Matthew

It is the perfect time to tell you more about my husband Matt. Tomorrow is his birthday & I want to honor him by sharing the things I love most about him & the reasons I admire him so much.

1. He's adventurous & an explorer. One of my favorite things about my childhood was taking off for entire days with my dad to different parks & new places to explore. We would hike, climb trees, & explore cool scenery. When Matt & I started dating one of the first things we did was go on a hike together & that turned into a great bonding time for us. I like that he is open to sharing a passion of mine with me, & even more I love that he gets excited when we find cool rocks or animals like I do. I have so much fun exploring new places with him.

Here is Matt at Tenaja Falls, our favorite hiking trail.

2. He loves dogs & hates cats. “If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat.” Well he doesn't really hate cats but he is absolutely a dog lover. My heart belongs to Matt, but there is a huge part that belongs to dogs, especially Sofie. Sofie has also won Matt's heart & they are the best of friends. It takes someone with a big heart to love any animal, Matt has a big heart. 

Matt & Sofie, the best of pals, taking a nap.

3. He knows just how to make me smile & laugh. It didn't take long after meeting to show each other our silly side. It also didn't take long for me to realize how good it can be for a relationship to be silly more often than not. Laughter cures many things & he can really make a bad day seem better just by making a funny face.

What was meant to be a cute kissy picture while on our honeymoon, but I love him for it.

4. He loves my family & my family absolutely loves him. Matt loves my them as if they were his own blood & as if he's known them his whole life. I appreciate that he has loved & cared for my niece & nephew that way as well. They have a very special relationship that cannot be replicated. 

Matt & our niece & nephew playing Trouble, Christmas 2011

5. He is affectionate. I hope that I never ever take for granted the love he shows me every day. He loves me so much & he's not afraid to show me. 

My favorite is when he kisses my cheeks.

6. He is not afraid to try new things. Food, places, & activities, he'll try it! It is even better when he ends up really liking it but if he doesn't I know he will still try something new again. I think that because of this quality, our relationship is never boring.

Mole, one of the first new dishes Matt tried turned out to be his favorite for me to make. 

7. Of all of the things I love about him, the one that really makes me thankful that he is my husband & that I get to spend the rest of my life with him is that he is so strong in our marriage. He makes it his priority & is always finding ways to move us forward. There is no doubt that there are many struggles & obstacles to overcome in a marriage & in life, he makes these struggles easier to go through. Matt finds the good in the bad & always sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He balances my life, he brings out the best in me. He makes me want to be a good woman & a good wife. Matthew Morin is the love of my life & I cannot wait to celebrate his life tomorrow with him. Happy Birthday Matt. I love you so much. 

My husband Matt on December 31 watching the last sunrise of 2011.

Love, Beatriz