mrs. Frugal Rules loves me. I don’t deserve it. I don’t always repay it in the best or most loving of ways, but she loves me. For that I am immensely grateful and blessed.
There are many, countless more, ways why I love you dear Nicole. I’m immensely thankful for you and look forward to many more years with you by my side. Thank you for loving me amidst all my imperfections.
