A Birthday Interview {The Husband Files}
I’m truly the luckiest girl in the world. My husband is my partner in every sense of the word and I love him beyond words. (But if I had to come up with a few reason for why I love him, I suppose I could…) He looks out for me, provides for me, teaches me, loves me, makes me laugh, gives constructive criticism that makes me a better person; he’s kind, and funny; he’s nerdy, highly intelligent, and is all around the best man I’ve ever known. On top of all that, now that he’s a dad, I’ve seen another amazing side of him. He’s not a babysitter; he’s her father. He changes diapers, feeds her, clips her nails, splashes around with her at bath time, reads to her (making sure to give each character a special voice), sings and dances with her, and loves her so gosh darn much that it takes my breath away.
My husband turns the big three-oh today and because I think he’s the cream of the crop, I want to share a bit of him with you. So today, on is 30th birthday, I’m giving you a little peek into his life.
How do you feel now that you’re (gasp) THIRTY?
I feel… fine? Now that I’m 30, the Air Force lowers the number of pushups and situps I
have to do for my yearly physical exam. It’s unnerving to think that
the military assumes that since I’m thirty, I’m slightly weaker than
your average bear. Other than that, it’s really just another year
down. Random numerical birthday’s aside, I (personally) correlate
ageing with how much grey hair I get. This last year I
finished a 7-month deployment and had my first daughter. I’m getting
old.
Ya know, Rachel (from Friends, of course), had her life mapped out and had definite goals she wanted to meet by the time she hit 30. Did you have any specific things you wanted to accomplish by now?
Every year (at new years) I make goals and I have a pseudo-5-year-plan-ish-thing. Usually
the list consists of a few projects i’d like to build, some physical
challenges, and some “personal betterment” type things. The only major
thing on that list that I haven’t met is doing a marathon. In a perfect
I-just-won-the-lottery world, that goal list would be a LOT longer, but
with my work schedule I focus my goals on what i’m pretty sure I can
accomplish.
Your birthday always lands on a holiday, what do you think about this fun fact?
1990’s gave out midterm report cards on my birthday. That was mildly
unpleasant. Nowadays, I like getting my birthday off (even though I’ve
worked on 2 of the last 3). I think it’s a nice treat that I wish
everyone could have. Even though you shouldn’t work on your birthday, I
usually try to work in some community service work on Veteran’s Day.
Is being a dad what you expected?
and only held 3 babies. Basically, I was
going into this blind. I will say that the last 8 months have been a
non-stop crazy awesome blast. Every month has brought new fathering
challenges and new joys. I have literally watched a human being learn
how to smile, how to grab, even how to eat and crawl around. There is
nothing in the world so amazing as seeing your daughter’s eye comprehend
who you are and smile when you enter a room.
Do you have any advice for new dads?
genius — we can all learn from him. Most of my thoughts on fatherhood
comes from the original TGIF lineup: Full House, Step by Step, Family
Matters, and Perfect Strangers. Each show gives good thoughts on how to
be a good parent, and how to deal with awkward childhood issues. Just
remember, when in doubt, sing some Jessy & the Rippers and give your
kids a dog. Second, books on pregnancy are worthless after the
birth. I suggest you focus your efforts on pre-learning how to take
care of a sentient life form instead of reading how your lil pooper is
running out of womb (ha!) on week 42.
I know you’re an avid reader —what are some of your favorite dad/man blogs out there?
The site authors, Brett & Kate McKay go out of their way to write
about what makes a man, without being trendy or weird. There are
articles about being courteous without being preppy and manly without
being chauvinistic. For workouts and health info I read nerdfitness.com, and for news — anything from NPR works for me. For papa-specific blogs, I read howtobeadad.com, askyourdadblog.com, & daddysgrounded.com. These
blogs are really passionate about dad’s taking on a real role in their
kids lives (diapers and all), but they keep it light with most posts.
You’re a world traveler, too; name your top three favorite places that you’ve visited:
#3, London. Been here a few times, and each times it’s been
sweet. I like the fact that it’s a different culture, but since we all
speak English (the Queen’s or otherwise) it’s easier to get by. Their
museums are by far the coolest I’ve ever been to.
#2,
Maniago. Okay, so living there for two years doesn’t really qualify
as “visiting,” but seriously that was the single most fun little town
ever. Everything was within walking distance so you never ever had to
drive, people were nice, there were two weekly markets and every month
or so there would be some sweet Italian festival that included food,
wine, and good times. Given the chance I’d move back there in a
heartbeat.
#1, Paris. As much as I liked living in Italy, I
have to say that Italians are kinda weird. The French are too, but
a) they keep it more in check, and b) I like their food more. I’ve only
been to Paris twice (once as a kid, and another time for my 28th
birthday) but its a really lovely place where you can just explore your
heart out and there’s always something new to see. Also it’s socially
acceptable to eat bread, cheese, and a bottle of wine for dinner.
What’s your favorite drink?
The Manhattan. Equal parts bourbon and sweet vermouth with a dash of
bitters. Mmmmmmmmmm. I’m going to go make one right now it’s so good.
When we’re out of bourbon, I switch to wine. Jess and I have a nice
stockpile of Italian wine heading out to us soon, and I can’t wait to
dive into that.
What’s it like being married to a blogger?
A couple weeks ago we got a dozen blue trick-or-treat pumpkin candy holders
filled with Crest products delivered to our door. Kinda strange, I know. Really though, it’s
nice—it’s something that makes her happy. Because she wants to write
about “life, love, & everything in between” we have to go out a lot
to see what’s around our little casa, so it’s doubtful that we’ll turn
into hermit crabs anytime soon.
What are you looking forward to now that you’re 30? Do I have to worry about you hitting a mid-life crises or does that come later?
I’m looking forward to opening presents later (my reward for answering these questions) and getting my bake on (woo birthday pizza!). After that,
probably a nap. I haven’t really thought much more about the future.
If I get a mid-life crisis does that mean I can buy an iPad and a new
car? I’d like that.
Pick one: birthday tirimisu, (lemon merangue) pie, or cake?
Let’s say tiramisu.
Happy, happy, happy birthday, Kenny!
Happy birthday!! And I love that your husband drinks manhattans too. My husband saw my dad get one once now he loved them like nothing else.
Happy Birthday and I love seeing some behind the scenes blogger info!
This is so cute. Joyeux anniversaire!
So adorable! Happy birthday to your husband!
This is really sweet. And that first paragraph? That is so rare. Treasure it.
This post is so, so sweet! Happy Birthday to your husband 🙂
Happy Birthday Kenny! Jess, you married a real winner!
Happy Birthday to your Hubby!! 🙂
Happy belated birthday to your hubby!
Happy Belated Birthday Kenny! I hope you had a wonderful day and really enjoyed your birthday pizza 🙂
Happy late birthday! I love this post, he has such an awesome outlook in life – from what I could tell in here haha