How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

(by Alaina's lucky husband Andrew)

On this her thirtieth birthday, I thought she needed a guest post on her blog!  Henceforth, with no more ado, I give you: 

Thirty Wonderful Things About Alaina!  (or, why I love her so much; in random order)

 Alaina:

1.  is the best and most faithful friend I ever could have asked for (and prettiest!)

2.  enjoys her three sons, and is always envisioning fun things to do with them

3.  bakes incredibly delicious desserts (and main courses, too)

4.  is an interesting, engaging, entertaining writer – just look above and below!

5.  likes to play fantasy football with me, and really does play (e.g., she doesn’t just sign up, but she learns the players, the strategies, and seriously talks about who to start each week!)

6.  balances out my pack-rat tendencies and (to a greater or lesser extent, depending on my sentimentality) helps me get rid of no-longer-needed stuff :{

7.  is an extremely loyal, caring, devoted friend

8.  is also, like me, a competitive board-game enthusiast, although for some reason (probably three reasons, actually) we don’t play as much as we used to

9.  has this mischievous side that keeps life interesting

10.  loves spending time with me (as she would say, a happy coincidence!)

11.  definitely knows how to throw a (Christmas/birthday/general) party, complete with decorations, food, drinks – and did I say delicious food?

12.  enjoys looking at home plans with me, and envisioning and discussing our green dream house

13.  has a heart for adoption, which has changed our lives, and will, I trust, change many others as well

14.  likes dogs (maybe more than I do at this point, which is something of a role-reversal from a few years ago)

15.  enjoys gardening, and puts the produce – and particularly her herbs – to excellent use

16.  is very patient with my idiosyncrasies (I’ll not list them; she knows them well enough)

17.  helps make sure I don’t walk out of the house looking like I time-traveled from the 80s

18.  is something of a perfectionist, which, being one myself, is great (most of the time :)

19.  likes to travel and explore new towns, states, and countries – and is a great traveling companion

20.  is very financially responsible, which makes accounting, budgeting and saving easier

21.  has a great mind, and puts it to good use in many ways, including in discussing cases and other work with me

22.  loves people and is always eager to help, serve, and make their lives happier

23.  thoroughly enjoys a good book, and is always fun to book-shop with

24.  has remained remarkably mentally stable considering that she lives with four “boys,” three of whom are within three years age of each other

25.  not only loves Christmas, but also makes it a wonderful time of year, from decorations to events to gifts!

26.  is always up for a late night movie (even if she falls asleep in the middle :)

27.  loves her family and spending time with them

28.  bakes, cooks, and creates some of the most amazing things in the kitchen (did I list this already?  If so, it bears repeating!)

29.  has the prettiest name in the world (thanks, Dad and Mom J.!)

30.  like me, is concerned with stewardship of the earth, and in thinking and acting “green”

31.  is very concerned about the health and welfare of her family, and takes that very seriously (hello, more good food!)

32.  is very understanding when I have to work late

33.  and did I mention that she’s hot?!

Oh wait, I’m going on too long!  But as we were always told with our birthday “spankings,” there’s always two or three to “love Daddy on,” etc., so I trust you’ll forgive me.  Rest assured, she really is only turning thirty this year!  This short list barely scratches the surface; I could list thirty more.  But since she’s only turning thirty, that will have to wait! J

I love you, Alaina!