Happy 30th Birthday, Jason!

You’ll have to forgive my plethora of birthday posts lately, but January is a busy month in our house! Plus, how can I not bring up the most amazing husband in the world? Today, my husband Jason is 30 years old. Last night we honored him with a surprise party, and it brought me so much joy to see how loved he is. I had to give a small speech before we cut the cake, and it was hard to not get choked up as I recalled what a good man my husband is: how he stood by me as we (yes, we) walked through my journey with cancer only 6 months into our marriage. Not many men would have stepped up the way Jason did, and I am in awe of this guy more each day.

I’ll never forget something that occurred during one of my earliest chemo treatments. I was weak, scared, and sick. I remember thinking that I was now a mere shell of the vibrant woman I had been when Jason and I began our dating relationship. And yet, he looked over at me as I walked around our hospital room, and said, “How are you doing, Champ?” I was more than a little thrown to hear myself being referred to with such a bold superlative, so I questioned him. I told him that I was as far from a champ as could be! I was sick, weak, and bald. I was tired all the time and I could barely get out of bed most days. Still, he just smiled and told me that I was his champ; that he admired the way I was fighting this cancer, and that I was a lot stronger than I knew. He continued calling me Champ during the remainder of my time with chemotherapy, and it meant more to me than I’ve probably ever told him. In the midst of my greatest points of weakness, he thought I was a Champ. That never left me.

The other thing that I can’t stop gushing over when I talk about Jason, is what an incredible father he is to Joey and Gavin. This man is literally their best friend and hero, and he does it all with such genuine love and sincerity. You can’t fake the type of love he has for our boys. He just truly loves playing with them and making them smile. It is so incredibly endearing to me to see this man interact with his boys. He is an outstanding father, and I feel so blessed to get to parent alongside him.

Jason, Happy 30th Birthday! I love you and can’t wait to embark on every new journey of life that will come our way! You are my best friend and one of my heroes! The best is yet to come for you!