To Chet, From Your Biggest Fans.

Why is there a day set aside for proclaiming our love for our significant other to the world? Is there really a need for such a reminder? "Hey there, it's that time of year again! That time of year that you need to express your love like never before. That time of year that you need to pull out all the stops and make sure your special someone knows that you truly do love them deeper than the ocean and... well, you know the rest. And oh yeah, remember to make sure you go overboard this one day because you know it will have to last for another 364 days."

I have not been able to get this thought out of my head today. It has occupied my mind almost to irritation. I don't want to be guilty of carrying out such an absurd idea. I would hope that my husband knows how much I love him every day. But it dawned on me, I am guilty! Just because I hope he knows, doesn't mean he does. So in an attempt at authenticating the fact that I do recognize and cherish him and the things that he does for me and our beautiful family, I am dedicating my writing today to the the man that steals my heart and wins me over everyday. My Chet.

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So where do I begin. I know exactly how I feel about you, but how do I capture it in words. I know that I would never be able to describe accurately the emotion I feel when I am around you. To express how I feel about you as a father and a husband and a friend.

I watch you with our 3 boys, how you interact with them, and it seems pretty apparent to me that they love you and enjoy you so much. But so as not to assume too much, I decided to go to the source. Following are quotes from each of them, taken right from the horse's mouths, when asked how they felt about their dad and what they would like to tell him.

Riley (10)
"Thank you for helping us make that snow cave and playing with us a lot. And I especially want to thank you for letting us go snowboarding with you yesterday. You are so fun. I love you."

Connor (7)
"Thank you for wrestling with us at night and playing football with us. I think you are fun and a good dad. I love you."

Randon (4)
"Thank you skiing with us. And thank you wrestling with us. Thank you taking care of us. I'm thinking in my head. My brain is saying like please can you get me a toy. Thank you giving me so much toys."

You are such a great dad. I couldn't have hand picked a better one. Wait a minute, I did hand pick you. I hand picked you that moment that I saw you up at the pulpit that Sunday afternoon reporting your mission. What can I say, you had me at Amen.

I also pay very close attention to how you interact with me. I am very aware that the majority of things that you do on a daily basis are very selfless. I know that you want me to be happy and that you work for that every single day. What a difficult calling in life, being a father and a husband. So much weight is carried on those broad shoulders. I want you to know that I enduringly believe that you carry that weight honorably. I am proud that you are my husband and am so grateful you are my best friend.

Happy February 5th, Chet!