Sixty-eight years ago today......

.....my beautiful husband was born to Malvine and Lennox. I have a few pictures of him when he was a little boy but can't find them anywhere. Judy and Mark are in Illinois for the Memorial that was held for Charles. She asked me how he was handling turning 68 and I told her he was grouchy! Hard for me to believe this beautiful

20 year old boy is now 68! Only two years from 70! What? When did that happen? He is still gorgeous to me though.  I am sad I don't have a picture of what he looked like when I first saw him.

I am so shocked by how many pictures I have of him in this pose! Mainly because he is a master "napper" AND he hates to have his picture made. I have never understood that since he always looks great in pictures - unlike me who has to toss out 30 for every half-way decent one of me.

How can I write an entry about him without highlighting one of his favorite activities. He absolutely "has" to be out on a boat every so often. As much as he enjoys catching fish, it is the getting ready to go fishing and being on the boat that gets his blood going. Then he likes to have that first drink right before he heads back in. Then they clean the fish they have caught, clean up the boat (how much depends on whether they are going out again the next day), taking a shower, getting everything ready to cook, have another drink, cook, then eat and be asleep within 30 minutes. He comes back a much happier and relaxed man at the end of that.

Let me get my calculator out and plug in the numbers for a minute. Yep - it was around 58 years ago I saw him that day he got on my school bus. I think I was 12 or 13 the first time he kissed me at the skating rink (he tricked me - and I liked it). :) I'm very happy to say we are both still here. He had some very serious health issues a few years ago and had to have two major surgeries.

This picture was taken around 1998 I think one night when the kids stopped by and you'll have to admit, he still looks great. He has been so supportive since I was diagnosed in September of 2011. He has literally been right beside me since I got home from my surgery in October of 2011. I honestly don't know what we would have done without Kelly helping us in the beginning. She was with me in the hospital, got everything organized here at home, stayed on top of things for us and got us set up so he would be able to take care of me by himself. I was still on a feeding tube back then and everything had to be measured just so. I really think only those people who have been married as long as we have will understand when I say, my heart still flutters sometimes when I see him walking up the driveway from the mailbox. Yep - that's what I'm saying.  He's still got it.