When we fell in love, I thought, “This is it! I am so in love with this woman!” I never expected that feeling intensify over the years. Oh, my darling, has it ever. I am more in love with you today than any day gone by.

I am captivated by you. I have been for over 22 years now. I mean, come on, I remember the first time I saw you. You were beautiful then. You are so much more so now. If I think back to those early days, I realize that you captivate me in a way that I never knew you would then. You are an amazing mother.

Make no mistake, I always knew you would be a good mama. When we found out that our little one was on the way, I was excited to see you in this new way. I was nervous about how I would do, but not about you. I knew you would be great. I had no idea you would be this great.

I remember so clearly seeing you hold him that first night in the hospital. You had been so brave. You had worked so hard. You fought like a champion and we made tough decisions together. God watched over us. After all that stuff you went through, there you were with our baby in your arms. Your smile had never been more radiant. Your contentment had never been more complete. It was and is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

With each year that goes by, you keep getting better and better. How do I know this? Our boy loves you. It is a core part of who he is. He loves his mama like crazy. I am so proud to see it. I love the way he is growing up and you get so much of the credit for that. You didn’t know in the beginning that being a boy’s mama was what you were born to do, but it fits like a glove.

I am so proud to be your Husband. I love you my darling Marixa. Happy Mother’s Day to my bride. You are the perfect mother for our son. We celebrate you today!

Over the years I have written a handful of songs for Marixa. I wrote a song to sing to her when I proposed. I wrote the song for our wedding. I have written songs for her birthday and other occasions. There are a couple that she has really liked. One I wrote called By My Side is one of her favorites.

This was an attempt at writing a song that was about the one I love, without sounding like I was singing a love ballad. I love how spending time with her, regardless of what we are doing it makes me happy. There are days we could drive for hours and talk and it would be the best day. You know what I mean right? This is a fun up tempo number that I hope you will enjoy. I recorded this one myself, so it isn’t radio quality, but it was a good first take. Check it out and let me know what you think.

You. I pray that where ever you are and whatever you are going through now, that your thrive. You have a friend in Texas who is on your side. Praying for you friend.

I asked my bride to list ten thing that she felt women wanted from me. I share the following with you without commentary. This kid is from 2007. It is still true today.

1. We want your time.

2. We want you to be honest but not cruel.

3. Pay attention to what we say to you, your eyes and body language need to reflect this.

4. Do small things that show you still care about us.

5. Play, laugh, be silly, have fun with us, do stuff with us we consider fun.

6. Help out around the house, without complaining.

7. Don’t talk bad about us around other people.

8. Treat us with respect, don’t talk down to us, we are your partner.

9. Be our knight in shining armor, show that you will fight for us.

10. Make being together important, solo stuff is ok, but there has to be a balance.

I love her more with every day that passes. I have done my best to put these thing into action. This is good advice.

Where are you from? I’ve been asked this question several times over the years. The answer is complicated. If you want to know where I was born, that’s one answer. If you want to know where I grew up, that has multiple answers. Where did I go to high school? There’s another answer for that one as well. Simply put, I grew up in the south half of Oklahoma.

I feel very fortunate and I grew up where I did. Though I attended many schools, most of it occurred before I was 10 years old. I had the benefit of attending most of middle school and all of high school in the same little town in southeast Oklahoma. Durant was a good place to be in the early 90s.

We had moved from a much larger town in Oklahoma where social problems were beginning to develop. I heard when I was older that gang problems had started in the junior high I was attending. From what I was told, they started not long after I left. I am thankful that I missed that part.

It didn’t take long to settle down in the small-town life. I made friends quickly and before I knew it the end of seventh grade quickly became the beginning of my freshman year in college. Everything wasn’t perfect, because nothing ever is. There were girlfriend, breakups , drama at school, loss of friendships, figuring out what I want to do, and so much more.There are a ton of things that happened during those years that I may share on this blog one day. I’m thankful for the time that I lived there. I also remember being very thankful of my time there was over as well. It’s an interesting paradox.

I remember being in a hurry. I always wanted to be older and to do more. As my teenage years went on I could feel the town getting smaller. I know that many of you know exactly how this feels. It’s natural. It was time for change. When I was younger I blamed it on the town, but I now know the town did nothing wrong. It was just time for me to find a new hometown and to keep growing.

If you were part of my life doing those years, I am extremely thankful for you. If we were friends then, I pray you consider me a friend now. If I ever offended you, you have my heart felt apology. if we weren’t friends during those days, and you need one, I am here for that too. I look back on those years fondly. I am grateful. They are part of who I am.