A mighty good man

I’ve never written much about my husband in this space, but this week is his week. Cal is a pretty great guy, even if you aren’t married to him. He’s smart, kind, generous, and he can fix anything.

Seriously, anything. He’s a handyman extraordinaire. And he does it all: woodworking, roofing, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, masonry and more. Plus he can do pretty much anything and everything automotive (he has to have those skills, since he drives a 1966 Mustang and a 1979 Ford F100!).

He likes to put his skills to good use and do things for people. Nothing makes him happier than to help someone with some task or job or project. He’s the kind of guy who will do it for you, or, if you want to learn, he’ll teach you how to fix/make/build/deconstruct/overhaul whatever it is that needs to be done.

–oOo–

With the ice, sleet and snow we experienced this week, the roads were a slick mess. And on the worst mornings this week he drove Samantha and me to daycare and work, respectively. I know, a lot of husbands in a lot of places did that, but not many like Cal. My normal morning route from home to daycare to work takes 45 minutes in optimal conditions. This week Cal drove us on the usual route, from Moore to Norman, and then drove back through Moore to his job in Oklahoma City. And then he made the trip in reverse at the end of each day! He was extremely inconvenienced, and I feel like I can’t thank him enough. For him, it was no big deal, he’s just happy to have done it. And it was his idea! He just wanted his girls to be stress-free and safe.

–oOo–

He’s an awesome dad, and not just because he has changed way more poopy diapers than I. Or because he’s at Samantha’s beck and call. He bought Sam several sets of books, to be enjoyed for years to come, one afternoon on a whim, and he reads with Sam everyday, even though he’s not much of a reader. He sings to her, and he’s never been one to sing loud enough for anyone else to hear. He’ll eat food that he dislikes in order to encourage Samantha to try everything. Cal wants our daughter’s horizons to be broader than his own, and as a result, he’s broadening his.

Up until a year and a half ago, he was pretty much the second least affectionate person I’d ever met, though he always strived to be more so. And since Sam was born, he’s become, well, almost gushy! And he constantly tells Samantha that she’s smart. And silly. And funny. And pretty. And smart.

–oOo–

Cal is also very generous. Very. Generous. He decided to upgrade his cell phone last week for work and had narrowed his choices down to either a BlackBerry or an iPhone. I’ve had an iPhone for a little over a year, and he’s seen how great it is, but the BlackBerry has some features that he liked, too. So we headed to the AT&T store to make his purchase, and he decided on the iPhone. Not an iPhone, the iPhone… that was in my purse. My iPhone. He bought a new 3G for me and took mine for himself!

It just made him happy to make me happy.

–oOo–

So no, I can’t thank Cal enough for his snow taxi this week, but I can sure honor him in this space. What a man!