Dear Husband,

Today you turn 26 years old! What a fantastic 26 years it has been. I have known you for 8 1/2 of those years, and married to you for 4 1/2, and I can tell you that the years I have been with you have certainly been great!

You are my favorite person in the whole universe. You make me laugh. You smell wonderful. You only complain a little bit when the house isn't clean. You hold my hand when we drive. You have a really cute butt.

I am so proud of the past year of your life! Lets go back and look at some of your accomplishments:

1) 1 year ago today, you were about to embark on the most magical experience of your life: Your epic Harry Potter Party! Yes, I include this as an accomplishment, because it really is an accomplishment to be oblivious to the point that you don't notice me planning a massive surprise party for 6 months.

2) You got the externship at Scottish Rite! This would springboard your love of pediatric nursing and reignite your love of camps! You destroyed this job, you made everyone love you, you got 3 separate permanent positions that were yours if you wanted them, and you got a pretty rockin' part-time PRN job out of it for as long as you see fit (which is as long as we live in Dallas!).

3) You had your 4 year wedding anniversary with me! This is a big deal because I am a pain and how you stay married to me I will never know. I just know I am glad that you do, because I would be lost without you.

4) You planned a magical birthday for me, with a hand-crocheted scarf and a day of shopping with one of my best friends. You also RESEARCHED a place to take me for dinner, and I love that you put forth that effort.

5) You got hired at Methodist as a Surgical ICU nurse! It may not be your favorite thing now, nor was it the easier decision you have ever made to choose it, but I am so proud of you for doing it! You chose the job that was way outside your comfort zone and the one that had the most potential for your future! You will be able to go to whatever kind of school you want or any kind of hospital on any unit after working there for a couple of years!

6) You had your first trip to New York City with me! This was awesome. This was epic. We are probably going back in the next 6 months. I loved watching you experience the city. I loved watching you get excited about thing and I loved holding your gloved hand as we walked down the streets. Remember that one time you scoffed at me buying a $4 cookie, then ended up eating most of it? Yeah. I loved that. I also loved being with you for an extended period of time. I miss you and am so happy we got to f-i-n-a-l-l-y take a real vacation, just the 2 of us!

7) You graduated nursing school and CRUSHED your NCLEX, which makes you now and forever more David P. Allen, RN. I am excited for you to put a few more letters behind your name, but considering how long it took us to get those 2, I am pretty freaking proud that it is done and over and I can officially tell people that my Husband is a Nurse! I cannot begin to explain to you how much my heart swells when I think of the fact that, 3 years after we moved back to Texas, you are a full-fledged nurse! With a job! Making money! I thought that it would surely take much longer, but you worked your tail off, and I am so thankful every day for the sacrifices you have made over the past 3 years, from moving here in the first place, to never seeing me because I work opposite schedules from you, to working so hard all Summer, to everything in between. I always said that one of the most important qualities in a spouse is that they are a hard worker, and you have gone above and beyond that.

This past year was also filled with fun dates, new friends, board games, TV shows (oh Netflix... why must you have every episode of every Star Trek ever?), a couple of short weekend trips, and above all, learning more about each other and loving each other more every day.

I love you babe, and I glad you are my awesome, 26 year old Husband!

xoxo
Sab