Happy Birthday, Mr. Johns

Today is my boyfriend Steve’s 25th birthday – the quarter century, as it were, and a celebration that he claims marks the end of adolescence (although I might beg to differ). In honor of the occasion, and because I’m in Vancouver and he’s in Toronto and I can’t do anything in person to make his day special, I’ve made a list of 25 things about Steve that are unique, strange and wonderful, and consequently, all reasons why I love him so much.

1. If you’ve met Steve, you’ll know how passionate he is. Whether it’s baseball statistics, “Rent” the musical, or Pearl Jam set lists – he puts all of his energy into things that he cares about.
2. He puts me to shame with a cribbage board (and can count cards so fast, I like to call him Rain Man”)
3. He’s the best writer I’ve ever met – seriously. After reading his blog, it’s hard to dispute that this man’s got a phenomenal way with words
4. He’s there for his friends. One of the first things that attracted me to him was how genuine and attentive he was to the people around him. Steve’s got a TON of friends, and it’s 100% due to the fact that he treats people well and makes them feel important
5. He’s funny. Sort of. Just not when the jokes are about me
6. He likes to argue. Sometimes he’ll argue with me even when he agrees with me, just to wind me up. He could debate any point in the world, whether or not he believes it and win without breaking a sweat. This is generally VERY frustrating for me
7. He’s a great partner for kicking the soccer ball around, throwing a football, or patiently trying to teach me how to play Frisbee – there isn’t a sport that he isn’t totally adept at
8. He helps strangers, offers his seat on the subway to the elderly and gives his change from Tim Horton’s every day to the homeless man who holds the door open
9. He makes sure that I wake up in the morning, and that I don’t get horribly lost in downtown Toronto
10. I have never, *NEVER*, in 9 months of dating, seen him cook. I actually don’t think that it’s in his genetic make up to prepare food (although he does put together a mean bowl of dry cheerios, half of a peeled banana and little cubes of cheese … and no, I have no idea why we’re still together)
11. He’s awake every day before 8 in the morning, regardless of what he’s doing that day. I, on the other hand, used to sleep until 2pm before I met him. I am very, VERY grateful that there’s someone around to say to me, ‘Bri, get the heck out of bed, you lazy slug’(or maybe not!)
12. Steve is a self-proclaimed “hater”, but I think it’s a façade to cover up the fact that he’s probably TOO nice
13. Steve is probably just as crazy and neurotic as I am; we’ve both got the weirdest quirks, but we completely understand each other (well – most times, anyway)
14. He calls me “heed” for the fact that there was no category for my head on the circumference chart when I was born (it was MASSIVE), and I call him “fat guts” for the fact that he has a tiny roll of skin around his midsection that he believes to be his enormous, flabby belly
15. We like the same movies and never fight at the movie store (except when he wants me to watch Pulp Fiction … again).
16. We’re both perfectly content to sit on a couch every Sunday and bicker about football together, watching either the ‘Niners or the Vikings
17. Steve will always do everything he can to make life easier for the people around him
18. He is a creature of habit. He eats the same thing every morning, orders the same doughnut and coffee every day at Tim’s, eats the same dish every time he goes to his favorite restaurant, and goes through the same routine each morning before starting work on his paper. It’s endearing, if not a little bit funny
19. He’s one of those guys who can ACTUALLY be showered and ready to go in less than 10 minutes
20. He’s the bravest person I know. He’s not afraid of anything that scares me, like needles, the subway people, or bugs. He’s helping me to become more brave, too
21. He’s an incredibly logical and rational person. When I get too emotional, or too overwhelmed by things, Steve can easily calm me down and help me formulate a plan
22. He’s a great listener, and really takes the time to understand what people are saying
23. Steve is the least romantic person I’ve ever met. I’m actually serious. If a word like “feelings” comes up in conversation, I get a blank stare, almost like I’m trying to explain calculus to a three-year-old. We love him anyway, though (because he’s still so genuine and fun)
24. He’s hot (sorry, but it had to be said)
25. He makes me feel incredibly lucky to be a part of his life
    
    Happy 25th Birthday, sweetheart!
    
    Okay, okay – the sap is over. You can all go back to what you were doing.