I Take it All Back

In a previous post, I mentioned that I like to tease my wonderfully talented and smart husband about being a nerd. I often tell him that he is a nerd in the sense that he is academically inclined, without all the negative stereotypes that come from the word. Yesterday I came across a blog post with the subject of 'why geeks make the best dads'. I was laughing when I read it because it sounded somewhat familiar. When I read the comments, almost every wife said that her geek husband is an engineer of some sort; must not be coincidence that my "nerd" husband is a civil engineer. I decided that I, too wanted to post a tribute to my husband because he really is the best dad and husband ever. In order to be completely correct in my use of the word, I decided to look up 'nerd' in the dictionary. This is what Merriam-Webster gave me: nerd: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits. I TAKE IT ALL BACK.

While Jeff is, without a doubt, smart and devoted to intellectual pursuits (I don't know if I would say slavishly devoted, but he is devoted), he is definitely not unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept. I will give the example of our first "real" date together (we had met on a blind date the week before). When Jeff called me to ask me out, one of the first things he did was ask me how my brother's soccer game was. I had completely forgotten that I had told him I was going to it and I was very surprised that he had remembered. That was the very beginning of my realization that this man is very real and genuinely interested in the people around him. Jeff makes friends easily and people love to be around him. Socially inept? I don't think so.

While getting ready for this first date, I worried about whether I should wear a belt because I felt that Jeff was the kind of guy who would want a girl to wear a belt. But, I am definitely more casual than that and didn't want to misrepresent myself as a belt-wearing girl when I really am not one. :) I opted to wear the belt and honestly, I don't think Jeff even noticed. Needless to say, Jeff always dresses nicely and "in style". The thing about Jeff though, is that he doesn't dress for others and isn't into what's trendy or hip,and yet he always manages to look great; I really love that about him.

When I saw Jeff walk across my window before getting to the front door on that first date night, I saw how cute he really is. Cute doesn't do him justice though; from the beginning I have always thought that Jeff had a distinguished, polished, very handsome look and there is no room for any unattractiveness in there at all. So there.

So, honey, I take it all back. I will never call you a nerd again. I love your brilliant brain and your uncanny ability to solve problems, but I also LOVE your athleticism and your handiness (he really can build or fix anything), your playfulness and teasing (really, I do), your devotion to our family, your awesome capabilities as a father, and the tender, sensitive, and caring part of you. Thanks for being the world to me. I love you.