my perfect partner

Jaci Burton tagged me to do this, but since Sailor Boy has long since put the kibosh on me posting images of him on Diana’s Diversions, I’m going to have to get sneaky.

Here he is observing a chess match in Christchurch, New Zealand. This was at the very end of our adventures in the antipodes, just about two years ago exactly. I love this photo of him. I took it, because the composition of it reminded me so much of one of the first pictures I ever saw of him at an outdoor concert in college. Standing above and slightly away from the crowd, a bit in his own world, but completely engrossed in the scene before him. With his hands in his pockets, covering up his great butt. 😉

When I took this picture, I was thinking, “Wow, I love this man!” I love that he likes watching chess matches. I love that he’s a problem-solver. I love that he’s logical where I’m emotional, and emotional where I’m logical. I love that he calls me on my bullshit, and can always, always, always make me laugh.

I also love that he supports me one hundred percent. The first year I was in RWA, I could not afford to go to the conference. For my birthday, he hinted around that he had gotten me the best present. Oh, “hinted” is too weak. He got me SO riled up. All he could talk about was how excited he was to give me this present. When it came time for me to open it, I found inside the package, a cheap paperback about the Buffy fandom. I mean, CHEAP. The pages started falling out as soon as I opened it. I was so disappointed, and more than a little angry. But he pressed forward, “Oh, you have to read this one article. I have to show it to you…” And I was like, “Um, let’s just go to dinner.” But he insisted, and I turned to the article, incredibly annoyed, and a check fell out. Made out to RWA, for the cost of the conference. And then he handed me a registration form, all filled out. And a card with a cartoon penguin on it giving me a raspberry. (Man, I’m tearing up just remembering it!) And that’s just the beginning of the many many times that he has gotten completely behind my career and believed in me and in it, and sacrificed things to make it happen.

I hope I am able to show him the same level of support he has always shown me.

Okay, just one more story. So Sailor Boy, as one might guess, is a Sailor. He has spent many summers sailing in the Caribbean. He’s really into the whole culture that lifestyle engenders, Pusser’s Rum, sea chanties, tans, girls in bathing suits… I digress. Anyway, so I discovered this little Scottish Pub in our area that does a monthly “sea chanty” night, and I took him as a surprise. And after a little Welsh rarebit, a little fish n’ chips, and a whole lotta single malt scotch, he actually got up and sang a sea chanty. And the other singers were very impressed by the air of authenticity he gave the performance, and applauded mightily, and kept coming up the rest of the evening, and saying how good he was and had he ever considered joining their maritime singing groups and etc. Yay, Sailor Boy! I was so proud of him.

That’s my boy.