25th Day of Christmas - Josh

Introducing...JoshJosh is the only person on my list of 25 that I did out of order, because I wanted to save the best for last! Josh is my husband of 11+ years, and I love him with all of my heart.

We met in June 1997. During my senior year, I became good friends with Angela Corbett. Her family owned Mowin' Ranger, and the spring before I graduated, I got a job there starting as a janitor. Angela is also Josh's 2nd cousin. After he came home from his mission, he moved down to Tremonton to work at Mowin' Ranger to try his hand at something different than milking cows and changing pipe for his own family! One afternoon, I walked out the back door just as he walked in. It was truly love at first sight for me. I felt a giant flutter in my heart, and it stopped beating for a moment. I was caught so off guard I couldn't even speak. I stared at him, said "hi" and left. He doesn't recall this meeting. The first recollection he has of me was a week later than our first encounter. I was in Angela's kitchen washing dishes, wearing a shower cap. For some strange reason, I liked wearing shower caps that summer whenever I didn't feel like doing my hair! He thought I was cute, which is even stranger considering what I was wearing at the time! We began dating just weeks before I was to leave for SUU, a college that was 5 hours away!

I loved dating Josh. He was tall, dark, and handsome! I was drawn to his "nice guy" appearance and attitude. He was quiet and mysterious. He was a good listener and so understanding to my frustrations of life at that time. He was considerate and kind to me. After a week of dating, he was the first to say "I love you" after we returned home from watching a lame Batman movie in the theater. I was caught off guard again. I had strong emotions for him, moreso than I'd ever felt for any man before that. And even though I was just a young 18, I knew that I was just as much in love with him.

It was difficult dating long distance, but we wrote letters multiple times a week, emailed back and forth frequently, and called each other daily. I was grateful for the way he could cheer me up, even from hundreds of miles away. It soon became apparent to me that I would rather spend my time with him rather than apart from him. So I quit college, along with my two scholarships, got married and moved back to Tremonton.

The first seven years of our marriage were difficult. But the good between us always prevailed, and we remained together through it all. The past four years have been nothing but wonderful! I look forward to many good years ahead with him! He is my best friend, the love of my life, and my eternal partner. He is my counterpart, and is the best mate for me. He has so much good in him, and I love him for who is. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else, nor do I want to.

After delivering Ammon by C-Section, Josh helped me stand for the first time the next morning. I passed out in his arms from a lack of blood and had a seizure. He remained composed and helped the nurses bring me back to consciousness. He stayed by my side to assure everything was alright.

After I delivered the twins C-Section 9 weeks premature, he spent time in the nursery with them as I remained practically comatose for 24 hours. He gave me hope and shared the positive aspects about their situation until I was able to really see them the following morning. He helped me by scrubbing my legs because I was unable to bend over to do it myself. I was never more in love with him than that moment alone!

After Kanyon was born by C-Section, he held the puke box in front of me and rubbed my back after the medication made me so sick I couldn't even see straight. I felt terrible, but he understood and was so loving. He held Kanyon by me and he helped the nurses assist me as much as possible.

He's a great father and loves to play with our boys. They look up to him and emulate him; Ammon idolizes him and wants to be just like him! Josh makes them laugh, he does fun activities with them, and enjoys wrestling around and playing in the yard with them. He gets up with Kanyon multiple times almost every night, and he treats Kanyon with gentleness and love through all of his fits. I'm grateful for the priesthood that he holds and uses in our home, and for the example that he is to my four sons.

He loves his job as the Golf Course Superintendent in Salmon, and he's excellent at what he does. He is one of the most hard working men I've ever met. He gives his all when he is on the job. He takes his responsibilities seriously, and has always taken care of our family. He always has our best interests in his mind and heart and he provides for our needs, both physically and emotionally. He is also the best gift giver and puts so much thought into giving the perfect gift. He spoils and surprises me on Mother's Day and Christmas, and enjoys making the boys feel special on their birthdays and Christmas.

He volunteers his time for worthy causes in the community: he's coached Ammon in little league baseball, he coached the twins in youth soccer league, he coached high school cross country for many years--one of his teams even brought home the state title!, he spent years being the scoutmaster for a local troop, and he is currently serving on the school board which is a difficult and time-consuming task. No matter what he chooses to participate in, he gives it his best, and others notice that and appreciate him so much for it!

Josh is easy to get along with. He is a great listener, and makes others feel like they are worthwhile to associate with. He is generous and is always donating what he can to non-profit groups and school clubs and local causes. He has so many talents! He is intelligent and smart! He loves to read and he is a great speller. He even went to the National Spelling Bee when he was in the junior high! He is my own personal dictionary; I can ask him what a word means or how it's spelled, and he is able to tell me without looking it up. He is competitive and almost always wins games of any kind--Scattergories, Scrabble, Monopoly, Battleship, Stratego. He is a quick learner and can do something with only being told once or seeing it done once. He takes care of our property and beautifies it, and he maintains our home and cars and equipment. He loves horses and enjoys training and taking care of them. He loves riding his motorcycle, and enjoys the feel of the wind in his hair. Sometimes he shows off, and the boys are always impressed! He is always willing to help Edward around the ranch, and I think there is no sexier thing than seeing Josh work a tractor! He has musical abilities and can play the piano and played the trumpet in high school. When he was 14, he was in a motorcycle accident that paralyzed his vocal cords, but he has never used that as a handicap. He is persistent and is dedicated and never quits.

He's always been there for me during my lowest times. He's been my hero and my savior on so many occasions. He is truly a good man, and he remains by my side even though I have so many weaknesses and shortcomings and failures. One of "our songs" says it all, because he's truly been 'my strength when I was weak, my voice when I couldn't speak, my eyes when I couldn't see--and he saw the best there was in me'.

Josh,
For all those times you stood by me,
For all the truth that you made me see,
For all the joy you've brought to my life,
For all the wrong that you made right,
For every dream you made come true,
For all the love I found in you,
I'll be forever thankful, baby.
You're the one who held me up, never let me fall,
You're the one who saw me through, through it all,
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach,
You gave me faith 'cause you believed...
I'm everything I am
Because You Loved Me.
ITLY now, always and forever,
Kala