Because he Rocks!

Have you guys noticed that I pick on Ryan sometimes? No? Well, Ryan has. He thinks I blog for that reason only. In case you've only begun reading recently, you can catch up here, here, here, here, and here. As a side note, one of those posts gets referred to as a "favorite" by some of you from time to time. Any guesses which one?
Yeah, so I admit that I do like to pick. It's my love language. But I also praise. Need proof? Look here and here.
But I have to admit that the "pick on Ryan" list is longer than the "Ryan is great" list. I guess I am not exactly fair and balanced all the time. It's just not what I do. I write to amuse myself and, hopefully, you. And I'm amused by the absurd, the funny, the snarky, and the silly. Nice is nice, too, it's just not as funny.
So, if you came here for funny, today is not your day. This post is about my wicked awesome better half. Here's why he's so awesome:

1. Seriously, if I had to say why Ryan is so great lately, the answer would have to be, "He puts up with me." If you've been around me lately, you know I've been on edge and tired and cranky. And that's just because I'm saving the good stuff for you. Ryan gets the just plain rotten, exhausted, frustrated, mad parts that I omit for polite company. And he just handles it. He never holds a grudge or brings it up later. It's just not his style. He plays strong and silent to my weak and obnoxious; we complete each other like that.

2. He fixes stuff. I can't tell you how many times something has broken and I've freaked out about having to pay for the repairs. And I don't know why. In all the time we've been married, we've had a car in the shop once. Everything else he's handled. He changes oil and brakes and whatever else you change on a car. He replaces radiators and belts. He fixes broken heaters and buffs out the headlamp covers so your lights are more effective. When my dryer started taking 3 cycles to dry clothes, he thought for a few days, poked around, read a little, and went to the hardware store. I thought he'd come back with a new dryer, but he bought some fuzzy contraption with lots of connecting cables (or something) that works on the end of a drill. The dryer works like it did when it was brand new. (And if you've never seen dryer lint come from the vent on top of your roof, ask him if you can borrow it. It was pretty cool.)

3. He's a hard worker. Really really. I wish I could sabotage his work ethic sometimes because it gets in the way of fun, but the boy can work and is dedicated. And when I say dedicated, I mean it. He not only works hard, but he works differently than most others, and I can't explain to you how difficult it makes his life sometimes. Still, he sticks to it, never compromising his standards, hearing all the criticism all the way. It always pays off in the end. Right now Ryan is his team's MVP. He acts like it's not a big deal, but I think it is. It doesn't come with a corner office and a view, but I think the geek creds are important when you have to get into pissing matches with the other (dare I say lesser?) nerds from time to time.

4. He's taking Alex off my hands Saturday morning. Alright, tell me if this is overkill, because I know you've gotten the email or seen it on Facebook, but here it is again. Remember last year when Ryan decided to ride 100 miles for the Tour de Cure? Well, he has been looking forward to doing it again all year long, and he has been training again for a while. I know he planned on teaming up with the same guys he rode with last year, and it has been a big deal for him. But when we got the trail-a-bike extension, Alex fell in love. It is so fun for him to gear up and hop on the back to go with Ryan. Now, for Ryan, it's all about Alex having fun because it makes his ride much more challenging. Ryan's bike weighs about 20 lbs, but when you add Alex and the tandem set up, it adds about 80 lbs to the mix. So if Alex gets tired and takes a break from pedaling, it's all on Dad. Still, once Ryan realized how much fun Alex was having, he tried him out on longer and longer rides until he was convinced he could handle 20. Then he decided to forgo his 100 miles with the guys and let Alex have the experience of riding 20 miles in a big race with him. It's this Saturday, and they are pretty excited. So, look for pictures next week, but for now you can help them as they prepare if you'd like. This ride is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, and each rider had to raise $150 by Saturday morning. Ryan is over half way there, and Alex is about a third of the way to his goal. Friday night we will pay the remainder of what has not been donated by friends and family, so if you'd like to make a small (or large - don't let me discourage you!) donation, see Ryan's page here or Alex's here. (We really hate this part! Believe me, if you see them and say "good job," that kind of support is also very welcomed!)

As a side note, we have a couple friends running or riding or attending this event who are diabetic themselves, and we are excited to be supporting them with this effort as well! See you guys there!

5. Oh, this was about why Ryan is awesome, huh? I get distracted easily, as you know. Ok, Ryan rocks because he bought me a new bright pink iPod for my birthday along with some accessories to encourage me to reach my own fitness goals. And he didn't take it back or hold it ransom for the grovelling I owed him after I was hateful to him before my birthday.

I say you can't get much better than that, my friends.

Stay tuned because I'll be back to my usual, snarky self soon.