"Burnt" and Super Powers--My Very First Tuesday Tribute

Have you ever wanted to do something cool? I mean, have you ever wanted to do something REALLY amazing, and so you sit around thinking about this amazing thing you are going to do and practically frothing at the mouth to get started. Buuuuuuuuut by the time you get around to finally doing it, you feel a little too daunted by the fabulousness in your head to...actually...get...started? Well, this post is all about avoiding that situation. I've wanted to have a family blog for a really long time now. I've had a post in my head every day for the last several months. So many ideas! So little time. I am going to have the ultimate blog! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! That has been the tenor of my interal dialogue for the last several months, so, as you can imagine, I've been running away from the actual writing of the first post.

So to take the pressure off, I decided that the first post doesn't count. It's a dry run! It's kind of like when you make crepes. You know the first one will either be burnt or end up on the ceiling (spatula-free flipping!). I like to think of it as an offering to the disposal gods. First crepe never turns out. It's a law of nature. Same here.

So this is my burnt post. And just like the other burnt stuff in our family, Daddy usually ends up getting stuck with it. So my very first Tuesday Tribute is to....***drumroll*** my beloved husband James, or Jimbo for short.

Now I know that you probably all know that James is a wonderful athlete--marathon runner (and I do mean runner, not jogger). You probably know that he is a computer genius and security software guru. You know that he gets sunburned if any fraction of his skin is left exposed to the sun for longer than 15 minutes. You probably have guessed that he is extremely patient and forgiving just because you know he is married to me. If you know him at all, you know that he is reliable and loyal. You know he loves technology, blueberry pie, reading books over and over, playing golf with members of his family that have no skill in the area *ahem,* and watching "Dirty Jobs" on TV. BUT did you also know that he is a superhero?

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It is true. I thought he was a normal guy at first too. I mean, of course he was a hunk, and a sweetie, and quite solicitous, but it took me a few weeks to discover his secret power. Well, actually he has 2 powers that I have discovered so far. One is defensive and one is offensive...darn offensive, actually. His defensive power is to be able to calm people (me) with the slightest touch. I could be mad as heck over a small misunderstanding, and I swear (yes, I swear) that all he has to do is come over and poke me in the head with his finger...and immediately I am transported to another realm of complete peace and understanding. I melt, I quiver (not really), I agree that whatever large-ticket item of technology he wants to buy is a good idea....

I first noticed this ability of his when we were dating and he held my hand at church. Ahhh. Isn't church relaxing? Doesn't it just make you want to go around flinging flowers in the air and singing wordless songs of joy? Sure it does.

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Even more amazing, though, is all the times that I've been convinced that every single thing in the world is going all wrong (this happens on a monthly basis or so) only to have every single problem fade into the category of a slight inconvenience, or even a blessing in disguise, when he creeps up behind and wraps his super arms around me. (I try to avoid his gift when I am feeling really dramatic, so sometimes he has to be sneaky.) Inevitably we end up snuggling and laughing about said problems. I just looooooove problems, for the awesome opportunity they provide for snuggling. Bring on the expensive dental procedures! How 'bout a nice little recession! Where's the flood and/or famine? We are ready. Because, thanks to James' super power, whatever challenge we face, even if we have different viewpoints, we are still on the same team.

P.S. James' secret offensive power is sweating an awful lot of extremely repellent fluid when he runs. There is no predator alive that would be able to tell him from a water processing plant based on smell alone. So I don't worry about him when he runs off into the desert. He'll be back, and he'll need a shower. Pronto.