6 years!?!? What the what?...

Six years!?!? What the what? Yes, thank you Liz Lemon forgiving me my new favorite saying that I probably use way too much, but it's just so useful in so many situations, hence, I will continue saying it until Paris Hilton comes up with another new saying other than, "That's hot." Waiting on you, girlfriend.

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Six years of what, you ask? Six years of Lost ruling the boob tube? Six years was all it took for Michelle Duggar to have 83 kids? (I love the Duggars so don't knock 'em) Six years of being a baby and paying someone to wax my upper lip once a month other than just buying the supplies and doing it myself?

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You're thinking too obscurely.

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I'm talking abouw how it's been 6 years to the day since I went on my first date with the Deanmeister. The Deananator. The Deanasaurus Rex. The Deanarooski.

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What? You want to hear about our first date and how it came to be? Well, ok, you're the boss.

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Me. Dean. Church. Talk. Ask. Ugh. Yes. Hiccups. Toture. Postpone. Dread. Date. Food. Talk. Laugh. Alki. Sleep. Late. Reject. Home. Done.

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That pretty much sums it up.

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Even though there were no sparks in the beginning for me, it turns out Dean had to be the kindest man on the face of the planet, and that's how he sucked me into the black hole. Into the abyss. Into his arms.

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Oh my, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth from that last sentence.

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Really, he was and is perfect for me. He just wasn't who I thought I was going to marry. According to my "Traits I Want In A Future Husband" list that I made when I was 15, my "ideal husband" could only be fictional. Of course my "ideal husband" had to have all the necessities like 8 pack abs, at least a foot taller than me (apparently I wanted to marry Andre the Giant), have a car that was at least $100,000, owned his own plane that we could go on romantic excursions on, and was going to buy me a mansion as a wedding present. You know, realistic things.

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Then as I got older and pulled my head down from the clouds, I realized that maybe those things weren't so important. How about wanting to marry a man who loves Heavenly Father and Jesus? How about wanting to marry a man who I can be completely open and honest with no matter what the circumstances are, and he can do the same with me? How about wanting to marry a man who will only marry me in the temple for all eternity? How about wanting to marry a man who makes me laugh? How about wanting to marry a man who never ever makes me feel less than my maximum potential? How about wanting to marry a man who I know is going to be a phenomenal father to our children and will settle for nothing less than reaching the Celestial Kingdom with our family?

My revised list goes on an on, and one day in Iowa I found my updated list I made in my teens and as I sat in our spare bedroom on the floor reading it I started crying because I realized that Dean fit almost all of the 100+ qualifications I had listed, and the ones he didn't fit were lame ones like "good basketball player" and "very athletic". Sports aren't his cup of tea, but that's totally ok with me because he excels in so many other areas. Anyways, I started crying because I realized that I had married exactly who I wanted and needed to marry and my heart was so full at that moment.

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Dean has been amazing from the very beginning.

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He was there to massage my feet in the shadow of the Washington monument on the lawn after I got blisters from wearing brand new shoes that day and walking a million miles.

I was there to help him realize that Hawaiian shirts in your everyday attire aren't ok.

He was there to drive up to Snoqualmie at midnight just to go watch the shooting stars.

I was there to listen to all of his mission stories and look at his pictures.

He was there to drive to Idaho to meet all of my family for the first time and be under the ever scrutinous eyes of my sisters. (it turned out he passed their test)

I was there to go on ridealongs and make him laugh while he was delivering things for work.

He was there to help me move into my second apartment and make 4 million Cup O Noodles there.

I was there to be the most of the night driver on our many many trips to Utah and Idaho.

He was there to propose to me in the laundry room. It was perfect.

I was there to say "YES!!!"

He was there to learn how to deal with the craziness that is my family sometimes.

I was there to fall asleep on the couch with my head on his chest and he LOVED that.

He was there to marry me in the Seattle LDS Temple on October 8, 2005. The whole world went away and it was just us at that moment.

I was there to grab our cell phone on our honeymoon to have him answer the call from his Dad because surely there would only be an emergency for someone to call us on our honeymoon. There's wasn't.

He was there to do the heavy lifting of loading our furniture into our moving truck 6 days after we got married.

I was there to lift the light stuff.

He was there to drive the entire way across the country in our moving truck, towing our car.

I was there to jump into his arms for joy when we found our first apartment mere hours after arriving in Davenport.

He was there to get thrown into the refiner's fire, otherwise known as Palmer.

I was there to quiz him on his all-things-anatomical notecards at midnight while laying in bed.

He was there to answer all anatomical questions I had while I was going to massage therapy school because he knew it all.

I was there to kick his butt at Phase 10 and Skip Bo when we played it in bed before we went to sleep.

He was there to light a fire under our butts about getting food storage, and to teach me about how important it is to always pay tithing, no matter what.

I was there to show him some of the crazy OCD-ness of my deep cleaning.

He was there to hold me as I bawled my eyes out and tried to tell him I'm pregnant through my tears of joy and relief.

I was there to whine and be sick for the first 3 months of my pregnancy.

He was there to be the best supportive husband to a pregnant lady that I've ever seen.

I was there to hold him as he cried when he got the call that his Dad died.

He was there to jump for joy with me when my water broke at 2 A.M.

I was there to throw everything I could get my hands on at him when I was in labor because he fell asleep for a half hour and I needed to wake him and even yelling for him didn't stir him.

He was there to cut the umbilical cord on Kara.

I was there to experience the unexplainable joy and love with him that comes with meeting your baby for the first time.

He was there to hold our daughter every single chance he had and still does.

I was there to take pictures of him making Kara laugh. Priceless.

He was there to hold me as I wept uncontrollably when I got the call that my Mom was going to unexpectedly pass away soon.

I was there to yell at the Budget truck rental people after he and his Mom had a horrible cross country moving experience when we moved back to WA. At least I got almost 60% of our money back.

He was there to look up at Kara and I in the audience and smile as he sat amongst his graduating class as he got his Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

I was there to not see him walk across the stage to recieve his diploma because I yelled for joy so loudly when they called his name to come across that I made Kara hysterical and I had to calm her down.

He was there to listen to the Spirit about how we should not take the job in Vancouver. One of the best decisions we've ever made.

I was there to celebrate with him after he found the job he's currently at that he loves.

He was there at lunch for me to again cry to him for joy that we are pregnant with our second precious baby.

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He'll be there for the rest of eternity holding my hand.

I'll be there for the rest of eternity holding his hand.

And next to us we'll be holding our children's hands. Forever.

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Honig, even though your hiccups almost made me back out of our first date before it even began, I'm eternally grateful that I said yes to going on that first date with you and I love you more than I can ever express. Hiccups and all.