Dear Drew (on our 7th Anniversary)

Dear Drew (on our 7th Anniversary),

Well, I figured since I was writing so many birthday letters, I would do one for our Anniversary.  I love you so much.  More than I ever thought possible.   I can't believe how much we have been through together.  From our time 10 years ago today when we met, through our first year of friendship, followed by a year and a half of dating,then engagement, you have proven yourself to be loyal and full of love.  Even when I got sick during our dating and went into the hospital, you could have left as I have friends who have gotten sick and been left because of it, but you stayed with me and supported me in amazing ways.  Then came marriage, it was a bit scary when new but wow it has been an awesome time.

In our time together we have been through a lot of exciting and some challenging experiences.  You are truly my bests friend and I tell you everything.  I love spending time with you and often feel like our marriage is the stuff movies are made of.  In all our time together, we have never had one fight.  Sure at times we have been grumpy and not at our best, occasionally even hurt one another's feelings but have always told each other when hurt and it was never intentional but always quickly forgiven once the mistake was realized.   Shockingly have rarely even had times when we disagreed about decisions we were making, but we always know each others mind  If we have a difference of opinion, we normally end up coming to the same conclusion when all aspects are discussed.

You are such an amazing husband.  You do so much around the house and take such good care of the girls and me.  You do the dishes every night and almost always notice and change out the laundry.  You  take out the trash, take care of the computers, light bulbs, home repair, taking things to the tip.  You do almost all of the grocery shopping as well.  You are in charge of bath time every night as well.  You even help with cloth diapers.  Yet you apologized for not always being helpful.  Crazy.

You like to go shopping and it is rare that if you go into town you don't come home with a new skirt or shirt or some kind of surprise for me.  One time when you went into town, I told you to bring me back a surprise, something I figures you would anyway, so you brought back a huge jug of water for a water dispenser (we don't have one).  I was definitely surprised.   You also make sure to take Anna most of the time and give me a bit of a break.

You are probably the most patient person I have ever met.  When we went on our honey moon, I forgot my ID and so we missed our flight.  You never even got a little angry, your mom was able to bring it to us, we got the next flight 7 hours later, and were able to enjoy movies on the laptop in the airport, it actually ended up being kind of fun.  I have never hear you yell and only very occasionally have you ever raised your voice at all even when dealing with a willful preschooler. Your coworkers jokingly told me that one day told me that you had a temper outburst at work and used the s word during a meeting.  You said "that's a stupid idea" and completely shocked everyone.  That was said calmly as well.  At work you are always the one to handle any contentious issue.  You take on projects and work with people no else wants to talk to.  When we first moved to England you spend every night on the telephone with the cable company for 3 weeks.  I get frustrated and lose my temper usually in the first call of that sort.  After 3 weeks I heard you say to the person on the phone "I am not angry at you, this is the first time I have talked to you, I just want my internet fixed."  

You constantly support me.  You tell me that you love me and that I am beautiful every day.  When I have taken classes you have made sure I have had time to do my school work.  You have always encouraged me in any endeavor I have had.  You see your roll as provider and that if I were to want to go out and get a job great, but that your job is to make enough money so that I don't have to unless I want to.  Since I want to stay home with the kids that is great as well.  You do an amazing job at it as well.  You have worked hard on your education and have taken on demanding things at work to make sure you are prepared to go always have a job to support our family.  You tell Anna that you love her so much but that I am your favorite person in the world and that you love me even more.  You stood up for me when she was rude to me a few weeks  ago and told her "you never be rude to my wife again" then you sent her outside on the swing to think about what she had done.  A few minutes later she came inside to get a piece of paper to write an apology note.  I heard your father once say that while on a work trip he heard his coworkers complain about having to pick their wives up wives from the train station.  He was surprised and said "you never miss an opportunity to do something for your wife."  You never do.

You are so generous with your time and money for that matter.  You look for ways to make peoples days go better.  Even in times that are stressful for you.  If someones computer is broken you work sometimes for hours to help them.  No matter how busy you are.  You always make an effort to let people in while driving.  You are aware of things around you.  When we were waiting in line at an airport in order to go to the states, even after getting up at 4 am.  You stood in line while a lady was told her bag was too big and she would have to pay.  It was Christmas Eve.  She said she didn't have any money and the people working there wouldn't compromise.  I wasn't even thinking but you said "I can help, can I pay for the bag for her?"  They were all surprised but said you could.  Then when we left the counter you said "see we just stopped 3 people from having a bad day, Its Christmas."  Later that same day people were grumpy that there was a delay in the flight because they were de-icing the plane and you said, no this is a good thing, I want them to de-ice the plane.  Its nice to have a logical perspective in times that are inconvenient.  When I was worried because you were going to be gone for 10 days, you flew a friend out to stay with me.

You are one of the funniest people I have ever met.  Period.  You constantly make me laugh.  At come home from work often excited to tell me how you made one of your coworkers laugh.

You are brilliant.  Really a genius.  You give the best council and advice.  When I have a problem, you have a way at figuring it out clearly, when I can't.  Often when I talk I will skip saying a key thing and just say something like "I can't believe he did that"  Without stating who he or what that is referring to. Usually I don't even know I am doing it, but you sometimes point it out by saying "wait" pause for a minute while you think about it then you tell me what I meant.  It is hilarious, and impressive.

You are thoughtful.  You have given me amazing gifts.  In just the past few years, you sent me to the royal baths with two friends then out to lunch, bought me a print of my favorite painting, which I think I told you about years ago.  Sent me on a shopping spree to buy new clothes.  You also amaze me with the gifts you give to others.  You remembered that when you were a teenager and went antiquing (as all teenage boys do) your mother would say if you find a salt and pepper shaker that is a TV set to get it for her.  Apparently she had one when she was young but sold it at a yard sale and was heart broken.  So, a few years ago, you remembered and found it on eBay.  You got your father an ejection kit of the airplane that he used to work on when he was in the military.  He almost died when he got frustrated with his trousers being stuck on something while he was upside in the cockpit fixing a radio, he could have yanked them in anger but maneuvered himself in order to figure it out only to realize that they were caught on the ejection switch and he would have died had he done it in anger.  He learned that anger was not worth it.

You listen to me, to everything I say.  You remember things I told you.  You even listen when I repeat myself.  You love it that I call you at work during the day.  We talk in the mornings after you get to work, at lunch and usually a few other times during the day.  You love to talk to me as well.  Sometimes you keep me up until past midnight just talking.  I often feel like I am at a sleep over and don't want to stop talking to go to sleep.

You are amazingly spiritual and are truly the spiritual leader in our home.  You pray and get answers often.  You bless me and the girls so much through your example.  You constantly make me want to be a better person in everything that you do.

You love to go on adventures with me.  Not least of which being moving to England.  But in our time together we have taken trips to New York, Philadelphia, Utah, Florida, Guatemala, Mexico, Grand Cayman Island, the Bahamas, Honduras, LA, Spain, Egypt, Italy, Germany, France, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, and around England.

There have been times we have had to be apart when you have traveled to work, but you always get things ready so that we feel loved and support while you are gone.  You took videos of yourself reading stories to Anna, as well as messages to all of us, when you went somewhere for work that you could talk to us much on the phone.  Otherwise you Skype us or call us several times a day.  Last Christmas we were apart for 2 weeks, which was the longest we have ever been apart.  You were sad because the girls and I were in the states and so we wouldn't be able to call you at lunch time.

I look up to you more than anyone else in the world and am so proud to be your wife.  I could go on and on about how much you mean to me and how much I love you.  You truly are my soul mate and I love you with my whole being, mind, body and spirit.  I feel so blessed you choose to be with me.  Thank  you for our life, our children, and your love.  I can't wait to see what adventures await us this year!

Love,

Krummies

The day we met, 2002

The big day, July 2, 2005

Our first place

Cruise 2007, our bigger days

Bahama's 2007

Enjoying the evening on our porch in Catonsville our first house, 2008

We need a fence, sure I can do that, our house in Catonsville, 2008

Drew's first day at work in England

Tired new daddy, 2008

Becomming parents, Anna's newborn pictures, 2008

Hike to Hard Castle Craig 2008

Our first plane ride as parents

Our first Christmas Morning as Parents 2008

Rollingcrest splash pool, 2008

Anna's First Christmas Grandma and Pop Pop's 2008

1st Annual Big Daddy Party, 2009

Valentines Day 2009

Outside the DC temple 2009

Mudgettos the launch zone MD, 2009

Anna's first Pupusas in Md May 2009

Brimham Rocks, our 4th Anniversary 2009

Our 4th Anniversary, 2009

Family time 2009

Secrets 2009

Our front Garden in our St. Georges Walk house, 2009

Our old lunch spot outside the Comissary 2009

Aren't I a great photographer?  Paris, 2009

Paris 2009

Casino on Cruise ship 2010

Colosseum, 2010

Outside the Pantheon in Rome, 2010

Anna performing all the sleeping bunnies in Ephesus (Turkey) Theater Where Paul taught, 2010

Zeus' temple, Greece, 2010

At the SPHINX! 2010

A rainy walk in Malta, 2010

Girona, Spain  2010

Scarborough 2010

Plumpton Rocks, 2010

Hadrian's Wall, UK 2010

Proms on the hill 2010

Friday night Ice Cream night, Mcdonalds in Knaresborough, 2010

Our date to see Wicked in London 2010

Christmas 2010 at Grandma and Pop Pop's

Bruge, 2011

Belgium Waffles in Belgium 2011

Family Picture on my due date 2011

Being a great dad right after  Lizzie was born in the NICU (SCBU) 2011

Our 6th Anniversary, 2011

Ripley Castle 2011

Lizzie's Blessing, 2011

Family hanging out, 2012

Our team Mudgett Banner, 2012

Neuschwanstein Castle, 2012

Munich Zoo, 2012

Family walk on School Lane 2012 (Anna is there not in the picture)

Waiting for Olympic Torch 2012