I married a younger man. A man who, even today, on his birthday, is still in his 40's. His youth is hardly fair - especially since he manages, 99% of the time, to be more mature than I. When we were first engaged, people told me how lucky I was to find him. "He's the best," they would gush. "I'm sure you're so excited to find him."

Hmmmm. Yes. Of course I was excited. I mean, I had waited TWO YEARS for the proposal. I was thrilled -- tired of being patient, but thrilled.

But there were darker thoughts too. Why was he the bigger catch in our relationship equation? Had he been hiding a secret fan club from me? Perhaps, just maybe HE was fortunate to find me?!

Where were the people saying that? California?New York? They weren't in Atlanta...

I realize the mere whisper of this "what about me" mentality proves the point - he was less petty - more evolved - or mature than I.

And there you have it. Case closed. He's a "better" catch.

Don't worry about my self-esteem. I'm good. I've made peace with the fact that I did, indeed, marry up.

Doing life with Billy Phenix is on every measurable scale, an unqualified win.

In fact, it's all I could do not to make an entire post gushing about the sweet, amazing man I love. (You can find earlier posts here and here which do the trick.)

However, to switch things up I thought it would be more fun to share some of Billy's quibbles, quirks, and things which make me say, huh?! even after all these years. I feel like it's good for the world to have more fodder on what makes this guy tick.

Ready or not -- let's go.

1. Billy has zero tolerance for cats - he says they steal your keys. I like cats and think they are hilarious. Fortunately for Billy, my allergies don't allow for a feline in our mix, otherwise there could be some tension on this point.

2. He thinks Disney World is better than Disneyland. Uh. No. Since I'm in charge of traveling logistics, he doesn't have much of a chance of winning this one which is good because he's never been more wrong. (I hope I don't have to disable comments on this post...)

3. Billy doesn't value a freshly squeegeed shower.

4. He allows the dog to manipulate him. I've never seen someone over-serve dog treats like Billy Phenix.

5. If there's an OCD spectrum on the whole pressure washing thing, he's firmly planted on the far side of the wash-until-everything-is-ridiculously-clean end. We were staying at a friend's beach house once, and he offered to pressure wash. They thought he was joking and passed on the offer, but I know the truth!

6. Don't even think about hanging the toilet paper with the tp going under.

7. He doesn't eat my homemade thin mints.

8. He eats more than his fair share of carrot cake.

9. He dislikes artichokes, asparagus, and okra. I chalk up the first two aversions to his lack of exposure, but what kind of Southerner doesn't like okra?

10. I've mentioned this before, but it's so odd to me - Billy stops gas pumps on even numbers. Who in the world pays attention to such things??

Ah yes, this man has his share of quirks and I love them all. The very happiest of birthdays to the very best man I know!

The Man I Love