Top Reasons why I love Doug

When Doug and I were having our Temple Recommend Interviews, Doug’s Stake President Howard Hatch, asked us on our wedding night to write down 25 things we love about our spouse and to continue doing this on each of our anniversaries. We did what he asked for several years and hit and miss since then. The reasons why I loved Doug then and the reasons why I love him now are very different. The depth of the reasons has become so much more meaningful.
Here are the 25 reasons why I love Doug.
1. Doug has a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. He has answered my questions and taught me many things about the gospel that I did not understand.
3. He wanted to be a Father of many children. He has been a wonderful Father, always working hard to provide for our children’s needs. He has never been without a job in all the years that we have been married. Many of those years he has worked two jobs. Whatever it has taken to make sure we were all taken care of financially.
4. He is my best friend. I love being with him and doing things together, whether it is watching a television show or enjoying a paddle boat ride around the lake. We are comfortable together.
5. He is a good Father. He has helped me so much in raising our children. He was always willing to rock our babies to sleep and he watched our children when I needed to be away for a while.
6. Living so far away from both of our families and our children is hard. He values the time we are able to spend together. We always make time each year to be with them whenever possible. He has been ok with me making trips to be with new grandbabies and their family, leaving home to spend time with my Mother after my Father passed away, attending special events in our children’s lives.
7. We have been able to attend almost all of our grandchildren’s baptisms and some of their baby blessings. We wish we could attend all of them but it isn’t always possible.
8. Going to the Temple was important and continues to be important to Doug. We try to attend as often as we can. The Temple helps our eternal perspective and we always come away uplifted and better prepared to handle whatever may come our way. We love having the Fresno Temple relatively close.
9. I love working in the same school that Doug works in. I enjoy a recess hug, going to lunch with him each day and always knowing he is only a few doors away.
10. Doug loves music and so do I. We love to listen to good CD’s when we are traveling. Doug’s favorite is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir my favorite are songs from plays and movies. That makes for a good combination. Doug loves classical music and I have grown to enjoy it. I especially like it on trips when I want to read. Classical music has no words.
11. Doug enjoys being in the mountains and so do me. Through the years we have enjoyed a lot of time in the mountains together and with our family. It is so relaxing.
12. Doug loves to travel and so to me. We have enjoyed many trips to Utah and Oregon to see our family. We have also traveled to Hawaii, Nauvoo; we love to explore the California and Oregon coastline, trips to San Francisco, ect.
13. He doesn’t mind watching chick-flicks that I love.
14. He is very supportive of me in my church callings and gives me a lot of help during the big and little events.
15. He knows the importance of attending church and has established that pattern in the lives of our children.
16. He loves his Heavenly Father, and follows the example of the Savior and our Prophet.
17. He listens to me. I am quite a talker (I wasn’t growing up.) He always listens to me and is a good sounding board.
18. He understands me and knows when I need his help and support. He is there for me at every crossroad. We are in it all together.
19. He enjoys the simple things of life, taking walks, enjoying nature, a beautiful sunset, watching for falling stars, a meteor shower or whatever it may be.
20. He is a very good cuddlier and even in our old age we still love to cuddle.
21. He still holds my hand and is my protector.
22. He gives me confidence to do things I never believed I could do. He has given me the wings I have needed to fly.
23. He has always valued education. He has taught our children a value of education from the time they started school. Homework was always completed every night. They were expected to do their very best in school and behave appropriately. Having your Dad in the same school with you helped to keep you on your best behavior. He was in the same school for quite a few years for each one of our children. They liked being able to go to him when they had a problem or even for a word of encouragement. He is a great resource to them.
24. Our goals and values have always been similar. We are striving to make it through this life together and for all eternity, hand in hand.
25. When one of us is down the other is up and vice a versa. We build and strengthen each other.
26. I have to add a 26th one and there are many more. He always does his church calling and attends his meetings. Each spends many hours at the church. He knows what he is doing is important.
27. We are fulfilling each others Patriarchal Blessings.
28. He wants to go on a mission with me.
I'm very grateful to have him as my helpmate.