I love you because of your work ethic, which is undeniable. 

I  love you because you have great eyes that are especially great when you have on a green shirt.

I love you because you have said how horrific childbirth is to witness, but you were at my side through every second all 4 times.

I love you because when you start laughing uncontrollably you sound like a little girl, but I do enjoy it so much.

I love you because anytime we slow dance, you can’t help but sing the song to me quietly as if you’re afraid someone else might hear. 

I love you because even though you’re a Louisville fan, you’ll root for Cincinnati alongside me and we can root against the Wildcats together.

I love you because you make me laugh when I really want to stay mad at you.

I love you because when I was 19, mother of a one year old and lost,  I wanted to quit us. You gave me the time to figure out that I was wrong. You didn’t tell me I was wrong and you didn’t give up. You gave me the space to figure it out myself. 

I love you because after we found out we were having our fourth and final boy you text me to say, “I’m so excited to be having another BOY!” after leaving the ultrasound. 

I love you because you know lyrics to all the songs. I mean seriously, I will have no idea what they’re saying and you’re right there with the answers.

I love you because in our earliest days (before we were a “couple”) you used to get in trouble at track practice on distance days because you should have finished quicker, but you went slower to run with me. 

I love you because you were ok with the wedding party walking into “Backstreet’s Back” at our reception and accepted I would always have a place in my heart for Brian Littrell. 

I love you because of the Dad jokes you text me regularly. 

I love you because your proposal to me was perfect. 

                                      ~~~~

I don’t love because you’re sarcastic to a fault and you keep your emotions too bottled up.

I don’t love you because sometimes you’re selfish. In your defense, so am I.

I don’t love you because your favorite foods that you make leave a smell in our house, for days it seems.

I don’t love you because the Nikes you wore when we first met zipped up. I’ll always tease you about those shoes.

I don’t love you because you leave late night bowls of cereal sitting on the end tables in the living room.

I don’t love you because our first kiss was ruined because you had just ate a coney that had onions in it. Which is why you always get at the very least a pack of gum for every Valentine’s Day and Anniversary.

I don’t love some of the music you think is awesome.

I hope to someday see you and love you in the same way God does because that is what he asks of us and I know I fall short of that. In the meantime, I’ll just choose to wake up everyday and love you because even on our worst days, it’s really not that bad.

Happy Valentine’s Day to the boy I met at track practice.