Perspectives: Week 3: Gratitude List

{Picture I took on our wedding day; a gardenia had fallen out of my bouquet}

This week the Perspectives prompt was a Gratitude List. I love love recognizing all there is to be grateful for. Even on crummy days my list just goes on and on and on.

I also love that this prompt falls on the Husband and I's anniversary!

I am grateful for the love notes that he leaves me. Here are a few pictures of some of my Hubby's love:

One day it was spelled out in cheerios.

Recently it was a cute note that I would have expected to get in 2cd grade, not our 2cd year of marriage. It made me giggle. - that is another thing I am thankful for - Hubby makes me laugh every day. No lie. Every single day - even on my worst days, he at least gets me to laugh once!

I especially like it when my love notes are edible! Bonus if its chocolate! He knows me well.

Hubby knows what sort of coffee I like, how I like it, and even what temperature I like it at. He knows all this better than I do - so if we go to somewhere like Starbucks he has to order for me, because I don't know how to order what I want, but he does! If memory serves me right this love note made of coffee beans had a cup of espresso done just so sitting in the middle!

Sometimes he leaves "love arrangements" instead. So I might come home from a busy day at work or school and find something to lighten up my day:

One year I worked on New Years Eve. I was working in the Crisis Stabilization Unit with patients during their acute stages of suicidal, homicidal, and/or psychotic tendencies. Needless to say, I wasn't about to come home at midnight and go out to celebrate. My wonderful hubby knew this and had the whole house decorated with streamers, and the table set up with Champagne, flowers, and chocolate covered strawberries. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have a keeper!

Then last summer I had the same job I have this summer, which is working with children with developmental disabilities. The job is a lot of fun sometimes. Other times not so much. My days start at 5:30 am so that I can walk the puppies and then I am at work by 7am and I don't get home until 5 or 6 pm. There are no breaks - any meals are eaten with the kids. One child in particular is a handful, but he and I work well together (well meaning he is still a handful but my bruises at the end of the day aren't as big as some of the other employees), which means I get to work with him on a regular basis. Due to confidentiality, my Hubby doesn't know much about this kiddo. However, he did know on this particular day that I was working with one of my harder kids and that I then had to go to meeting after work - which meant I got home an hour later than usual. So when I walked through the door ... this sweet arrangement of flowers from the yard and a bottle of wine were waiting for me. Plus a note from my beloved niece, because he knew that would make me smile. So are you too becoming a fan of my husband yet? I know, I know, I'm lucky. Which is why I am so grateful.

Recently the Husband was repainting his beaten up old truck. It was teal, my FAVORITE color. But he needed to patch up some holes and repaint it so that it wouldn't rust any more. He painted it black. When he showed it off to me this is what I found on the tail bumper:

Hubby calls me Bunny. And knowing that I love teal and he was painting over my favorite color, Hubby left a little teal bunny on the back of his truck. Yes, some might think this is silly, or some might not have thought of this at all, but he also knows that it is a great way to say "I love you" to a girl like me!

And just in case you are wondering.... I do leave him love notes too.

Some are in the form of sprinkles on a cake.

He also gets a lot of heart shaped pancakes

Some are simple notes that are left for him to find in his work shirt pocket, or his lunch box, or on the dashboard of his truck.

And I've been known to write notes in lipstick on his truck windows, or on the bathroom mirror.

All in all, I have to conclude that we really like telling each other how much we love the other!

And it makes me very grateful!

Don't forget to check out Chelsea, Donica, Jessica and Taylor's pages for their Perspectives! (I will add links up as they post this weeks Perspectives!)

What are you grateful for?