…but this is an extra special one. Today is M’s birthday and this is the fourteenth one I’ve celebrated with him. Six years as boyfriend/girlfriend and eight years as husband/wife. And in exactly a week, K is seven! “You’re the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” he tells K often.
M doesn’t get a lot of exposure here, consumed as I am with sewing and other creative outlets in which he has little interest. But he is quietly supporting me in the background, cheering me on with this blogging venture of mine (though he continues to implore me to find ways to earn money – working on that, honey).
He’s an artist in his own right. An art school graduate, savvy with web design and development, he jumped into the internet and its wonders when it was still a wee blip on anyone’s radar. He keeps our scrappy household afloat with his earning prowess in technical fields.
But mostly he’s an outdoorsy kind of guy. He’s done many Outward Bounds, has cycled across the country solo, has wistfully wished we had a deck upon which he could sleep on summer nights. He is happiest climbing impossible mountains with hardly any equipment or erecting tarps in the woods, near a small fire he’s built himself.
More than anything, he is a devoted father and husband. K and M are very much alike, and they light up like beacons of hyperactive energy rays when they’re together. K gets her fantastic sense of humor from him. And her divine looks. They both love to be in the spotlight, spinning entertaining tales, but sometimes they need to fold into themselves to build a protective layer from their intense feelings. They are admirably resilient but under their shiny bravado, deeply sensitive. They are my loves.
I’m off to go bake him a cake. Here’s to celebrating fourteen more and counting.
Incidentally, these photos are from our yurt camping trip back in June. At the very top, M is watching over our dinner as it cooked. He was very proud to have built that fire the old-fashioned way without the assistance of lighter fluid. The s’mores from that fire were excellent.
Happy birthday, M! Your beautiful tribute is a perfect birthday gift. I hope he reads it! Our husbands work in similar fields, both being the tech-y types. I remember the mid 90’s hearing him talk about all this “html” stuff and my eyes glazing over. Turns out our hubbies knew where things were headed:)
That yurt camping looks so amazing. Not quite the tent camping that I was picturing:) And for all M’s proclivity to outdoor living, you are certainly living in the right area of the country! One of the biggest things my husband and I miss about living in Vancouver was the natural propensity towards being outside more – hiking, skiing, kayacking, etc. The temperate climate and beautiful terrain (ok, and the no-kid factor) just made it easier to spend more time in the outdoors.
Haha! Lucinda, it was the same way for me, whenever M started in on the nitty gritty of html and SEO and on and on and on! The accessibility to nature and outdoor activities is one of the many reasons M settled in Seattle — I’m actually not very outdoorsy being a city girl, but I do appreciate nature a lot and love hiking! And yes, M read this post and said he loved it 🙂
Love reading more about M! I’m a newish follower of your blog and always thought (not sure why??) M was a woman. Here’s to silent supporters and all they mean!
Hi Abby! So happy you’re here! That’s so funny that you thought M was a woman – maybe you, like Ashley below thought one of the commenters was my M? Anyway, yes! Hooray for stealth yet staunch supporters!
Happy birthday to M! His b’day = JC :).
I wish I were there to watch M built fire! 🙂
Oh, that’s right! I hope JC had a wonderful birthday, Yeka!!
Happy birthday, M! He sounds like a heckuva guy!
He is, indeed, Kristin 🙂 The most unique guy I’ve ever met, who even after fourteen years makes me laugh like crazy.
happy birthday to m! we almost share one 🙂 what a lovely tribute. i have to say that some of my favorite parts of your posts are the exchanges you and m occasionally have in the comments. very sweet. sounds like he’d find plenty to do down here in the sierras and on the coast…maybe you should visit us…
And a happy birthday to you, Ashely! That’s so funny about the comments – I never thought that might cause confusion. That is, in fact, someone else (I think she’s based overseas?). My M is actually forbidden from leaving comments because he writes things like, “Where are you?? Why don’t you have your phone with you??” 🙂 And yes, he would love the Sierras!!
haha, forbidden:) earlier in your posting i saw comments from “mike” that were cute, and i figured later in the blog he changed it to “m” to follow suit with how you refer to him.