Mosquitoes, Gnats, and Bullfrogs

The title of this post was at the request of my darling husband. I was lamenting to him over the phone about how I couldn't think of anything to write about. He replied with one of his always-encouraging responses: write about mosquitoes, gnats and bullfrogs. That man makes me laugh every day, at least once. Which is a good thing, because in his wedding vows he promised to make me laugh at least once a day (doing good so far, honey!). Generally he makes me laugh a lot more than once though. It is one of his character traits that I love-except when I'm mad at him. When I'm mad at him, he will bat those charming eyes and make what I call his "turtle face" and then it suddenly becomes much harder for me to stay mad. Which is very frustrating when you're determined to stay mad.

Example:

If any of you have read my Facebook status over the past two days (or if you've looked at my actual face), then you know I am currently at war with a sinus infection. No really, I am at war. I am leaving to go on a cruise this Sunday and I refuse, I repeat, REFUSE to be sick on what I have dubbed "my second honeymoon" vacation. I refuse, I tell you! So, with a Z-pack prescribed by my doctor and armed with nose-spray, Motrin, water, and every vegetable, fruit (and maybe an ice cream bar too) I can find, I have officially waged war against this sinus infection. Oh, and let me also include my constant begging to God to please please please purty please (with a Z-pack on top) remove this sinus infection from my body before I leave on vacation because life isn't FAAAIIIRRR and I can't be sick when I'm on a cruise because that's just not fair. I can see God rolling his eyes and chuckling at me right now.
So yes, I am at war with this sinus infection. Back to the story. Because of said sinus infection, I had a headache last night. As Roman and I were slobbering looking over pictures of our home-away-from-home for next week, we started to act just plain silly. He reached over the couch and picked up the bone that my dog is afraid of (yea, you read that right) and lightly bopped me on the head with it. Of course, me being the girl I am, I screeched out a loud OOWWW MY HEAD HURTS WHY DID YOU THAT and proceeded to begin the pouting phase. (I will not disclose just how bad it actually hurt because my husband normally reads my blog. If you're reading this baby, my head still hurts and it's all your fault.) Okay fine, it didn't really hurt....but I did have a headache so it wasn't a complete lie, right? Anyways, my husband (who sees right through my 'that-didn't-really-hurt-but-I'm-going-to-pretend-it-did' act) immediately switched into his even goofier personality. He made the turtle face. Then he made the face where he pokes out his lip and looks at me out of the corner of his eye. Then he resorted to his kissy-face. All the while I'm trying to hide a grin and hold onto my pouty phase. I decided it was payback time. I picked up the bone and bopped him on the head. Of course, he gives an even more dramatic response than mine which only makes me giggle. And that's when I think to myself "gosh, I love this man."

This man that has loved me when I've looked and felt my worst. This man that insists I could let my hair air dry rather than straighten it and I'd still look just as beautiful. This man that pursues God and strives to have a home dedicated to him. This man that takes my breath away so many times a week. This man that makes me laugh when I'm having some of the worst days of my life. This man that stayed beside me through the struggles of juggling work and school and life in general. This man that loves me even when I'm complaining non-stop while waging wars with sinus infections.

God gave me a really good man y'all. Some days he will aggravate the snot out of me with his completely silly self. But every day he will make me laugh. Every day he makes my day brighter. And every day he makes me feel loved. And every day I thank God that He gave me someone so special to call my husband.

We are just two weeks away from our two year anniversary. I can't tell you how thankful I am to be married to a man who loves God and loves me with all of his heart. I can't wait to see what God has in store for our lives. And I can't wait to get on that boat and spend a week with my soul mate. No cell phones. No computers. No distractions. No sinus infections. Just us and the beauty of God's creation all around us.

So happy (early) two-year anniversary, Mr. Casterline. I am honored to be called your wife and your best friend. We made it through some very tough and busy times, but that has only made us stronger. I promise today, just like I did on our wedding day, to stand proudly by your side no matter what the enemy throws at us.



............that got a lot mushy-er than I planned for it too. And to think, I got all of that out of mosquitoes, gnats and bullfrogs.



"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails......."    ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8a