HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHARD!!!

(I added some more pictures I found from his siblings & cousins facebooks...we haven't had a chance to scan in his baby pictures so this will do)
Today is Richards birthday!! (I actually wrote this last night, but posting it today so he can read it on his birthday).
Well to start, I saw this tag on my cousins blog, and thought this would be fun to do about Richard for his birthday tribute post! So here it goes:

• What is your husband's name? Richard William (I think his name is so cool and regal!)
  
• How long have you been married? 3 years and two weeks today! That's pretty cool...
  
• How long did you date? We were engaged a month after our first date (when it's right...it's right!!) and were married 4 months after getting engaged. We both knew though within a week from our first date that we wanted to get married...but we also both didn't want to say anything to the other one too soon :)
  
• How old is he? 26 TODAY!!
  
• Who eats sweets? Both of us equally I think. We both are huge sweets fans
  
• Who said I love you first? Richard. It was 27 days after our first date and 17 days after I officially became his girlfriend :). We were standing out by this car in front of my house. I was saying good night after one of our dates and he whispered it in my ear.
  
• Who is taller? He is a perfect 6 inches taller. It's awesome because I fit right under his arm. It's my special place :)
  
• Who does the laundry? I do. I like doing the laundry because I am pretty particular about how it gets done and he isn't so much of a fan of doing it, so it works out just right.
  
• Who pays the bills? I do too. I oddly enough, enjoy doing this too (reason I almost switched to accounting...) so I am in charge of bills and we both do the budget together.
  
• Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Richard (for now). We switch every once and awhile, so that will probably change pretty soon... :)
  
• Who mows the lawn? Well, we are college students and therefore no lawn. BUT, when we have a lawn he will mow it I am sure.
  
• Who cooks dinner? Honestly, if you were to add it up, we are probably completely even. Right now, I cook dinner since he is a full-time student (his job is to get good grades so he can get into a good law school) and spends all of his extra time doing homework. But the nice thing is, he really likes to cook dinner so sometimes he begs me to let him do it, and I do. He is an awesome cook too. Just like his Dad.
  
• Who drives? He does. It's just something both our parents did
  
• Who is the first to admit they are wrong? This is one thing I really respect about Richard. He is so quick to admit when he is wrong and apologize. He sets such an example to me about the importance of apologizing etc. I love it that he doesn't always have to be right either.
  
• Who kissed who first? He kissed me first...I had been waiting for him to kiss me every night after our dates (we went on a date every night from our first date on...) and finally a week after our 1st date, as he was walking me back to my house after a date, he just stopped and instead of shaking my hand (hahaha) he kissed me. I was so excited!!
  
• Who asked who out first? He did (obviously we are very old fashioned...hahaha...he did all the firsts in our relationship). I had gotten home from my freshman year of college in Utah the day before and had just gotten home from work. I had sat down to read a book and the phone rang. I saw on the caller ID that it was someone from his house (I had waited a year for him to ask me out but we never spoke more than like a sentence to each other...apparently I intimidated him...I thought he hated me!) and I got excited thinking he was calling for me, but then rode it off because his sister & my sister were friends. BUT, he was calling for me to ask me out on a date!!! I was so excited that after I said yes, I immediately called my parents to tell them he had finally asked me out on a date!! We watched National Treasure and had pizza...and we were hooked.

So there is some basic information about my wonderful, amazing husband Richard. He is absolutely and 100% the best person I have ever heard of or met. And the neatest thing, is after 3 1/2 years (dating+engaged+marriage) of basically being together 24/7 I can still say that, with even more conviction. I look up to him more than anyone else in my life. He is perfectly (and I am serious when I say perfect) selfless, nice, caring, sensitive, faithful, smart, respectful, patient, fun, pure, romantic and wonderful to me. He ALWAYS puts me first in everything we do and want, racing to meet my need before I meet his. He makes me the happiest women in the world. I remember a couple days before we got engaged, he was talking about how he would love and treat his wife (haha apparently he already knew he was going to marry me, so he was telling me this already knowing I was going to be that lucky girl) and I wanted more than anything to be that person who he so tenderly talked about. I knew with my whole heart, that the women who would become his wife, would be the luckiest girl in the world. And somehow Heavenly Father felt I was worthy enough to be that girl. He is liked and respected with everyone he knows and is such a strength to everyone. He is a very special person. He is one of the main reasons that I try every day to be a better person because I have to somehow be worthy of him. My life with him is more than I could ever have dreamed and he is more than I EVER imagined. I feel SOOO blessed.

I could go on and on about how wonderful he is, but I don't want to get too mushy on everyone :) Basically, he is amazing and perfect and wonderful and I am SOOOO HAPPY that today 26 years ago, he was born. He is my miracle baby (it's a cool story if you are curious...)

Him with his family (he is the little boy in red haha) when he was about 1 year old
(check out how much he looks like his dad...wow...)
At his cousins birthday at around 5 years old
In Alaska he thinks as a 9 year old
Surfing with his older brothers and their friend when he was about around 13 (he is on the far left)
At his cousin Jennys b-day party as a 18 year old (he is on the floor with a white shirt)
On his mission (as a 20 year old) in Houston, Texas as one of his most special converts Cora was about to be baptized.
Us kissing after our first dance to "Unforgettable" at our reception (this is his favorite of our wedding pictures) when he was a 22 year old
Him now! We had fun a couple weeks ago doing "model pictures" and this is one of my favorites...I love comparing this picture to the one at his cousins house when he was 5! :) What a cutie!!

There is hardly a single second where he isn't making me laugh...he is so much fun!
(This was at a cool hat store we went to in San Diego when we were on our Mexican cruise)
He is so romantic too!! He regularly and randomly gets me flowers, candy, leaves notes all over the house, love letters everywhere etc.
AND WONDERFUL!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me!