Things I appreciate about Kristina part 5

9/25/13 she is my defendant, ally, advocate, and spokesperson. When people are rude or unfair to me, she sticks up for me and often gets me freebies.

9/30/13 helped me get ready for work this morning. Made sure that I specifically got the microwave dinner she bought me.

She makes me feel loved and needed each morning. She does this by hugging me tightly, refusing to let go, and playfully insisting I stay home from work.

10/03/13 Has been supportive of me during my furlough. She has reassured me of her love through wOrds, and she has happily agreed to spend less. She has also helped me think of jobs to look for and apply for them

10/8/13 I loved going to an interview with Kristina yesterday. That was a special family memory. I loved how she brought me my razor (so I could shave) and hair clippers (so Natalie could cut my hair).

10/10/13 texted me wishing me luck on my interview

10/13/14 told me I smelled good, looked hot

Dropped me off at church. I had planned on walking home, but it turned out she was outside Elder's quorum waiting for me.

Texted me to wish me luck on my first day on the job. When I came home, she ran up to me and gave me a tight hug.

10/24/2013

She gave me compliments on my good looks. She wrote me a note saying that I was awesome and thanked me for listening to her fears about starting phlebotomy training. She says she loves having me there to reassure her.

10/29/13 has become proficient at phlebotomy. Drew blood from me and I hardly felt a thing.

11/2/13 cleaned up around the house to show she was sorry. She gave me $4 on case I needed it when I hung out with Mark and Spencer.

11/12/13 here's part of an email I sent her:

I'm proud of you for graduating phlebotomy. I'm confident you can find a job. I know you will love it.

I'm grateful for the time we spent yesterday. I loved flirting with you at your work. Thank you for bringing me lemon water. I'm eternally grateful for your companionship, friendship, and help. We make a great team!

I'm honored to have you as my eternal companion. I will happily work on my flaws so that I'm easier to deal with.

You are beautiful inside and out.

Love,
Kevin

I also loved playing the piano and singing primary songs with you yesterday. You fulfilled my dream of having a wife I could play music with :-)

Things I appreciate about Kristina, part 4

8/23/13 has taken responsibility for the American Express. Uses her bank account to pay for it.

Drove me to work. I enjoy that time together.

8/24/13 had me look at her instead of the pump that showed the painful cost of gas. She looked beautiful in the moonlight and with her bright green shirt. She recorded the expense for me on my phone

8/25/13 Is diligent in keeping up with tithing.

Helps me take notes at church

Says I'm the best organist in the ward.

Said nursery is funner with me there. She said it's also easier to lead music time with me there.

Journal, Tuesday, August 27, 2013 8:16 am I am on the bus on my way to work.

Kristina really made me proud yesterday. She made sure to keep our grocery bill under 40. She even helped lower the cost by helping pay for stuff, putting stuff back, and returning big items for smaller items.

This morning she walked with me to the bus stop.

8/28/13 Turned the AC down so that I wouldn't shiver to death at night. She asked if I was warm enough and if I wanted another blanket.

9/1/13 I read the Book of Mormon stories to her. She read along in the actual Book of Mormon. Then she spontaneously picked up the Bible Stories for children and read one to me.

9/8/13 bought me flowers to apologize, even though I was the grouchy one. I volunteered to sleep on the couch (I had my blankets and pillows all ready), but she insisted that I come back to bed with her.

Several people have come up to me at various wards saying that Kristina was the first person to welcome them when they first moved into the ward.

9/14/13 Went to the San Diego temple with Kim, Ned, and me. She participated in the prayer circle with me. We flirted with each other across the room: she winked, made her bunny face, and made ASL signs to me.

9/22/13 let me rest my head on her lap on the plane last week. I have always appreciated how she comforts me like that.

Appreciated how I let loose and splurged yesterday for our engagement anniversary.

Shares my dislike for Juan Pablo, the new Bachelor.

9/24/13 got me candy and a gift card from Subway.

She helped cleanse the fridge of rotting food.

Things I appreciate about Kristina part 3

7/22/13 Borrowed weird Al albums from the library and said I got her into them.

7/24/13 Watched me run the temple. to 5k, drove me to donate blood ( rested her hand on my foot to comfort me) and took care of me when I felt sick (put a cold towel on my head, rubbed my tummy, and put her arm around me)

7/29/13 Usually I make my own lunch for work. But Kristina made it for me last night. She also got us to bed early and insisted that I get some extra rest.

We laughed almost the entire day yesterday.

We read People magazine together. When she read summer of it on her own, she let me read some Sherlock Holmes.

7/30/13 She is as affectionate as I am. We both feel a special kind of bonding and healing when we cuddle or hug. This is one
of the main reasons I decided to marry her.

8/1/13 Is better at hiding, finding, and remembering stuff than I am.

8/4/13 has gotten me into a lot if fun stuff: karaoke, country, Bacheleorette, people magazine

8/6/13 Her skin is warm and mine is usually cold. We both love touching each other because she gets to cool out while I warm up.

8/9/13 stood by my side when my tire got a flat. We met at my work and we started to drive home, but my Pontiac's spare tire started rattling. Kristina saw me pull over to tighten it, so she pulled over, too, and helped me find the nearest Big O Tires. More than anything, she gave me her emotional support by being there.

She drove behind me in her Hyundai with her emergency lights and signaled for people to steer clear of me.

8/11/13 Shares the gospel with friends and with new people we meet. Usually she's the one to initiate a conversation aboutthe church.

8/13/13 Went voting with me.

8/16/13 Rushed me to the BYU bookstore so I could get Macbeth.

Bought me a hotdog at Costco

8/16/13 Found me while I was at the recreation center. She looked for me on all the treadmills and in the bathrooms. I laughed and was touched. I was in the lobby the whole time.

Found an awesome app for keeping a grocery list: "Out of milk"

8/19/13 Last year, when she visited California with her dad, she kept a journal of notes to me. I reread them and it was fun to relive that memory.

Things I appreciate about Kristina part 2

6/27/13 She is my eye candy. drop dead gorgeous

Has made it a point lately to say more nice things about me in front of other people.

6/28/13 Let me have time alone in the bath tub to chill off and prevent further arguments.

6/29/13 Had me get a movie a Redbox so she could surprise me with spaghetti using Angel hair pasta, my favorite noodle.

6/30/13 Remembered at the last minute, when I completely forgot, that I had to play the organ. she rushed through traffic (i jokingly told her I'm glad she broke the law for me), dropped me off at the door, and looked for parking while I ran in. I was mad at myself for forgetting, but I'm grateful my wife was on the ball.

Complimented my organ music multiple times.

Says that she wouldn't be able to live without me.

Thought of the best idea for making genealogy interesting for kids: genealogy bingo! Using Reese pieces, gummy bears, pb m&ms, or other candy as tokens or prizes

Comes from a strong happy family. That's a big part of the reason why I wanted to marry her even when I didn't want to marry her.

7/2/13 Just before passing Beaver on our way to St. George, she volunteered to take the wheel. I admired how easily she merged. She is becoming a great freeway driver!

Called Grandma in a sweet voice to let her know we were in Ceder City.

7/6/13 Hit the golf balls at the St George driving range even though she never took classes. She did better than me at first. Made a funny joke: we could each imagine each other's faces on the golf balls and whack then to smithereens.

Has made time to let me read.

7/7/13 Apologized profusely for our arguments over money.

At the hotel, got me my favourite breakfast foods: waffles with strawberries with whip cream, oatmeal with brown sugar, orange juice, bagel with Strawberry cream cheese and biscuits and gravy.
7/9/13 Hugs me tightly and kisses me profusely before I leave for work each morning. makes me feel love and wanted.

Frequently visits me at work. Waits for me patiently outside the hallway. Sometimes scours the whole building looking for me.

Is outspoken and charming. We have received many freebees because of this quality.

7/10/13 Let me go home early from karaoke so I could sleep. She was quiet when she came home. She apologized for making noise, even though it didn't bother me. She also put an extra blanket over me to make me warm and tucked it tightly around me.

7/12/13 I took the love languages test and realized my language was Acts of Service. After looking through these two ongoing lists of this I appreciate about her, I realize she has already been speaking my love language loud and clear.

Based on what I've written, she has done:
10 Acts of Service
9 encouraging words
3 times hasyouched me physically I'm ways I appreciate
5 times spent time with me and I appreciated it.
4 times has given me a gift of some sort

And this has just been over the past month. I'm sure all of these numbers will increase dramatically if I was to look overt the whole year we've been together.

7/13/13 Watched me at the ward. 5k. She did the walking race. When I finished I ran back and walked with her. Was proud that I finished 3rd. She has no idea how much it meant for me to see her there.

7/15/13 After a nasty fight over money, she diffused the argument by saying she understands why I'm frustrated with her spending habits, that she knows I want my financial sacrifices to be appreciated, and that she was sorry for embarrassing me at the store. She has made it a point lately to validate my feelings and show compassion for how I feel. Bless her.

Tells me almost everyday she misses me, even if we're only apart for an hour.

7/16/13 Uses her when money to pay for extra snacks she wants and that are not on the grocery list.

7/17/13 Left me a sweet note thanking me for being a wonderful husband. She also reminded me to laugh more than get mad, which is good advice. The note was from a book of notes with animal pictures.

7/18/13 I had a long list of things I needed to accomplish this week and Kristina has helped me accomplish a significant portion of them.

Last night, unpacked a box from the move that still had stuff in it.

Funny things Kristina says and does

Took my phone in the middle of the night when I started to take it back from her she protested no I want to call this person. She didn't even remember the number she dialed she wanted to talk to a random stranger and introduce herself as "loopy" and then asked the stranger's name "Hi, my nAme's loopy. What's yours?"

She bumps her head on my shoulders playfully

Laughs adorably when we play kids games and read kids books

I love the way she smiles at me when she is enjoying something. I remember that same look on our second date when we danced as we listened to the beach boys live. 

6/10/13 she says we would still kiss, cuddle even if we got divorced. She would hope I stayed single and would fight off other girls. 

6/11/13 she dried her bum off under the hand dryer at the provo rec center

6/14/13 Yesterday she had me pee into a water bottle in the gym at work. It was safe because no one was around. It was hilarious and adventurous.

6/15/13 Beats on her chest like Tarzan.

When I was mad at her at Kim and Ned's house, she swam in the pool underneath me and blew bubbles so they went up my swimsuit.

6/17/13 Doesn't like it when I pick my boogers, but picks my boogers for me.

6/18/13 Used my Facebook account to create the following status: "This might sound crazy to all of you but "I love eating cucumbers for breakfast"!!! I eat them all the time without dipping them in anything. They are my dessert! Tasty Tasty!!!!"

I logged into her account and commented: "That doesn't sound crazy at all sweetheart! Make sure to save me some :):):)
"
6/19/14 When she uses the bathroom in the middle of the night, she comes back loopy and playful.

Hates it when I pick my nose, yet she loves to extract my boogers for me. She lets me pick my nose if the boogers are out of her reach.

6/21/13 When we ate dinner at Biaggi's (at the Gateway), she asked one of the servers where he was from because he was good looking. He awkwardly accepted the compliment. She was embarrassed for s asking her question wrong.  I teased her for the rest of the night for hitting on another man I'm front of her husband. We chuckled every time that guy passed by.

Laughed at the way I talk with my retainer in my mouth, and it gave me a chance to laugh at myself.

When I take Nyquil, she says it Nyqs me out.

When she met me at work, she yelled for me multiple times into the men's restroom. one of the guys in there said "There's no Kevin. please don't yell into the men's restroom." (Kristina was confused because I had texted her that I was using the bathroom, but she didn't knew I had already gone back to my desk).

6/27/13 Memorized an adorable Shel Silverstein poem from her childhood:

I made myself a softball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
and let it sleep with me.

I made it some pajamas
and a pillow for its head.

Then last night it ran away,
But first it wet the bed.

6/29/13 rolled  a jug of cold water on top of her body to cool off.

6/29/13 The phone rang right before she went into the shower. She exclaimed "Jeez, can't a girl get naked?"

7/9/13 makes an adorable rabbit face. Licks me like she's a dog.

Journal July 2013

Journal Monday July 8th 2013 6:56 p.m.
Kristina and I went to Grandma's house to say goodbye to mom, dad, grandma, janet elizabeth grant Sarah Mason and Joshy. Dad give a father's blessing to Grant for his upcoming deployment. Elizabeth pretended to be asleep the whole time, what a stinker. She smirked when we talk to her and tickled her.

A few days ago and Christina and I were in the swimming pool at the hotel, she had an absence seizure, where she stares and is unaware of her surroundings. My heart went out her.

A few weeks ago I had a dream that I saw the year old version of set holding Elizabeth and that the teenage version of set with also there. we met at the fork in the road in Leeds just before Ron and Carol's house.

Christina and I had a safe drive. We are now in Payson in a restaurant waiting for mark spencer Katie and Nathaniel.

Journal, Tuesday July 8, 2013, 7:29 pm I worked from 8 to 6:30 pm today. I took an hour and a half long lunch break so I could nap and visit with Kristina. I worked a total of 9 hours.

Kristina and I are enjoying karaoke art Provo Beach resort.

Journal, Wed, July 10, 2013 , 6:58 p.m. I worked a total of 8.5 goods today from 8 am to 6:30 pm. Kristina visited me twice for about a half hour each time and I took a nap. I an grateful Kristina brought me leftovers for lunch and my book (both of which I had forgotten and agreed her to bring). She also bought us both some food at Rumbi's.

She had her first appointment at my dentist and got her teeth cleaned.they recommend a new crown.

Journal, July 11, 2013, 6:40 am Kristina let me sleep through the night and I am awake an hour earlier feeling energetic.

Yesterday Kristina was in pain and feeling grouchy from having her teeth cleaned and was still feeling silly.

Last night Kristina yelled to me for help from the kitchen. I ran downstairs to see what the problem was. It sounded like a real emergency. She was in the kitchen laughing because she has spilled spaghetti noodles all over the stove. She tried putting them out of their packaging into a Ziploc bag but missed. She said "I'm still drugged"

Journal Saturday July 13th 2013 10:02 p.m. Kristina came to support me at the 5k this morning. it was put on by the Provo Married Student 26th ward. Free registration! Kristina joined Annie Chadderdon in walking the race. It made me feel good to see Kristina. She has no idea how much that means to me. The race was at 8 am.

I finished 3rd with a time of 22:30 (small race). I won a 10 dollar gift certificate to Amazon. I used it to purchase two moves: Maverick and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

We also went to Payson where Katie and Spencer were celebrating Nathaniel's 2nd birthday. He gestured for me to get him a glass of orange juice. I poured it for him. Kristina kindly prompted him to say thank you. He smiled and made the ASL sign for "thank you." I thought that was cute.Journal, Sunday, July 14, 9:15 am Kristina and i are in London attending Paul and Aly Clifford's ward, listening to the farewell of Cami Thomas.

On our way home from Payson last night, we picked up a hitchhiker named Mate who needed to meet a friend at the airport. Mate's girlfriend had left him stranded without a way to get back to his home in Elko, Nevada. Kristina mentioned this was our service for the day and that prompted him to ask us if we were Mormons. We had a good talk with him about the church. It turns out he's read the Work and the Glory.

Journal, Monday, July 15, 2013, 7:16 am Back to the grind.

Poor Kristina has had stomach pains yesterday and today. I took her to the InstaCare in Provo. She's not pregnant, and does not have kidney stones or gall stones. But she's still in pain.

 Journal Wednesday July 17th 2013 6:55 am I totally forgot to write my journal yesterday, so I am putting down one thing that I put about kristina that I appreciate. this was the most recent thing in my ever-growing list of things I appreciate about her. 

Ashleigh's cousin, Brianna Call, adopted the kitten we found at Petco the other day and we are grateful to her.

7/16/13 Uses her when money to pay for extra snacks she wants and that are not on the grocery list.

Journal, Thursday, July 18, 2013, 8:01 am Kristina is thrilled to be back working at the Orem Wendy's. I am, too.

After she got off work, we applied for a credit card with Southwest airlines. We will cancel our American express when the new credit card arrives.

I will start studying for the Air Force Officer test.

I just finished the Journal of Best Practices. I am grateful Grant gave me that book. I highlighted many great ideas that I hope will serve me again and again in the future.

Journal July Friday 19th 2013 7:07 a.m.

 I made Kristina breakfast in bed. I made eggs, toast, and sausage. She made it better by getting us chocolate milk to share. I did it to show her how much I appreciate her and to express regret for the negative things I've done the past year.

We had some nice family time at the Provo recreation center. It's walking distance from our town house. We did zumba and swam together.

Journal, Saturday, July 20, 2013, 7:23 pm I just accidentally delete this journal entry and an rewriting it. Funny.

Kristina and I did sealings at the temple. We love passing by the room where we were sealed.

Kristina and I both had dreams last night with some shocking similarities. I made a vice recording about it.

Journal, July 21, 2013, 2:42 pm I have made it a goal not to yell at Kristina at all this week. I hand wrote the details of how I will achieve that goal.

I smiled today when I saw Kristina smiling and winking at me when I played the organ. She has no idea how much that means to me.

 Monday July 22nd 3:37 p.m. I went boating at Utah Lake with ned, Kim Nick Sarah Jane and Nixon. I woke up at 440 this morning so I could get out of work at 530 and get enough hours to work. I am at their house in just finished dressing and we'll go back to work until 7 o'clock p.m. tonight

Journal, Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 9:36 ppm I'm at Pizza Pie Cafe enjoying karaoke with Kristina. I am doing it to focus on get neds, which includes speaking her live language: Quality Time. As an added bonus I am lashing up on carbs for my 5k tomorrow.

I had an epiphany when I was praying on the way to work a few days ago. The root of all my unreasonable irritation with Kristina is selfishness: wanting more time to myself, more money to myself, making her do what I want. I have sought her feedback on how I can improve as a husband. Diagnosing the root of the problems had been refreshingly liberating, like receiving a diagnosis from a doctor. That's because when th know the ailment, the treatment is easy to figure out. I have been praying to fulfill her needs more than mine, love her more than money, more than anything insignificant.

Journal, Wednesday, July 24, 2013 9:23 am Kristina and I are driving home in her carfrom the temple to temple run.  It was a 5k from the old Provo temple to the site of the new city center temple. I finished with a time of 21:52. That's a 39 second improvement over the ward 5k a week and a half ago, and a 38 second improvement over the 5k in Leeds on July 4.

Kristina felt bad because even though she was at the finish line, she didn't see me finish. It was very crowded. We didn't see each other until 40 minutes after I finished the race.

Journal Thursday July 25th 10:02 p.m. I am pooped. Giving blood yesterday right after a 5k was a bad idea. I have felt weak and sore all day.

Kristina and I attended the wedding of Ben Warner, (Kristina's cousin) and Samantha Gustafson (who used to be in my ward).

Journal Friday July 26 2013 6:08 p.m. I slept in this morning until 8o'clock because I still felt tired from the blood and doing a 5k on same day. That meant I got to have a nice morning with Kristina. She made us breakfast, sausage eggs over easy and toast. We watched an episode of 7th heaven, and we laughed in and played together like kids until we both had to go to work. She worked from 10 30 to 40, & I worked from 10 30 to 5:15

Journal Sunday July 28th 2013 5:16 p.m. Kristina and I gave talks in sacrament meeting, sang in choir, then rushed to Lindon vendor before our sacrament meeting ended. We heard her cousin, Samantha Harris, speak on her mission to Ecuador. It was humorous and touching.

Journal Monday July 29th 2013 7:09 p.m. I contacted LDS family services about getting anger management. I will call them back to set up an appointment.

Kristina and I are going to get parents' house to watch TV. Her folks are in Carlsbad, California for two weeks.

Journal Wednesday July 31st 7:18 p.m. Christina is doing Visiting Teaching and some Relief Society activity with the the ward. I am taking my piggy bank money and doing some window shopping to see what I want to buy. I'm thinking of buying an Amazon gift card and purchasing a few things from my wishlist.

 

Things about Kristina that I appreciate

Thought on her own how I should work tomorrow (6/11/13) instead of going to the movie with her. She told me she appreciates how hard I work to support our family. 

she suggested buying fewer things in order to save money, even though they were on sale. Bought me surprise gifts for father's day

6/15/13 When I started puking on the ride at the carnival, Kristina yelled at the top of her lungs to the operators to stop the ride. she yelled multiple times as loud as she could. they didn't hear her, but it touched me to hear her like a soldier screaming for aid for a wounded comrade. She is a soldier with fortitude.

6/16/13 Treated me to sizzlers for father's day. at first I was mad because I was worried about getting sick and I just wanted to enjoy a meal that Kim and Ned made. Also, I didn't feel right abou.t eating out on Sunday. but she paid for it out of her own pocket.  For her, it was a selfless sacrifice. plus, I got leftovers for lunch tomorrow. If I get sick, I'll be treated by the most gorgeous and helpful nurse in the world.

6/17/13 Plays the piano. We can share that music together and work on songs together as husband and wife. She also has a nice voice to go with my piano. Admires my talents.

had me switch from iPhone to HTC One. the HTC is about 1,000 times better than the iPhone.

6/19/13 Cuddles with me in bed. I don't know what it is, but hugging her and cuddling with her make me feel warm inside. It's therapeutic and relieves stress. It makes my love for her, grow more profoundly than anything else.

The following story still makes me want to cry happy tears when I read it (6/23/13) A couple months ago, I texted her saying my fruit that I had grabbed for breakfast weren't very good. She showed up at my work a few minutes later with sliced apples and fruit dip. I wanted to weep for joy when she did that because a) it was unexpected b) she had to work at 10, and came to my work at 9:30 meaning she had a time crunch, which means she made time just to make sure I had a good breakfast. c) with time being short, she still sliced the apples and put some of the dip in the container.

It was so simple, yet it was profoundly meaningful to me. It is one of my favorite memories of us as newlyweds.end of story

She put windshield washer fluid in her car well I put radiator fluid in my car. The fact that we did it at the same time whats a cute thing for a couple to do. That was actually a cute thing for us to do, a great date idea. It was like a picture of a perfect American family.

6/21/13 She is quick to apologize. It's anxious to learn and improve herself. Is determined not to let her slight learning disability get her down.

Is not jealous. Not embarrassed easily.

Paid for dinner at Spicy Thai yesterday. She splurged and got three things: a free pot sticker appitizer and masman curry, pineapple yellow curry and tom kai soup (which is a really good coconut milk soup) She had nearly $ 800 in the bank and could afford that. I am so proud of her for getting the hang of spending and her celebrating it unselfishly

6/23/13 memorized "I'll go where you want me to go". We both could sing that without the hymnal.

6/24/13 Whenever I find out the real reason why I'm angry (i.e. that I feel unappreciated or overwhelmed) she hugs me and assures me that she appreciates me and offers to help.

You can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink. Kristina usually drinks deeply from the water, as long as she is led lovingly and gently. She'll even go back when you're notlooking.

Visits me at work. Her visits are a boost to my mind and spirit, and they are the highlight of my day. She's not embarrassed to kiss me in front of my co-workers.

If she ever has to use our American Express credit card, she reports it to me right away. She makes sure to hardly ever use it at all.

Offered to go Dutch at dinner to alleviate the cost.

6/25/13 Is quick to apologize, even when there's nothing to apologize for

Is anxious to learn how to drive on the freeway. She loves to use the cruise control. She has done a marvelous job getting the hang of freeway driving.

She winked at me in the temple in her adorable way! :)

Going to the temple First thing in the morning was her idea. she knew it would make me happy to go to the temple. We decided to go once a month. the morning is my favorite time of the day to go to the temple And she picked the perfect time n

After we get in arguments, I often find her in our room reading the scriptures, praying, or researching on the internet how to make it up to me.

Told Nixon to be nice to me. He was being a little due to me. She firmly stopped him and told him to be nice.

6/26/13 When I was upstairs stewing over an argument, she made a tasty breakfast: eggs with cheese and apples with peanut butter. This reminded me of the angel I have, and the treasure that's worth fighting for.

6/27/13 It's easier for me to write a list of things I love about her. I have to think really hard to come up with a list of things about her that bug me.