The Aspirational Husband

In honor of the approach of Father's Day, I'm reposting some past musings on my husband as well as my Dad and Grandpa, written between 2000 & 2009:

The Aspirational Husband - September 2009

It's a well-documented fact that I married beyond myself. In fact, I'm reminded of it enthusiasticly whenever spending time around my family - you know, the ones who raised me and would prefer I had turned out a bit more like the man I married. But hey - at least I have compensated by having someone of his caliber around, with the obvious confession that I will never BE that person.

Forgive me the indulgence ("although, it IS my blog," she said, saucily), but my husband is a rock star. As a case in point, he renovates century-old houses with the best of 'em. Having hung around this man since he was 20, I'm a bit unclear on when he slipped away to acquire these skills, although most certainly unperturbed about it. I should point out that his living in the aforementioned century-old house is another asset - his indulgence of me. Pretty sure he would not have chosen that particular path of his own accord.

Speaking of indulgences, Fred Stephens knows which battles to fight. In our stunningly remodeled chocolate-brown dining room with the lovely hardwood floors and old built-in cabinet, we sat around at dinner the other night and he remained mildly composed about the fact that the room is unbearable in August. Well, unbearable to him. I don't quite notice the apparent stifling heat. Sophie, gamely, chimed in with her recommendation that he replace the current light fixture with a fan. Fred explained that he would not do that in order to avoid war, and would perhaps just add a door to block the heat from the kitchen. Confused, she took the bait and inquired as to how a light fixture switch could incite battle. Fred calmly explained to her that Mommy adored and would never agree to part with the old-fashioned light fixture in the dining room, and as such, he would simply go the door route.

In a rare moment of silence and not contributing to the conversation, I smiled to myself.

I'm definitely maddening and Fred Stephens is surely the sainted one in our household, but he gives me a victory or two once in a while. While I have married above my means, I definitely think this man deserves a contract extension. I've officially moved him from an annual renegotiation to a five year reassessment - he's a keeper.