Devotion

A while ago in the throws of the puppy crisis (ie the last year and a half of our lives!) when Boots would follow us around the house (even upstairs where he was forbidden to go). When they would bark at all of our visitors and nip on the heels of passers-by, etc. I was so frustrated, particularly at Boots. Somehow Swiper got the message to stay downstairs, to stay off of the couch and to leave us alone once in a while. He was kinder to strangers, etc. One day I was particularly frustrated when Blaine shared an epiphany with me. He had realized that Boots wasn't a bad dog, rather he was a loyal dog. What did he do when he went upstairs? He didn't destroy things, he just followed us around. He jumped on the couch simply to give us a good face lickin' and he barked at strangers because he saw them as a threat to us. He loves us. He can't get enough of us and he suffers from extreme loyalty to us. Almost to a fault. Once I started looking at Boots in this light I have grown more accepting of his behavior and to love him more. Swiper is obedient, Boots is loyal to the point that I know he would risk life and limb to protect us. It's very sweet.

So keeping this in mind...

Blaine came home from Utah a week earlier than I did. He had asked what he could do to make me really happy upon my arrival home. I told him that if the house were clean that would be awesome and also if he could finish organizing the garage. I was so happy to walk into a beautifully clean house. He marched me around upstairs and down to display all of his hard work. I was so pleased. Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a quirky smile, he invited me to come see my main surprise, in the garage. My heart started racing, could the garage finally be organized? After a year and a half of half hearted effort, would there finally be room to park one, or even both, of the cars??!?

He swung the door open wide and imagine my surprise to find the garage in ruins. More in ruins than when I had left. More in ruins than it has ever been. He pointed me in the other direction and proudly said, "ta da!". There along the side of the garage was a wooden table. And a saw. And lots of wood.

He went on to explain that he had gone out into the garage to organize it and then realized that we needed some shelving with which to organize. Therefore he went to Home Depot and the guy there had explained that Blaine could easily make his own shelving and increase our property value and all he would need is a hundred dollars worth of wood and a saw. I hate the Home Depot guy. They promise that "you can do it, we can help", but he was nowhere in site helping Blaine. He plants all of these ideas in young husbands minds and plays on their fantasies of power tools and manliness. He doesn't think of the wife at home, who really needs her husband to maintain all ten of his digits. And who really was hoping for a clean garage.

Now two weeks have passed and there are five more tabley-shelve things. The garage is still in ruins and there are nails and sawdust all over everything.

But you know what? Blaine made me shelves. And though the legs are a little.....unstraight (precarious?), and we probably could have bought shelving for less money, he put in a lot of work and made me a wonderful surprise!

Not only that but he wrote me the most beautiful song.

He wakes up every morning to give Bentley his bottle, and puts Gwen in bed at night.

He thanks me for dinner.

He loves me and doesn't ever mention the piles of laundry, or piles of dishes, or piles of stuff that litter our house

He doesn't complain when we are all still in our pajamas when he comes home from work

Really, he's the best and most thoughtful husband ever. And I think he's a lot like Boots. But now that I understand that the tables in the garage were not a display of manly power, but more a display of utter devotion and love, it makes me love him even more.

Thanks for everything you do Blaine! I love you so much!

P.S. In other exciting news, Bentley got his first tooth yesterday!