Happy Birthday, Coach Medlin

Today is my (Jenny) husband's 35th birthday so I thought it appropriate to embarrass him on the blog. This has nothing to do with literature (other than the great quote above) so if you do not want to keep reading I understand. You will only miss out on how awesome my husband is.

I was subbing for an English teacher the other day and the class was discussing dating. I mentioned that I am more classically "male" brained, while my husband, Matt, is more classically "female" brained. One student said that seemed to be the case for most marriages where the wife's default mode is logic instead of emotion. Of course this made me reflect on Matt's personality; what parts of our personality mesh well? Which parts are more sharp and prone to hurt?

After mulling over this for a couple of days I have come to this conclusion: I love him more now, today, than I did the day we got married. His emotion-driven personality was such a mystery to me when we were dating and even into the first couple years of marriage (and still is at times). He saw things so differently than I did it was hard to reconcile with the way I understand things. I am just now, 9+ years into being together, getting a handle on his thought patterns and what drives him. Does this mean that I understand him completely and we never argue? Heck no. It does mean that living life with him is softening and molding me in ways I never thought possible or desirable. We are much more different than I initially thought we when we started dating and I am so thankful for that fact. He is constantly challenging me; most times he does not even realize he is doing so.

Matt Medlin does not do anything half-way; he is either all in or all out. He wanted to start an early morning P.E. club like he had in elementary school; it now has so many kids that the fourth and fifth grade have to do it on different days because there are so many kids that want to be a part. He started deejaying the father/daughter dance at his school and enjoyed it so much he bought some nicer equipment and now does all type of events. This all or nothing also carries into his personality. I do not know anyone as stubborn as him. Up until last year he insisted he did not like Moe's. Every time I went and offered to bring him back something he would not want anything. I eventually stopped asking and, lo and behold, he has suddenly started like it and wants to go there every. single. day. Stubborn. He is also the most loyal person I know; if you are one of his people he will never give up on you. This is both wonderful and hurtful. It is hard to watch him value people that do not value him. He is generous in ways that most people never know unless you are on the receiving end. He understands people and what motivates them almost from the moment he meets them. He is super competitive and can turn anything into a game. (On a recent trip he somehow turned a game of skipping rocks into a competitive rock-golf game)  If he is excited about something then everyone else around him is excited, too, because his joy is infectious. The world is lucky that he has always wanted to be a P.E. teacher and not a lawyer - he could convince an eskimo to buy snow.

I will stop here, but suffice to say my husband is a complicated, wily, funny, sensitive guy and I am the better for it.