Ken Doll

This year for Valentine's Day, Rex gave me the gift I've been wanting for literally years:

(No, not a pug puppy.  I WISH!)

He let me make him my ken doll.

I feel like the implications of this statement are obvious, but in case you didn't catch my meaning: Rex agreed to go shopping with me and let me pick out ALL OF HIS CLOTHES.  What's more, he agreed to BUY THEM.  Now when we go on a fancy date, he will have something presentable to wear!  I'm so happy I could click my heels!

We had a blast at the mall yesterday.  When we walked into Express, the look on the tuxedo-wearing worker's face was priceless.  I don't think they see a lot of flannel and Carhartt in that store.  I was momentarily concerned that we might get kicked out.  We shopped at Express, Macy's, JC Penny...all the stores that don't frequently see men who work at Gander Mountain.  Seriously, though - Rex and I haven't laughed so hard in a really long time.  I laughed when I made him try on a pink pinstriped shirt.  He laughed when I made him try on a Michael Kors jacket, because he is so "not a Michael Kors kind of guy." (truth).  We both laughed when he tried on a thin(ish) black coat and he said, "Christine!  I CANNOT wear this!  This looks like a trash bag.  Do you want people to think you are married to a HOBO?!  Like we're going to leave dinner and then head back to our COZY CARDBOARD BOX?!"

Extreme Rex makeover = best date in a long time.  Also, because I know my couponing friends will appreciate this, we got over $450 worth of clothes for a total of $152.  I was quite proud of that. $152 sounds like a lot, yes, but that's what Rex usually spends on me for Valentine's Day anyway (I know, I'm spoiled), and this was a very, VERY satisfactory Valentine's Day gift.

Here's the before photo (please click on it so you can adequately appreciate his facial expression):

Here's the after:  (I could only get him to model one outfit for you)

Oooh la la!  I may or may not have kissed him in the middle of Macy's because he just looked THAT GOOD.  We still had to sit on his camouflage seat covers and sing country music on the way home, though.  I can take the man out of the Carhartt, but I can't take the Carhartt out of the man.  That's okay.  Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Especially now that we can fool people into thinking he's fashionable every once in a while.

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Next year's target:  THE BEARD.

Powerball Husband

Do you hate those mushy posts where people are all, "Oh, my spouse is so fantastic?"  You do?  Okay, then go ahead and skip this one.

I was reminded by the radio this morning that Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  The ad was advertising roses.  I thought of the beautiful bouquet of white roses that was sitting on our dining room table when I got home from work yesterday, and I also thought of the bouquet of red roses that is almost ready to be thrown away.  It is sitting on our breakfast nook table in the kitchen.  Rex likes to overlap new flowers when the old flowers are almost dead, because that way I'm never totally without flowers.

Yep.  That's my husband.

The powerball lottery jackpot was at an all-time high a couple of weeks ago with a prize of over 1 billion dollars.  The odds of winning were next to impossible, yet some people still won.  That's kind of how I feel about Rex.  The odds of landing a man like him are next to impossible, yet somehow I did it.  Or somehow God decided to give him to me.  Whichever.  Either way, I'm thankful.

I don't realize how spoiled I am until things like this happen: a few days ago I looked in my lunch and said, "Aw man!  No carrots today."  My students looked at me, incredulous.  "You don't pack your own lunch?" they asked.  Uhhh...no?  Rex does it.  Is that weird?  Apparently yes.  Rex always wakes up with me while I get ready for work, and while I do my make-up, he packs my lunch.  I also semi-frequently get notes like this:

Also, I can't braid my own hair (it's my dirty little secret - now you know).  Rex's sister Michelle trained him on Barbies when they were kids, so Rex frequently braids my hair for me.  It's actually braided right now.  He's pretty much super-husband.

Rex has also told me that whenever I'm ready, I can get a pug.  I want a pug SO BADLY.  Don't ask me why.  I love them.  Rex hates them because...I don't know.  Just look at them.  They're kind of weird.  But Rex says as soon as I decide Ruby (our youngest dog) is "grown-up enough" to have a little sibling, I can bring home whatever pug I want.  Hooray!

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go ahead and keep him (Rex, not the pug in the picture.  Though I wish I could have both).  It's not that Rex and I never disagree or that marriage isn't work, but Rex is the hardest worker that I've ever met in my life.  I know that no matter how difficult life could ever get, he would never give up.  He just doesn't DO that.  He doesn't give up on me.  He doesn't give up on us.  People like that are becoming more and more rare.  He's worth more than a winning powerball ticket.

I love you, Rex.  Happy early Valentine's Day.