Sixteen things

In honor of our 16th anniversary coming up next week, a random list of 16 things I love about Earl:

1. His nickname for me, and no, I'm not telling
2. His attitude about money, so completely different from mine, or what mine used to be
3. His incredible ability to put anything on the grill and make it taste wonderful
4. His "serious fun" approach to teaching the boys all about baseball
5. His willingness to deal with yucky things like bugs, mice, trash day, and mistakes made by the mortgage company, which take more than three hours on the phone to straighten out
6. His teary-eyed pride when my first column was published
7. His dedication to doing what is right for the kids
8. How everything becomes haunted around Halloween
9. How he occasionally will sing AC/DC or Steve Miller at the top of his lungs
10. His strong faith and service to our church
11. His understanding of my need for breaks, like a night out at writers' group or an outrageously early bedtime
12. His gorgeous green-gold eyes
13. His excited "swing and a miss!" when listening to the Sox on the radio
14. His doing all the yard work and the snow shoveling
15. His always loving me, through thick and thin -- life-wise and physique-wise
16. His pretending to be awake, without fail, when I catch him dozing in front of the TV