Men!

Okay, I know today's title might be loaded. Every woman knows how it goes, right? You screw up your face and think about that male characteristic that makes you want to run screaming for a nunnery. Which is an interesting response from a card carrying member of the Relief society. From the picture at the right one might conclude that my big sport joined in the rush into the wild last weekend as deer season opened. Not so! This get-up was organized for the annual Young Men's paintball get together. Every year he goes out and buys more gear so that everyone will have what they need and the Young Men and leaders all get together and shoot paintballs at one another. Unfortunately, this year there were not enough youth prepared to go so it was cancelled. All dressed up and nowhere to go. Still he's always game. He loves sports! There are certain times of the year that I don't see him at all in the evenings. He has softball on Monday, basketball Tuesday and Thursday, Young Men's on Wednesday, and just maybe we can go out on Friday night, but then it's basketball again on Saturday morning. Then whenever possible, and the weather cooperates, he goes golfing. If he isn't playing he is watching - or talking about it. Then there's the wheels (or if said man is a fan of Garage Logic - cylinders) More wheels, or more cylinders, equals greater happiness. We are happy with a new car. We are happier with a new car with a bigger engine, even better if said car is a truck - a truck with 4 wheel drive (Oh Glory!) Add a trailer, a riding lawnmower, and still he may covet another riding lawnmower that cuts a bigger swath and yet another (because the first didn't turn quickly enough, or have a big enough bag, or mulcher or ...) Then there's the fire. He likes to build a fire or as he puts it a F-A-R. When the flames climb past his height and can be seen from the end of the street he is happy. He patrols the yard dragging wood from every corner and throwing anything else that has been laying around the yard too long (good thing I don't hang out in the yard) He comes back inside the house with his face flushed, mustache and eyebrows crinkled up at the ends and smelling of smoke - the epitomy of the happy camper! That's my man - he can't sit still, can't watch one television program at a time, and thinks filing is making piles on the tables and counter tops. Am I complaining? - Nope. For all that he is also always where he needs to be. He's the one I look for first in the morning and when arriving home from work. He's the person I want to talk to when I'm hurting or happy or scared or excited. He's the priesthood holder and leader in my home and I didn't really understand what that meant until I experienced it. It means that he will be the one who looks out for our spiritual health. I can count on it. He will encourage our progress, pray for our weaknesses to become strengths, and ALWAYS be someone I'm grateful to be married to.