I’m taking a different approach to your Valentine’s Day card this year. (Yes… I still got you a traditional card, as you know, but the full message this year is right here). Cards are too small to fit all my thoughts into. Plus, my handwriting resembles that of a 1st grader these days, so there’s that too.
I thought about writing this in the form of a romance novel, but my hunch was you’d tell me to take it off the interwebs immediately 😉 So I didn’t. You know, something like this.. 
This is our 11th Valentine’s Day together! There’s been a lot of change in those 11 years, but there’s just as much that has remained incredibly constant. At the risk of sounding cliché, I’ve gotta say the number one thing, and what’s core to who we are together, is how much we truly love and appreciate one another. That love and appreciation shows up in many, many forms.
Reasons why, Lindsey Jean, I love and appreciate you so F’n much:
Your silly sense of humor. 
There’s no one I know who laughs at their jokes more than you do yours 😉 That, in turn, always makes me laugh. I lol’d just thinking about it. I’ll talk about your timeless beauty later, but of all your wonderful attributes, your sense of humor is certainly one that presented the initial spark over a decade ago. We started off as friends who just deeply enjoyed hanging out, and I firmly believe that has been key to our relationship. We love spending time together and just have fun.
Your Mommy-ness.
Our child is one lucky dude to have you as a mom. He’s also lucky he does not attend the same school you teach in. That would be unfortunate for him ;). I see a ton of you in him, even though he’s a spitting physical image of me. (Sorry dude). Your love for reading shows through him in a major way. How you both geek out over Harry Potter. Your picky, and highly predictable eating habits. And much, much more. Together, we’ve raised a pretty darn good little human.
Your passion for your craft.
Being a teacher is, by far, one of the most thankless careers I’ve been exposed to learning more about. It’s a career choice made not for fame and fortunate, but for a desire to make an impact on younger lives. You’re doing that in spades. For anyone who thinks teaching is a 8-3 job with great vacation time, I can say first hand they are so wrong. I see the long hours, the time spent at night on the couch prepping lessons, the money you personally spend on supplies, and the angst and stress when you don’t feel like something went as well as it should have. I also see the ear to ear smiles when you get a nice note from a parent or child saying how much you’ve helped them. You do this because you love it. And I love you and admire you for that.
Your ability to get sh#% done.
Your list is longer than mine. I’m saying this publicly to the “millions” of people who will read this 😉 You do a ton. At home, at work, and in life in general. I don’t say how much I appreciate that enough. I’m convinced you hire someone to help you and fund it with a secret bank account. Joking, of course. But seriously! If it weren’t for you our family would look more like the 2018 Tampa Bay Bucs. (for those who don’t follow, that simply means ‘an uncoordinated mess of a team’).
Your timeless beauty.
I will never forget when family friend (Judy) said you had timeless beauty. I mean, that certainly can’t be argued. What I like most is that when I say that to you still to this day, it makes you laugh. It also makes us remember the day we got married. You hate being the center of attention and ‘awkward’ social situations, and I can still picture the nervous laughs when getting that comment. Or better yet, when we were standing at the altar. I thought I had something in my teeth…
I love you for lots of reasons, but the hotness is a nice bonus. 
Your love for me.
Not a lot I need to say here. Your actions every day speak louder than any words I could type on this page. I love you for showing me what love is all about.
XOXO,
Your boo
#PB4L
