One Magnificent Pop Pop

My husband and I graduated high school together in 1982.  There wasn’t much happening in the small Southern Illinois town where we grew up, so he chose to join the US Navy since college wasn’t a financial option at the time.  He was on a 1-year delayed entry program, we married in June 1984, and he set off for boot camp a month later.  For the next 20 years, we moved around the country, he traveled the world (by airplane and submarine), and we eventually found ourselves settling down in Virginia.

Let's back up a bit - when I fell for him, I fell hard. I had never felt for any guy what I felt for him, and I honestly didn't think he'd ever really notice me in that way. He was smart and sexy and somewhat popular, and most of all, he was a football player! I never, ever thought I'd snag a football player, but there he was. Our first date happened as if I was watching it from a distance. When it ended and he walked me into my house, my parents were gone, and he asked if he could kiss me good night. That was it - done, gone, signed, sealed, delivered. We've been together since that night.

My husband is a very laid-back, calm, funny person.  He’s a loving partner, my best friend, and he knows exactly what I like and what makes me laugh.  He’s incredibly talented and skilled at everything.  I grew up with a Dad that was a white-collar employee, who wasn’t handy in any way.  If something broke where we lived or on what we drove, we hired someone to fix it.  My father-in-law included my husband as a kid in everything, and consequently, he can literally do or fix most anything.

He’s a very talented wood worker and loves to paint ceramic figures (and does a great job!). When we first moved into our home, I’d mention how I wish we could do this or that with the house, and he’d do it.  I was amazed at everything he could do.  As time passed, I started dreaming big.  I’d propose something on a large scale, he’d act as if it was a ridiculous idea, and then within a day, he was planning how he would do it.  I learned about “planting the seed” and standing back while he ruminated on ideas how to make it work.  We have a beautiful outdoor space with 2nd-story deck, tiki bar, and above-ground pool, all because of his handiwork, because I became a master sower of seeds.

Best of all, though, he’s an amazing Dad and grandfather. From the moment our son arrived, he cared for him completely.  I had a rough time with our son’s birth and when we arrived home after leaving the hospital, I went to bed and he went to work with Cody.  My mother arrived the next day and marveled at how my husband cared for the two of us effortlessly.  Men of her generation didn’t really take a hands-on approach with babies, but my husband grew up with two younger sisters and he was the lead caregiver while I rested from the moment our son was born.

When we became grandparents, the few sharp edges he possessed disappeared.  Nothing made him happier.  He jumped into the role and became putty in our grandson’s hands.  With all four grands, he can be counted on to care for them and play with them and generally corrupt them in ways grandparents do.  We used to joke that we’d all probably use the phrase “Pop Pop means well” a lot once grands came along.  We use it a lot for Meemaw, too.

I just want to sing his praises because he’s a great person, a wonderful partner, a terrific Dad, and the most awesome Pop Pop.  I love him to the moon and back and I wouldn’t be such a Happy Meemaw if he wasn’t who he is – truly my soulmate and a genuinely lovely human.