Monday, July 27, 2009

My Best Friend!


Today is the start of something special even though it’s just a Monday for most of you and something you are not looking forward to. However most of us can’t get to the weekend without having a starting point of some kind, so for most of us, Monday is it.

This Monday is different. This Monday celebrates the life of my hubby Steven Smith. He is turning 41 today. It seems like he has been 40 forever. Nice rounded off number with a zero at the end and probably one of the best numbers we would like to see before we hit the big 50. Steve and I joked about it some time ago that once you hit 40, you have to begin to take numbers off and begin to count backwards from there. So if that is the case he is turning 39 today.


Christmas Photo at Disneyland

Steve is the youngest of a family of three and had never been married prior to us meeting. I met him when I became his boss as a Service Manager for L.A. Cellular back in 1996. I heard he was going to be the most difficult part of my job in taking on this position because he was the rumored bad boy. Argumentative, hostile, and definitely not a team player.

Yikes, just what was I getting myself into?

Turns out rumors were all they were. He had passion and creativity to want to make things better. However people got in his way that weren’t willing to open up and listen to him. So that is what I did, I listened and let him run wild and free. He created our service bay’s design plans for what would make their work easier. I let him have all the creative freedom. It turned out to be a blessing because I gained his respect and our bay became one of the biggest profit generating service centers in the company. We became the model for what others hoped to become.


Steve and the girls at Knott's Berry Farm 2008.

Yet in the midst of this, I found my soul mate. I was in the midst of a messy divorce and messier child custody battle with my ex. I found comfort in my friend at that time. He was in a long-term relationship at that time and simply became someone who returned the favor, and listened when I needed someone to pour my heart out to. His heart was simply made of pure gold. I often teased Steve to this day, that God revealed his soul to me the day I met him and I saw what others failed to see. I got a glimpse of his soul.

Three years later, we were married. It wasn’t the marriage you dream of. No white dress, no tux for him. Just standing in a courthouse in Lake Havasu City with his parents and Aunt and we spoke our vows to each other. We had our first meal at Carl’s Jr. and I saved the cup that day and wrote in sharpie pen that it was our wedding glass. We got married in jeans and normal clothes that we could wear long after our wedding. We still laughed most days whenever we went out; to wear our wedding clothes since no one would notice but us. Love all those inside jokes.

Steve and Kailee on their date night!

This is an amazing man that so many of us women look for all our lives and only some are fortunate to find. God revealed His plans for us long ago, by interlocking our hearts together that no matter how far we moved away from one another, we eventually find our way home together.


He has an amazing kind and gentle heart. He will willingly do things for others without a second thought. He has helped our neighbors more times than they will ever pay him back. He tried to save the lives of 4 children and a woman who drove their pick up truck into an aqueduct one April and jumped into freezing waters without a second thought that he, himself just might lose his life. He has helped motorcyclists that have laid their bikes down while passing people on dangerous mountain roads and waiting for help to arrive. He said to me once that his dream job would have been a fire fighter and I can see just why. He loves to help people. To me, he already had that job and still to this day remains a hero to his family.


I know without a doubt that God sent Steve to me. I had completely lost faith that such a man existed and even when I found him, didn’t know what this beautiful man would see in me. When I met Steve, I was broken, battered and completely filled with self-doubt. I met in him someone who saw the person I could become with a little love and a lot of band-aids! With God’s healing hands, Steve made me into the person I am today. He gave me back trust that was robbed of so many years of neglect. He loves unconditionally and is not only my best friend, but also my soul mate and husband all rolled into one.



He loves the colors black and teal. Loves Nutter Butters and Froot Loops! His favorite food would probably be Seared Ahi with salad topped off with Blue Cheese dressing. He loves the mountains and has dreamed of a cabin by the lake as a way to spend our last years on this earth together. His favorite movies are those martial arts films like Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger, anything by Bruce Lee and even will admit to loving some chick flick movies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. He loves Bugs Bunny cartoons and simply adores Kermit the frog. He can even do a perfect Kermit imitation if you ask! He can quilt, sew better than I can, and now has his own blog called Gotta Have Faith.



One of the things I love the most about him is that we can speak an unspoken language at times. We share a look and both of us instantly know what the other is thinking without saying anything. No one understands it but us! We are just that in tune with one another.



So I celebrate his life today all 41 years of it, and I can only ask that if God allows it, we will begin to build even more happy memories together raising our two wonderful kids, Caitlyn, his step daughter and Kailee our daughter together.


Happy Birthday Steve! You are the best present anyone could ever wish for! If you want to wish Steve a Happy Birthday, hop on over to his blog, Gotta Have Faith!

26 comments:

Tea with Tiffany said...

Happy Birthday to your best friend.

PS I answered your questions and they will be posted on Wednesday. I'm finally getting around to these from June. LOL

Beth Herring said...

Oh that is just great! I love the story of how you met - funny stuff.

I loved the pictures also. Looks like you have a fabulous family.

God a Have Faith said...

Thank you for that wonder Post! It made me vry and think about all of our adventures and experiences together from the past. I love you with all of my heart and soul! Hope to have many more Birthdays, anniversaries and just sharing our life together. Here is to growing old with you!

Love ya!

Your Hubby

GammySel said...

What a blessing and wonderful tribute to your beloved!

Happy Birthday to your best friend!

Angie

Warren Baldwin said...

Tell Steve I said "cool."

Andrea said...

Happy Birthday, Steve! Hope you guys have a beautiful day together!
Blessings, andrea

RCUBEs said...

Happy Birthday to bro. Steve! It's nice to know more about him. That's neat when God brought you together. You both have that eyes that go beyond what others can't see, so it's no wonder you fit into a "T".
God bless you and your beautiful family!

Mari said...

Great tribute to your hubby! Happy Birthday Steve!

Amy said...

What a beautiful tribute to your husband. Happy Birthday to him and may you both be blessed with many many more years of love and happiness.
Amy

Loren said...

what a beautiful story! Yours is the only blog I have seen your husband post comments to and have admired that about the two of you! I am so glad the Lord gave him to you and know he "made" him just for you!!

I will go visit him and tell him happy birthday!!

You have such a beautiful family!!

christy rose said...

What a great post about you and your best friend's life together. Thanks for sharing that with us. The pictures were great too! I hope it is his best birthday ever! Now I am going to tell him happy birthday myself. :)

Pamela said...

What a beautiful post!

Yolanda said...

Happy Birthday....to the love of your life. Next to Jesus.


Lovingly,
Yolanda

Mary said...

What an awesome tribute to your hubby - happy birthday, Steve! You have a beautiful family!

LisaShaw said...

Aww, what a beautiful tribute to your husband. Happy Birthday to him. Beautiful photos dear friend.

Love and blessings!

Crown of Beauty said...

Dear Kat,
I have to be honest and tell you this post moved me to tears.

For many reasons, one of which of course is the way he saw your inner beauty, the way he believed in you when you had no faith in yourself...

I love the glow in his eyes, overflowing with love for humanity.

Your post also made me miss my own dear husband also my best friend and soul mate and lover all rolled into one...

How good God is. Kat, this post made me appreciate you more. You have a beautiful heart, and a lovely family.

I'll go over to his blog now to wish him a happy birthday.

Love
Lidj

Unknown said...

What a baeautiful living tribute to Steve! I hope his birthday is exactly what you both wished for... the beginning of the rest of your lives together! God bless you both!

Annette said...

Awww...how sweet! You all are an adorable couple!!!

Anonymous said...

Kat, as I read this post I thought you were talking about me and my precious husband. I, too, had been married before, leaving me broken and about a quarter inch off the ground. I was divorced 13 years before I met Kenneth who loves me for the woman God created me to be. We share dreams, struggles, and the LORD. He was 45 when we married and I am his first and only wife! We are so very blessed. I must add that I am one of those who has truly been given the man God had for me, as have you.
Happy belated birthday, Steve. I am glad Kat has you and you her!
In Christ, ~ linda

Daveda said...

Thanks for letting us in on your love story :) God know just what/who we need, at just the right time. I feel the same about my hubby, he is a gift to me!

Happy Birthday to your best friend!

Carol said...

What a beautiful birthday post you wrote for your soul mate. I was blessed to read your precious works about him, and I am so happy for you that God brought you together. God is good... all the time.

You are a dear lady, Kat.

Love and Blessings,
Carol

Silver said...

"once you hit 40, you have to begin to take numbers off and begin to count backwards from there."

i like this concept. ;)

Happy Birthday to your soul mate and lovely pics.

ps: sorry for my procrastination on doing a post for passing on the award- i haven't forgotten.. but finding 15 can be quite a challenge with most i know who is already AWARD ZONE FREE..blogs! later! (can it be 5?)

Just Be Real said...

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

Your husband has one of those faces that I could of sworn I know him from some place.

Thank you for sharing your lovely story dear one.

Blessings.

Laurie said...

Happy Birthday Steve! I love all your pictures and to see how much you love each other! Blessings sis, Laurie

Heart2Heart said...

Silver,

It can be 5 or as many as you want to receive that award! It's just meant to pass along. I think that is the highest one I have ever had to pass along to people.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Silver said...

Thks, Kat. 5 is do-able. ;) i do have 3.. so i'll maybe wait for a couple more.. for one go. lol.

i'm just a lazy lazy gal.