My Husband In The Limelight

Today is my husband’s birthday, and I dedicate the blog to him.

I don’t know why I deserve to be loved by the most loving, selfless, intelligent, handsome man I’ve ever known. I don’t know why he pursued me through middle school, high school and college, despite my best attempts to push him away. The more I messed up, the more he loved me, like he knew there was something in me worth fighting for, something in me that had yet to bloom.

When I wouldn’t be his girlfriend, he settled for friendship. When I was at the lowest points in my life, he continued to see the light that shined from within me and waited for the clouds to pass.

On our wedding video, everyone who was interviewed said, “He knows her better than she knows herself.” And that pretty much sums it up. No matter how far away from myself I’ve wandered, he’s remembered the kind me, the intensely passionate me, the loving and giving me, the intelligent me, the me who respects herself.

So on his birthday, it hardly seems fair that I’m the one who, yet again, gets to receive a gift: his love.

I’ve never really had to remind Carter of who he is — he is gentle, friendly and selfless, intelligent and interesting, funny and easy-going — everyone who meets him and everyone who knows him loves to be in his company. When someone is upset, stressed, or conflicted, just being around Carter can restore the feeling that everything’s going to be ok. I’ve enjoyed his comforting reassurance more times than I can possibly recall.

It is because Carter never stopped loving me . . . not even for a second . . . that I am here today. He taught me the most important lesson of all — that I am worth loving even in my most unforgivable, most hopeless moments. His steadfast love made recovering from an eating disorder a possibility. Everyone should be blessed with a Carter.

This blog is all about journeys and adventure and love. It is about loving yourself and loving others. So my message to my readers today is this: Keep your eyes open to the possibility of love all around you. The very person you’re pushing away could be a blessing in your life if you just let him or her in . . . and that person doesn’t have to be a significant other . . . that person could be a friend, a relative, a teacher. Sometimes the people who push us, who challenge us, who make us want to turn and run, are the very people who help us to live if we let them in.

Thank you, Carter, for your persistence, your love, and the joy you bring to my life. I hope your 28th year is your best one yet.

And also in honor of Carter, here’s an awesome recipe . . .

Carter’s first birthday gift was the sweet scent of baking muffins. One of his favorite flavors is key lime, so I searched for a key lime breakfast recipe and found this treat: Key Lime Muffins

I followed the recipe as written, except I used whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all-purpose flour, and I used canola oil instead of generic vegetable oil. WOW. Put the ingredients on your shopping list and get baking. Trust me . . .

Key Lime Birthday Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup skim milk
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/3 cup key lime juice (I used Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice, which I found in the sparkling water/mixers section at Wegman’s)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Make a well in the center of this mixture.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk, oil, lime rind and key lime juice and stir well (I used a whisk).
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients, and stir together until just moistened.
5. Spoon the batter into muffin cups lined with cupcake papers (or you can lightly grease the cups with butter instead). Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes, or until the muffins are beginning to turn a light brown on top.

Enjoy!

Look what I did with mine . . .

Strawberry Key Lime Muffin Yogurt Bowl

Combine Chobani plain yogurt with 1 Splenda. Top with a crumbled muffin and warm strawberry sauce. To make the strawberry sauce, combine a handful of chopped strawberries, 1 tsp light Promise spread, and 1 packet Splenda in a saucepan and cook over low heat until syrupy. You are in for a treat.

Advertisement