8 Things I love About Kyle

As the New Year gets closer (like, massively closer) I've been thinking about how awesome 2008 has been and all the cool things that have happened to me and the people I care about. Luckily, it won't stop at midnight tonight, because The Year of a Million Dreams doesn't end until the end of April (phew!). (I'm so glad that Amanda and I got/are getting married in that time frame, because it means that the magic of Disneyland is real.) Anyways, the best thing that happened to me this year (and every year from now on) was, obviously, Kyle--so I want my last post of 2008 to be about him.

These are 8 things that I discovered in 2008 that I love about Kyle (I could think of a million):

1. Kyle is an awesome singer. I love his funny renditions of songs--my favorites are The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas, The Way I am by Ingrid Michaelson, and He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother by Rufus Wainwright.

2. Kyle has a gift with handling money. That, plus his killer work ethic, got him through school with no help from anyone and debt-free (and early!). Now it's making my life super easy--I always assumed that once I got married, money would become The Most Stressful Thing. But Kyle handles it all beautifully. We have no debt, we're building up a hefty savings account, AND I feel like we're living luxuriously.

3. Kyle is into things. I have a pretty obsessive personality, but it doesn't bother Kyle any--because I think that he's secretly the same way. When we love a show, we LOVE that show and watch it for hours everyday on DVD until we're out of episodes. Examples: Heroes, Lost, Prison Break. And those are just the ones since we've gotten married. During our engagement I caught him up on 3 seasons of 30 Rock and Arrested Development. He doesn't get bored with one thing before I do, which is pretty much a miracle.

4. Kyle is an amazing gift-giver. He takes my advice and still manages to surprise me. With our Christmas present budget this year, he totally made all my dreams come true. 3 of the perfect sweater vests from Forever 21 in the best colors (I'm obsessed with them), a webcam so I don't have to cry everyday because I miss Lucy (wasn't that a great idea?), and a trip to The Nutcracker in Salt Lake City to help me feel the Christmas spirit AND make us sound fancy. He's proven himself to be a thoughtful and fun gift-giver with every gift-giving holiday since we've started dating.

5. Kyle's sense of style is basically beyond description, but I have to try anyways: It.Is.Awesome. He is adventurous, fun, classy, fashionable, and wacky. And some days he's downright conservative. And he looks so good.

6. Kyle loves to learn. I'm into some pretty a-typical stuff, and I love to share it with Kyle. Instead of thinking that I'm weird or boring, Kyle does his darnedest to love it--and usually does (I just can't get him to see the merit of Twilight--but I can't blame him for that). Whether it's Bollywood, wacky music, old movies, plays, books, opera, etc.--Kyle doesn't mind me bugging him with it. Kyle just considers himself better-educated when I'm done showing him something.

7. Kyle has several distinct sound effects that he always makes in certain situations. Unfortunately, I can't share them with you because they are untype-able. I think my favorite is when he makes a turn in the car--it's so fun. And for a while he quacked every time he approved of something--Katy and I are trying really hard to make that stick. I would really miss those sounds if he stopped making them.

8. Kyle has genuinely, easily, and quickly become a comfortable member of my family. This Christmas holiday proved it. I was so happy to see all the people that I loved the most together, having a blast and not being awkward. I was especially pleased that Lucy seems to LOVE Kyle (more than she likes me, but I'm not hurt--Kyle is really rad). She always had a smile for him, and he read her about a million books last week, at her request. They were so cute.

I'm excited for 2009. A LOT is going to happen. I feel pretty safe though, even with all the changes that are coming. Having Kyle at my side makes everything a whole lot more comfortable, and I know we can handle it.