Lookin' for the best man in the world? I have him!

These are the two family members I love most in this world. Emma (aka Monkey), our cat, has been successfully kicking the shit out of CRF for almost two years now. The t-shirt Tom is wearing I got him for our second (dating) anniversary. It says: "It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack."

I know I write about Tom every now and then, but I must devote a post to my incredible husband, who is *the* smartest person I have ever met but is humble and loving as well.

Things in the skyewriter household have not been particularly easy lately.

I am a complete nutjob about my dissertation defense (one. week. from. today) and so the usual household things like laundry and cooking and cleaning aren't getting done as often as they should. Tom and I decided that I would take this year off to get my dissertation finished; which means he works outside the home and we live on his graduate student stipend. I work inside the home and try to stretch our budget as far as I can without it snapping.

Tom works very hard. He's a year away from his Ph.D. in Physics (from one of the top five programs in the country). Right now, he is collaborating with a group at Berkeley on ice core samples from the WAIS ice sheet. What does physics have to do with Climatology? Atomic Mass Spectrometry (AMS).

This current project (among three others) is about Climatology. You know, climate change, science-y stuff that really is just a hoax (note sarcasm).

He works 12-14 hours a day and thankfully he is getting an undergraduate this summer to help him with some of the more tedious aspects of sample prep.

But after those long days, he still comes home with a smile, a hug, and concern for me.

Last night I was having some really bad foot cramps and he rubbed my feet. He does that often. When my back hurts from sitting in front of a computer all day, he rubs that, too.

Last night as he rubbed my feet I looked at him and asked: "How did you get to be so wonderful? What in the heck did I do to ever deserve you?"

His answer: "It takes so little, honey, to make someone's day. Just a smile or a friendly word. You have no idea how many times I have been grateful for the random kindness of a stranger."

I said: "Yeah, but you're rubbing my feet."

He smiled a huge smile with dimples that ended my single life the minute I saw them. "I love making you feel better. Almost as much as I love you."

I unofficially name today: Gratitude for Kind People Day.

If you know someone who is a kind and generous spirit, let them know how much they mean to your life and the lives of others.