Happy 28th Birthday Rachel Ann!!!

Okay, so this is Tom, Rachel's husband taking the wheel of this blogmobile. Today Rachel is 28, and for her B-Day, I thought I would list 28 things I love about her. There are more than 28, and I had a tough time boiling the list down to 28. If I made the list of things I love about her comprehensive, I might mess with the bandwidth or capacity of your computers to process all of the info that would be presented. Also, I can't claim credit for this idea. She did this for me on my B-Day. It figures that I am the less creative one. So, without further adieu, here's my list of things that I love/adore/think are cute about Rachel:

1. She's giving. She is always faster than I am to give little donations when TV specials come on asking for donations for underprivileged children or other noble causes.

2. She's cries during Oprah and Extreme Home Makeover (EHM) and other tear jerkers. Several times I have come in to see her shedding tears when watching an Oprah show on children in Africa or EHM based on someone who has had a rough life. She truly is a female in that she can empathize and feel others' pain and suffering and want to reach out and fix it.

3. She loves her daughter. I am amazed at how much she loves little Reese. She is a wonderful, dedicated mother who gives her daughter lots of love and attention every day. Reese is lucky to have her as a mother.

4. She loves little kids. She always tells me how she wants to adopt children who haven't been given a good start to life. Her love for little ones is also evident in her calling in the Primary and also with her interactions with her nieces and nephews. I think that it is a natural, God-given gift that she has to love little ones.

5. She's loyal to her friends. Anyone who has had the opportunity to know Rachel, whether in her youth or as an adult, knows she is extremely loyal to her friends. She is very concerned about their well-being and loves to stay connected to their goings on.

6. She's a loving wife. When I haven't had the best of days, it is nice to come home to such a loving wife. I can tell she is genuinely concerned for my well-being.

7. She's beautiful. I think she is extremely beautiful. For fear of embarrassing her, that is all I will say. I consider myself very lucky though!!!

8. She's slightly cynical and challenges my thinking. I love that fact that she is slightly turned off to conformity. She strives to form her own point of view and align it with what is right.

9. She's a comedian. Rachel is a huge goofball with a wonderful sense of humour. I think she is the one that is the resident comedian.

10. Relationships are important to her. She is more focused than I am on building relationships with her family, friends and neighbours, and does a much better job of it than I do. I have much to learn from her in this regard.

11. She is frugal. She married Mr. Cheap, and fortunately, she has done a wonderful job of turning our house into a home on little money. She also is always raving about deals she got in buying Reese clothes.

12. She is athletic. I am embarrassed to report that she once beat me in a sprint when we were first married. I haven't raced her since.

13. She is supportive of stressful work deadlines. She rarely complains about my time away from home and has been very supportive even though I know it is very difficult for her.

14. She loves her family. I am grateful for the relationships she strives to maintain with her family, the Kochs. I can tell she genuinely loves her parents, siblings and their spouses, and her nieces and nephews and is concerned for their well being. I am also grateful that she loves my family, and it is important to her to build relationships with them.

15. She has a little crush on Clay Aiken. He is my competition. She loves his voice, and every time he sings, she's giddy. I'm going to have to get lessons from him.

16. She is musical. She has a great voice, a beautiful alto. I tease her about hiding her musical abilities. She really can sing well though.

17. She runs our household. She does an excellent job of keeping track of things like paying the bills and keeping the house in order. I shudder to think of what things would be like if I were to try and do what she does.

18. She loves to blog. This is her new hobby, and she loves it. I really like that she does such a good job chronicling our lives and keeping in touch with others.

19. It is never too late in the day to slip in a project or start cleaning. Last night, I heard the vacuum going after 10 pm, and that was early. She has been known to start project around 11 pm or 12 am, depending on the level of obsession for getting something done. The only downside is that sometimes she expects me to do these projects with her.

20. She is fun to be with. I love being with her!! What else can I say!!

21. She's tough. When we moved to Denver from Provo, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it in one day as we started out late and we had a large UHaul that had my car attached to it. So naturally, I was a little unsure about travelling late at night. Rachel put that idea to bed when she hopped in the UHaul truck that was pulling my car and led us from Wyoming on in. It's amazing how fast those UHaul trucks can go in construction zones when they are driven by a tough, determined little woman!!

22. She's feisty. If someone is rude to others for no reason, it angers Rachel, and she will be feisty about it. I have stories.

23. She's intelligent. I love her view on life and discussing things with her. She always brings an intelligent point of view, and she often grasps things more quickly than I do.

24. She's obedient. She missed reading her scriptures growing up less than five times. I don't believe she has seen an 'R' rated movie. Amazing!!

25. She orders the same dish every time we go her favourite restaurant. Tonight, I will hear the words, "Yes, I would like the Lamb Tikka Masala." It’s a given. If ordering at this restaurant were a sporting event and if I were a betting man, I would be rich. I could break Vegas.

26. She's spiritually grounded. She knows what is right and chooses willingly to do so.

27. She falls asleep anytime we watch a movie or a show together past nine. Anytime we start a movie past nine, I realize I will be finishing it by myself. Another thing I could take to Vegas and bet on and become rich.

28. She is both a lady and a fix-it woman. I love that she enjoys getting dressed to go out and likes to be a lady, but that she is also an amazing fix-it woman. What a strange, wonderful combination!!

29. This one is a bonus - since she is only turning 28. She is my best friend and amazing. Okay that's two, but they're both true. Reese and I are so lucky to have such a wonderful, amazing wife and mother. Happy B-Day Ray!!