Monday, September 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Fran

I'm Fran's husband, Kevin.  It’s Fran’s birthday and my goal is to free her up for doing anything she wants.  As part of that effort, I offered (and she foolishly accepted my offer) to develop a post for her today.  You, her loyal followers, will unfortunately be paying the price.  

Four years and 109 days ago, Fran and I got married.  I was, and continue to be, the most fortunate man on the planet.  That’s not to say the people on the space station are more fortunate (they're not "on" this planet).  It’s just an expression.  Anyway, here is a picture Fran after our Wedding Mass looking radiant; my right arm is featured prominently.  


Without knowing it, this day was also the day that my understanding of and appreciation for home décor changed.  Prior to marriage, my décor style could most aptly be described as Early American Dorm Room.  And, since Fran was moving into the house I had purchased some four years earlier, she had her work cut out for her.  Down came my Michigan (U of M) flag, which had hung prominently and proudly over my fireplace since I had moved in.  And my aspirations to put a urinal in the upstairs bathroom vanished, as did my dreams of incorporating an authentic Guinness kegerator into the kitchen.  But with these dashed hopes came personal growth.  I now know what a color wheel is and how it’s used.  I can recognize campaign furniture from fifty feet away.  And if I see a room that is well styled, I can recognize it as such (though I could never do it myself).  And I don’t commonly tell people this but I even look at some of your design blogs.

I thought about posting the details of one or two rooms from our house and explaining (in detail) all of the changes that Fran has made.  But Fran would do a better job at that; I would loose sight of the big picture in my rush to explain all of the details.  Not to mention, you have already seen many of the changes: our bedroom, Luke’s big boy room, our living room, etc.  But what I can’t really convey are the intangibles.  She took a house that was nothing to look at and turned it into a beautiful, comfortable home.  A friend came by recently and mentioned, “you can feel the love radiating from every room in this house.”  Fran created that.  And I’m not just talking about paint, rugs, and end tables (though there certainly is that).  She exudes kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, patience, and selflessness.  And you can feel it in this house.  Another friend said that she took something that was “in rough shape” and turned it into something worthwhile.  The question is: was this friend referring to the house or me?  That’s still an open question in my mind.

Happy Birthday Fran.  Ich liebe dich, mein liebchen.

15 comments:

  1. Great job Kevin on this sweet post!! Happy birthday Fran! I'm sharing this with my husband today as he will appreciate any references to incorporating college sports and beer into the decor.

    I hope your day is wonderful!

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  2. What a sweet post! Happy birthday Fran - hope you have a great day!

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  3. Oh my gosh! What an amazing post! All my best on your special day! If I were you I'd be off to Grants this eveing (my fav!).

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  4. Awww, what a sweet post. Happy Birthday Fran, enjoy your time off. You have quite a sweetheart for a husband.

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  5. Happy Birthday! What a sweet hubby you have!!

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  6. Well, this is a sweet post if I ever saw one :) You can tell she is a special soul just through her blog.

    Happy Birthday, Fran!!!

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  7. This is such a sweet post! Happy Birthday Fran!!

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  8. Happy birthday Fran! Love that your hubby did this post for you (not sure Dave even reads my blog!!).

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  9. What a sweet husband! Happy birthday, Fran!

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  10. Kevin...you are a keeper!!! Fran, so glad I came to visit...HAPPY HAPPY Birthday and you were a truly radiant bride!!!

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  11. You were an Amazingly beautiful bride! I really enjoyed Kevin's post. So sweet and totally true!
    -ME xo

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  12. So sweet! Such a lovely post and you were a beautiful bride! Happy Birthday! Hope it was a fab day!!!

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  13. I think that Kevin is a keeper!

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  14. So nice that you have been able to develop an appreciation for your wife's interests!

    Happy Birthday Fran!

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  15. So heartfelt, so sweet. I can't imagine many husbands taking the time or effort or having the eloquence to write this. Happy birthday, Fran, lucky woman!

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