Why I love Brad

Written by Emily


Reason #1

One important piece of information to understand about Brad is that he is truly methodical. He thinks through details. He doesn’t make rash choices, and because of that, I always feel safe with him. I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t like that trait of his when we were dating. When I decided I loved him and wanted to spend forever with him, I expected him to immediately agree, purchase a ring, and get the show on the road. But he doesn’t work that way. Instead, he thought, for what seemed like an eternity, to determine if marrying me was the right decision. He didn’t allow my hopes for marriage to sway him. He made his own decision. Now, years later, I’m so grateful for his methodical ways: he’s solid in his ways. I don’t think he’s ever felt peer pressure because he’s so grounded in his ways that he doesn’t see anything as pressuring him. And I love him for it.

Reason #2
Brad is a hard worker and a forever learner. He often dreams about building a wood shop outside someday to create his own grandfather clock or his own bookshelf. Not amateur pieces of wood but true workmanship. When we moved into our home, he watched youtube video after youtube video to learn how to lay wood floors and baseboards. Later, we watched more videos to learn how to build our fireplace. If he doesn’t know how to do something, before asking someone else for help, he works to learn for himself. He reminds me of my dad in that way, and I love him for it.

Reason #3

Brad loves maps and airplanes and the world. Before we got married, he asked if he could be in charge of “decorating” the office. He told me he’d let me decorate the rest of the house in my way, and he’d help me hang every single frame and clock, but he just really wanted to be in charge of the office. How did he decorate it? With maps. Lots of maps and a big American flag. He plays geography games with me late at night when both of us should be sleeping. We’ll walk to the big world map, and he’ll give me 5 seconds to find a specific spot. “Find Windhoek,” he’ll say, or “Find Reunion Island.” And then we’ll both giggle that he knows just where he’s talking about, and I’ll never find it. And I love him for it.

Reason #4

Brad lets me cry. Have you ever taken a personality color test? Well I’m a blue, and the first thing you need to know about blue personalities is that they’re loving. The second thing you need to know is that they cry easily. A good commercial or a sweet compliment gets me every time. I remember the first time I saw a cockroach. Brad and I were in our first apartment, living on the third floor. I didn’t know cockroaches could live on third floors. It was the only one we ever saw in the apartment, but that’s all it took. I was in tears. Lots of them. Brad could have laughed. He might have wanted to. Looking back, we both laugh. But at the time, seeing a cockroach was the worst possible creature that I could have seen at that very moment before crawling into bed. And so Brad did what he always does. He held me, and in that hold, I knew the cockroach couldn’t get me then, and no other fears could get me either. Brad keeps me safe, and I love him for it.

Reason #5

Brad is perfectly likeable. He’s never met someone he doesn’t like, and I’m pretty sure everyone who has ever met him has liked him. He can carry a meaningful conversation with any random stranger, and by the end of the conversation, he’ll have a new, good friend. One evening we were wandering through a furniture store, dreaming of our someday house, and Brad said hi to an older couple walking by. Then the hi turned into small talk, and before we knew it, we’d been invited to dinner, and it all started from a simple “hi”. See—Brad’s likeable, and I love him for it.

Reason #6

Brad’s a manly man. He likes getting his hands dirty, he likes grilling in the backyard, and he likes a sweaty game of any sport. When Brad buys a pair of new shoes, the first thing he does when he comes home is mow the lawn in his new shoes. You’d think that’s crazy, dirtying his new shoes in the first moments they sit on his feet, but to Brad, a good pair of shoes isn’t too clean. They can’t be too white. He likes them just a little dirty. I have no other explanation for it other than that he is a manly man, and he likes dirt. I may not understand him, but I love him for it.

Reason #7
Brad’s fun, and he makes our life fun. Though he might be methodical (see reason #1), he’s also spontaneous. Nothing gets him more excited than a nice long road trip. When he has a few days off, he’ll come up with a fun idea to leave town, and then he’ll run to the store, fill up our cooler with “fun foods”, and we’ll be off. Sometimes we just drive to the nearby town to find a new restaurant, but sometimes it’s off to see family 10 hours away, and once, it was to Canada--because Canada is pretty, and because everyone should just jump in the car and drive there. Ask Brad. He’ll tell you that’s exactly what everyone should do with a little free time. And when we don’t have free time, we look at the map and imagine what life would be like tonight in another place, like Namibia or St. Denise Island. Then Brad will decide that someday we’ll travel there, just to see what it’s like, and then we can come home. His sense of adventure is contagious, and I love him for it.