I am not one to boast, especially on social media; however, his birthday seemed like just the occasion to honor and introduce you to the man behind the tiny white house. he’s the one who makes it all happen, the one who brings my vision to life.
image by Emily Green
My husband Drew is one of the kindest souls I've ever known. he always gives the benefit of the doubt and sees the best in people. if ever I am venting about another human, he is quick to suggest what they may have been thinking or where they may have been coming from. it is so irritating. he never assumes the worst in situations or of others. in fact, we often refer to him as "Defender of the Weak/Week." he has always been this way, ever since we became friends when he was sixteen years old. of the two of us, he is definitely "the nice one."
minutes after we welcomed our first child to the world
Another cool/annoying thing about Drew is that he is brilliant. let me put this into perspective for you: he scored a 32 on his ACT. for those unfamiliar with the ACT, it is an entrance exam used by most colleges to make admissions decisions, with a test score range of 1-36. according to the statistics, a score of 32 places him in the 98th percentile. I, who am a little older and much wiser [I do have more life experience, after all], did not make a 32. I will not be disclosing my score, but suffice it to say: I was accepted into college and that alone was my goal.
he's kind of a know-it-all. well, he used to be. he still knows a lot, but I "helped" him to possess his knowledge in a more humble way. for any other know-it-alls reading this, the first thing you need to know [or should already if you do, in fact, know everything] is that know-it-alls are obnoxious. if someone informs you of something, almost anything is a better response than, "I know." Drew would say this phrase so often, driving me mad, that I created a little exercise for him. if I told him something and he responded with, "I know," whether he knew or not, I would make him recite the phrase: "I don't know everything." repeatedly. because you know what? it's true. nobody knows everything. and you know what else? he has learned to respond more humbly with an "oh really?" or "that's interesting."
image by Emily Green
In addition to his intelligence, Drew is an incredible musician. I know it seems like I'm biased, but really and truly, he is completely gifted. his first love is the drums. he began playing when he was just four years old. (he learned from his dad, a fellow drummer). as a teen, he learned to play the acoustic guitar. as a twentysomething, he conquered the bass and electric; and finally, the piano. he doesn't sing often, or in public anyway, but he also has a nice voice. we enjoy making music together, though all I bring to the table is my voice and sick dance moves. since he was thirteen years old, he has served in our church in some musical capacity. the neatest thing about Drew and his talent is that he is completely humble. if I was a rock star and played forty-seven instruments like him, you better believe I'd be shouting it from the rooftops. Drew is not this way. where he once lacked humility as a former know-it-all, he has never lacked anything as a musician.
moments before the birth of our second child
We make quite a pair for many reasons. I am a dreamer; he is a realist. I like to create, whether it's drawing or painting or building. simply put, he does not. but he does it anyway for me. he's a numbers guy and majored in accounting. I don't do numbers. like ever, at all. I once said that if the wires in my brain to compute mathematics do, in fact, exist, they are not connected. not even close. Drew says that he sees + thinks in numbers and that I see + think in colors. the most ironic thing? Drew is colorblind. we are literally speaking completely different languages. we are opposite in so many ways, but have the important things in common... our beliefs, our goals, our dreams, our faith.
his life has not always been easy—by my standards. he's weathered divorce, the loss of his mother, and losing his home + virtually all his earthly possessions in a flood, all before he was even twenty-four years old. but he's so full of joy and hope, you'd never guess it.
image by Allison Moix
It's fun being married to him. he's loving and spoils me in unconventional ways, like a coffee cup filled with ice cream before bed. it's the darnedest thing, but it just tastes better when he fixes it. he dances with me in the kitchen, the way my father always has, and he makes me laugh like you wouldn't believe. he's an amazing father and loyal friend. he loves our boys and they are crazy about him. he’s a hard worker, and very rarely, if ever, does he complain. every time I observe this quality of his, I make a point to be more like him. I'm still working on it, obviously. he never asks for anything and doesn't want much… except a nice guitar and set of drums and to move to the country.
I’m so grateful that the Lord saw fit for us to be together and that He chose me for Drew. he loved + pursued me despite my being a young, insecure girl who didn’t know who she was, and he helped me to find myself + follow my dreams. a true picture of the gospel. I’m still not certain why our parents let us get married since we were just a couple of dumb kids, but I sure am glad they did.
happy birthday to my man. you are so worth celebrating.
