To Rick For Our Anniversary (late) Really 27th of Dec.

Well, as you probably read, my 6th anniversary was a mess. I was so sick that we could not do anything and I was barely coherent because of the pain meds that they had me on. I tell you, if Rick loves me the way I was on our anniversary this year, then I am confident that he truly loves me no matter what!! Just to back that up, here is a little idea of the mess that I was: Not showered in 2 days because the water hurt my ears, hair a horrible mess, sick, hacking, tissues everywhere, groaning and on Vikidin. If you are not a long time friend that has ever seen me in the maybe 5 times in my life that I take meds that are stronger than Tylenol you will not understand, but if you have seen me you will understand. I am a LOON on meds. I laugh, say weird things, apparently I call out like a Yeti and hold a care bare monkey of Jakes like my child (says Rick). Basically, I loose all sanity! Yep, just what I wanted to do to make him so happy he chose me 6 years ago. To top it all off I am pregnant and getting big and well, if he loves me despite it all, I guess it is just one more reason that I got luckier than I ever knew on Dec 27th 2002 when he said I will!

If that is not enough to show my utter gratitude to the lord for a man like Rick, here are 6more things that I would share about and with Rick for our 6th Anniversary:

1. No matter what, Rick makes me laugh! - We fell in love, married, and then realized that we are both totally different and the same at the same time. Maybe it is that we are the same temperament, same ideals and same bull headed types, but our approaches are different. We just work though. We argue on occasion, we disagree (at first) a lot, we drive each other nuts sometimes, but I cant stay sufficiently mad at him for long. As long as we engage in the argument it can go on and on, but once one of us leaves the room, it is only minutes before someone comes running to make amends. He comes in and pokes his head around the corner and says something funny and I know that if I look at him, it is over. There just is not room for any anger when I look at him because I adore him. I truly think he is the funniest, cutest person that I know. Close second would be our little one Jakie.
*Rick has even texted me from downstairs before to see if the coast is clear to come and check on me. He was particularly bad that time and a poke around the corner might have been a poke in the eye for him. It was cute though!

2. The man has true character: -I have never in my life ever met any man like him before. I know that other people exist like him like my mom and good people that do good things for no reason, but he was the first handsome man that I ever knew that was truly that way. No wonder I fell fast and hard for him! I have always been amazed at his sense of family, sense of right and wrong, his desire to be better, and his utter devotion to God and me. In these things I have never been disappointed in him. I remember when we were dating that he would tell me not to come over on Saturday mornings until about 11am. He had a list of chores that he did for his family and community. I figured he did a few things at the threat of his parents anger, but no, he volunteered. Not just him but his whole family! Cam is just like him in this and I always admire it. Anyway, he would go over and mow his grandma's lawn, mow the neighbors lawn, or help with other things they needed, he would then help in is family yard and run any errands that needed doing. He was the first to agree to do whatever he was asked. Yeah, he whines sometimes, but not like I would have! I was thoroughly impressed then, but I had no idea that I had not even scratched the surface of his service. He goes so far above and beyond in his callings at church, he helps anyone he can and certainly helps me. I have to whip him into shape sometimes, but he is so much better than me in so many areas and I feel complete gratitude for his example on so many occasions.

3. He is an amazing father: - I knew when we dated/were engaged that he loved kids, and after we were married I saw even more evidence of that but I never knew the depth of reverence that he holds for Heavenly fathers "little ones". He melts at the sight of a child and especially a baby. He really would hold them all and call them all little ones all of the time. I watched him with others kids before we had Jake and knew that he would adore his children and love them completely. Well, I was right but I never knew how much more he could love our own child. Jacob is such a sweet little spirit and keeps us on our toes. I watch him as he interacts with Jacob and I see that no time with his son is ever a wasted moment. Sure he looses his temper on occasion and Jacob drives us both nuts sometimes, but he is our most precious gift and Rick makes sure that Jake knows it daily. I admire his openness with his feelings for Jake, I am amazed at his desire to give him more love each day and I take lesson at the time he spend with Jake even when I know that he is exhausted and ready for a break. I know that he will be doubly so when our next little one joins our family in June.

4. He was irresistible to me: - When I think of what I could have ended up after a 2-3 week courting period and a 2 month engagement before our wedding, I know that I got lucky! Same goes for him, I could have been a psycho!!! Shame on us for our carelessness. What were our parents thinking!! I am surprised that no one stormed the temple and demanded that we not be fools. We never even got a stern talking too to make sure we were not nuts. Well, I guess that both sides knew us and realized that #1 we are insanely strong willed, #2 we were truly in love, #3 that we were both RM's with the training to tap into the spirit. Well, that said, if Jacob ever does that to me, I am going to freak out!!

Oh well, I guess that is how life goes. Thinking back, I could never have done it any other way! I dated long and hard before Rick and never wanted marriage with any of the other ones. I never even considered it and certainly not at 24. But, I knew on our first date that I was in trouble with Rick. He was everything I wanted and everything I didn't even know I was looking for. We went to see Elder Ballard speak on our first date and at the event center rick put his arm around me (rick, you fast mover you!!) and I swear I felt a shock of electricity. I knew I was in it for good if he wanted me! Then he held my hand on the way out (seriously confident here huh!) and I smiled the whole way home. I never worried about if it would work really, I changed plans to move back to California right away and stayed to see how things would work. I knew they would and I said yes the second he hinted at marriage. I just did not want to loose him. I wonder about my life without him and I am just sure that I could have been fine, but never as happy as I am with him! It has been a wild ride but I would love to do it all again with him any day. Next time I would be smarter though and not make the mistakes I have. Then I could be perfect in his eyes!

5.He is very ambitious: Well, as you can tell from the last comments Rick is quite tenacious! He is very kicked back about things until he knows what he wants. Once he sets his sights on something, it will happen for him. Not in a cocky or smug way at all, it is just that when Rick sets his mind on something, his whole focus shifts to make it happen and people cant help but jump on board and follow what he has set. I have been his only nemesis because we are the same and if I do that, compromise is required, so he does not always get what he wants with me. I try to let him have his way on things though, I get a secret happiness from knowing that he gets to lead and have generally found that he is quite right about a lot of things (I put the smack down when he gets out of control tough). Okay, most things. I think it is because he is so logical and I am quite emotional. Anyone will tell you that logical usually trumps emotional.

Anyway, He is tenacious and can set goals. He sees what he wants and just does it. I remember when we met he was at UVSC after his mission (and a 1.7 GPA during his freshman year at Snow College). Yikes, he had obstacles to overcome, but was doing great at UVSC and planned on going to the U of U for med school. I married him despite his wanting to be a doctor (a doctors life, yuck!) and believed he could do anything. I would have married him no matter what he wanted to be, but I have been impressed and even surprised at his ability to accomplish things in his life. He figured out that a DR. is not what he wanted to be and made administration his goal . I watched as he got into BYU by the skin of his teeth and flourished there in the Public Health Dpt. I never even saw him do homework at home because he went to school 9-5 so that when he came home, it was just us. He blew me away as he applied to graduate schools that were in the top 10 and got in! We were off to Seattle and I watched as he reached the top of his class and got a coveted internship at UW and then was again floored when he got a fantastic Fellowship post grad. I never could have imagined that he would take us that far. I did not ever think he could not do it, I just have always been so surprised and sometimes shocked by the overwhelming reaction to him by his peers and professional leaders. He is as ambitious with them as he is with is and I love and truly respect him ever day for that!

6. He is more than a husband, he is my best friend: There is no one in this world that knows me better than Rick Shumway! For better and certainly at times for worst, he knows me and has always loved me. I can't lie to him (unless it is a surprise) and I never feel worse than when I do not give him 100% of my love. I feel like with him it is all or nothing. We could never work if we were not best friends. I think we both just want and need that too much. He has slowly become my conscience and I see what I want to be when I look at him. We teach each other, I dare say, daily! Sometimes we teach what not to do and other times it is a lesson on what to do to love one another. I think so many wonderful things of Rick but I think that what I always come back to is just a feeling of complete love for him. I love his little faults, I love his dumb sounds that he makes to make me laugh, I love when he thinks that he is fooling me and I am totally on to him, I love when he takes nurse quality care of me when I am sick, I love when he accomplishes something big and fakes humility, I love when he smiles at me and his ears move, I love when he tries to lie to get out of doing something he hates doing (usually shopping), I love it when he holds our son and tells him that daddy loves him, and most of all I love that he chose me! I know that he could have had his pick, but I thank the Lord everyday that he is all mine for more than forever! I get his one for eternity.
Happy anniversary Love. There is so much more I would say but no one else wants to hear about that stuff! I am sorry that I was disgusting and completely incoherent during the whole day on our real anniversary! I will make it up to you by actually getting cute and then buy you a belly full of food that you love! -Happier than I ever could have imagined, Sarah