My Better Half

Last Friday was Layne's birthday. For a few years now, Layne has let the kids decide what to do for his special day-- and some of their choices really have been "special". (I'm sure that every guy wants to spend his 35th birthday at the Children's Discovery Museum?)

This year was no different-- the kids helped us to plan a camping trip to Bryce. He got to eat PB&J for lunch and cook his own dinner on a camp stove. What a party.

We've been so busy all week, that I haven't had a chance to make a bigger deal of his birthday than that. He hasn't seemed to care, though-- Layne is that kind of guy.

Layne and I are the poster children for late 90's couples. We actually met on the internet in a chat room. I was goofing off at work and he was pretending to do homework for graduate school. We talked for a couple of weeks, then after much flirting on my part (seriously, was this guy ever going to ask me out?) we finally went on a date.

He picked me up driving his Infiniti G20 (that was impressive), wearing a pink shirt (not as impressive.) He took me to dinner and then to a haunted house. (How was he to know that I really hate those places?) This is the one scene I would most like to see replayed from my life when I get to heaven-- he swears I grabbed his hand, and I'm certain that he grabbed mine. Either way, we were holding hands when we came out.

He didn't want to take me home yet, so we drove up to Salt Lake and went on a carriage ride around the city. Who does that? We just talked and talked and by the time he took me home, I was fairly certain that I was going to marry this guy-- in spite of the fact that he admitted to watching rated R movies which offended my newly returned-missionary sensibilities.

When he took me to the door step, I figured (as he had already grabbed my hand and all:-) that he might kiss me goodnight. Instead he just said, "That was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime." And away he went.

Talk about a brush off! Every girl knows that really means "You'll never see me again."

However, two nights later, as I am sitting playing Rook with my family, the phone rings, my crazy brother-in-law Jared answers it, and a guy on the other end says, "Hi. Is Jill there?" Unfortunately for Layne, we had caller i.d. and I knew that it was him. He's taken a lot of crap over the years for forgetting my name.

However, he came over that night and played games with my family-- he stayed and even seemed to have fun in spite of my family's quirks and insanities. (Jared, did you really have to burp and blow in front of my new friend?)

And, in spite of continually discovering my own quirks and insanities, we were engaged 6 weeks later, married 10 weeks after that, and now we've been married for 11 and 1/2 years.

Layne is such an incredible husband and father. He's changed half of the diapers, cleaned up at least half of the barf and he even does the dishes on most nights. He's never surprised by anything I do-- he thinks that I can do anything (and how could you fail when someone believes in you like that?) He is freakishly smart, plays romantic songs for me on the piano, and have you seen his calves? Michaelangelo could have used him for a leg model.

One of my favorite things is to run into Layne's patients when we're at the movies or the store and for them to tell me what a wonderful doctor he is and how much he has helped them. I am so proud to be married to a man like that.

So, I'm sorry to you all for the mushy post-- I promise to wait a good long while before I do this again, but every once in a while, you have to break down and give the world a diabetic coma, you know?

Happy Late Birthday, Honey. I love your guts.