Let's Hear it For the Boys

It’s my Dad’s birthday today. It’s also two o’clock in the afternoon on a Monday. I’m curled up in my room watching the rain fight not to freeze as it lands on my window outside and I know I should be doing homework but I just wanna write.

A week ago today, my favorite boy in the world got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. As I said “yes,” I fell to my knees too and grabbed his lovely face to kiss him a zillion times because I was too excited to even wait for him to stand up.

            Let’s hear it for the boys.

            I’ve had a lot of really great boys in my life that have, whether or not they realize it, lead me to the boy that made me the happiest girl in the world last week as he (and then I) knelt down on one knee. Between everyone from past dates and boyfriends to my good friends, uncles, Grandpas, brothers, and especially my sweet Dad and my wonderful fiancé, I’ve had really great examples of what wonderful men can be like and create for their families and lives. Without these examples I know I wouldn’t have been able to find, value, hold, and keep the boy I’m gonna marry.

So, boys—here’s to you.

            Here’s to the dates that taught me how to be confident enough to hold a good conversation. To listen and learn about someone else. To break the silence. To be polite. To have fun together. To smile through really awkward circumstances and to embrace each other despite sometimes major differences in opinions and personalities. Thank you.

Here’s to the boyfriends that taught me how to love. How to love through service and understanding. How to respect and be respected. How to be a listening ear. How to invest time and energy into something and how to be really emotionally vulnerable. How to hold a hand, and to be there. How to understand what a good relationship is and isn’t like. How to be loved, and how to love myself and someone else better and more fully. Thank you for all you ever did for me.

Here’s to the friends who have always been there to just be with. To talk about dates with. To give advice to and receive advice from. To eat pancakes with on Saturday mornings in our pjs. To watch good movies with and to feel no pressure to impress. To have so much fun with. Thanks for everything.

Here’s to my uncles. For cracking cheesy jokes and being too loud when you all get together. For teasing me about everything and for being so freaking funny. For letting me watch you marry my aunts and love them and your children. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Here’s to my Grandpas. For loving my Grandmas for all your lives and for giving me great big hugs. For babysitting me and giving me too much candy as a little girl. For always being there to talk to. For sharing your light and your wisdom. For attending all my high school plays and always supporting me. For making birthdays and Christmases memorable. For loving me since the day I was born. I’ll always love you.

Here’s to my brothers. The days you were born were some of the happiest and most memorable of my life. You guys will never know how much I love you and look up to you. Thank you for giving me advice and accepting my advice. Thank you for making fun of me daily but also wanting to tell me absolutely everything. Thank you for calling me when you were having a hard time. Thank you for letting me help you with girl troubles and giving me your more than honest opinion about every date I ever went on. Thank you for watching and quoting movies with me when I had no where to go on Friday nights in high school and thank you for being my best friends. I love you.

Here’s to my sweet Dad. There’s nothing wonderful enough I could say to describe how important you are to me. Thank you for being the best example I could possibly have grown up with. Thank you for loving God and teaching me His gospel. Thank you for praying with me. Thank you for holding me as I’ve cried and smiled and laughed. Thank you for being there for everything. Thank you for loving my Mom so happily and sweetly. Thank you for working so hard every single day. Thank you for loving your kids, even when we’re not always particularly lovable. I wish you knew how much we love you right back. Happy Birthday.

And here’s to my fiancé. Thank you for being my world. For ensuring my happiness and giving me absolutely everything and more. For being everything I need and want and for allowing me to experience a kind of love I didn’t know was possible. For being mine and allowing me to be yours. I wish there were words happy enough to say more. I hope someday you’ll realize how deeply I love you.

Here’s to the boys who have played and play important parts in my life. Thank you for everything. Let’s hear it for you.

-Jess