Happy Father's Day!

In honor of Father's Day, and inspired by another friend, I would like to tell you a bit more about this man I call my husband and Penny calls Dadadadadada!  Here is my list of things you should (or shouldn't) know about Nolan!  


50 Things You Should Know About Nolan!


1. Nolan is a great cook, he has spoiled me because I no longer want to cook while he's gone - it just doesn't taste the same
2. He loves dogs - he's never lived this long without a dog - nearly 4.5 years.
3. He works on a Tow Boat
4. Nolan is still friends with boys he went to elementary school with (I know only a few of us that can say that)
5. Nolan broke his back while skiing when he was 19
6. He is an avid reader - something he got from his parents who send us shipments every couple months of used books they've read

7. He dressed up as Mr. T one year for Halloween - his mom accidentally glued the Mohawk to his head!
8. We make up stories to help each other fall asleep
9. He has some of the most amazing cousins and constantly tries to stay in touch with them
10. His back is riddled with gnarly scars - see #6
11. He is an amazing dad
12. He quotes movies I've never seen, then politely suggests I see them (Paint Your Wagon was the first in a very LONG list)
13. Nolan bought his first computer last year  - and now spends loads of time "window shopping"
14. He loves backpacking and camping and since we've moved to IL he has done very little of both except when we return to Nevada
15. He is a great fly fisherman, something he couldn't wait to teach me within the first 3 months of dating
16. The inside of his wedding ring says "It began with a rain check."  He politely asked for a rain check after I hit on him at work, that weekend I got a text that simply said "rain check."
17. Later I found out that he had to call our work to get my number so he could send me the text.

18. His parents own a cabin at Mill Creek, CA - a place that hold some of his fondest memories. 
19. Far from a traditionalist, he spent a weekend at the cabin, among his closest friends to celebrate his bachelor party the summer before we married
20. I think he might have an internal count of how many times I can use, "just trust me" when referring to home decorating 
21. He has a great Harry Potter voice that sounds nothing like Harry Potter and only uses it for "spells"
22. He loves knives - he used to collect them then got rid of most and now I think he might be building up his arsenal again!  (His big birthday present last year was a knife)
23. His love of bag pipes scares me.
24. His wanting to share all his loves with Penny, including bag pipe music which makes me smile more than anything else in the world
25. He first introduced me to his parents when I was a waitress and unknowingly had to wait on them!
26. One of his seasonal jobs was a children's ski instructor at Mt. Rose Ski Resort, and now takes his nephew and friend's kids skiing every winter he can.

27. His mom had a dream a few years before we met where he was hand in hand with a little red headed girl calling him "Daddy" 
28. Nolan changed Penny's first diaper - it was his first diaper change, EVER
29. At 17, Nolan spent 6 weeks in South America traveling in a jeep convoy with his father and 30 others. 
30. He gets childishly excited  when he hears this song: Convoy by C.W. McCall
31. Even though he only got a few hours of sleep before he had to return to his 12 hour work day after P was born he still took at least one of Penny's feedings at night.
32. It was in Mexico after his cousins' wedding  that we first said, "I love you" to each other, we actually have a photo of the moment
33. He hates cockroaches and has used "taking care of Penny" as an excuse so I had to kill it.
34. He makes me smile EVERY SINGLE DAY
35. We spent a day of our honeymoon fly fishing because he really wanted to submit my photo to The Drake Magazine for their Chix on Six page. 
36. Unlike me, Nolan is very diligent about finishing projects and gets understandably irritated when I don't complete my projects.
37. We wrote letters to each other when I moved back to Vegas to save money before we moved to IL.

38. His nickname among all his family is Bub
39. When he gets around his childhood friends they call one another silly nicknames and speak and laugh alike.
40. His is one of the silliest people I know and it is near impossible to embarrass him.
41. We sometimes walk to the zoo simply to watch the polar bear then leave.
42. I think he secretly wants to wrestle it!
43. He is a great listener and can remember almost everything I tell him (sometimes that's great, not so great other times!)
44. We fuel each others' crazy concocted plans like painting trees in the nursery or organizing recipes to have a future Meatball Factory Food Truck. 
45. He is the co-founder of the Brown Line Shuffle, an OG if you will - a challenge of stamina - one beer at every stop on the Chicago Brown Line in one day.
46. I first considered us to be solely together after making it official by asking if we were "boyfriend and girlfriend," he had considered us official from the first week we hung out without other mutual friends.
47. The first time I visited his parents house was for his father's retirement party where I was introduced to virtually everyone he knows.  He got it a little easier with my family, meeting them slowly, one a time.
48. His determination is most evident when trying to silence anything that squeaks or rattles.
49. He spent the summer after he graduated high school working in Alaska for a hunting outfit.
50. His main duty was to clean and pack in animals that clients shot. 

It seems as though I thought of more than 50...

51. While carrying a quartered caribou on his back he was also followed by a grizzly bear!  
52. His work voice is drastically different than the one he uses with me - he sounds like he has grown up in the middle Illinois all his life and speaks with lousy grammar.

53. He doesn't tell anyone "Bless you" after they sneeze - well except Penny (she's changed a lot of his habits)
54. He never napped before Penny was born, like I said, she's changed a few of his habits
55.  If he could, he'd only eat Triscuits, cheese, and salami.
56.  My younger brother thinks Nolan is awesome, as many of my family members do (but I think it has to do with the drinking games he taught him one summer's eve!)
57.  He can be a bit of clean freak which is awesome except when he expects me to be just as clean - yeah, about that....
58.  He always has his button down long sleeve shirts rolled up to around the elbow.
59.  He never has owned any sunglasses that cost more than $15
60.  90% of his wardrobe is hand-me-downs or bought for him
61.  He's stopped asking how old things are in the fridge and just tosses stuff and knowing me, its probably best to.  I don't know why I keep food for so long!
62.  He can watch documentaries all day long
63.  That also goes for Gangland, which he watched all the time before our move to Chicago; I had to convince him nearly everyday that we'd be okay!
64.  He writes short stories
65.  He bought Penny a puppet for Christmas so it could read her books and tell her stories!
66.  His first job was licking stamps with a bunch of old ladies.

Welp, those are just some of the things that make him so wonderful!  I can't imagine my life any different.  He is a great Dad!  Happy Father's Day!