Love…

If you’ve been reading my husband’s blog, you’ll already know we’ve had some disappointing news. I couldn’t bring myself to post about it for a few days. After two amazing months spent together here in Madrid, events (economic crisis, visa issues, etc.) have conspired to keep us separated by a few thousand miles for most of the next 10 months. The adventure we had been looking forward to sharing, now has to be shared primarily through e-mails, video chats, and blogs.

Despite our recent news though, I still feel lucky.

I remember the day I first saw Puck–singing with his band in the autumn leaves in front of Theta Pond. The light in his blue-green eyes caught my attention, but it was our first conversation that really hooked me. He’s continued to amaze me, and our years together have been full of happy memories.

Puck and Mary

That isn’t to say that we haven’t had our challenges. Some even seem relevant to our current situation. When we were dating, I spent a summer in Mexico and later 6 months in Seville, Spain. Puck came to visit at the end of my semester there, and it was as if we hadn’t been away from each other a day. Puck proposed a month after I got home on a bridge at the same pond where I first saw him.

Our wedding day

I have learned so much about living life from my husband. He’s creative, brilliant, and perceptive, plus a wonderful mixture of spontaneity and forethought. He’s taught me the importance of quality time–just being together and enjoying a movie, a walk, or just snuggling. He’s one of that unique brand of engineer who not only knows his stuff but is also good at explaining complex concepts and problems to us non-engineers, including children. He’s great with kids and a favorite uncle among our nieces and nephews. He’s amazing at getting children doing group activities–reading books to them, teaching them silly dances, and playing games.

Puck bought all our nieces a copy of "The Paperbag Princess" and had them decorate their own paperbag dresses. They had him read the book to them twice.

Puck teaches the girls to do the twist.

Puck both tells and writes a good story. I treasure the poems he’s written me and those moments when he pulls me over to dance with him and sings to me. He has that rare ability to laugh at himself, and he’s always challenging me to try new things. I remember a stressful semester back in undergrad right in the midst of final exams when he showed up at my dorm room with paints and canvas for us to fingerpaint. It was a great stress-reliever. Puck is also the one who taught me to fence, and he’s always finding fun projects and activities for us to do together.

Those are just a few of the things I love about my husband. He’s my best friend, and he often knows me better than I know myself. In our years together, we have supported each other’s dreams. Puck today is taking his written exam for his Fencing Master’s at San Jose State University, and I am here in Spain doing research into early modern Spanish swordplay for my dissertation. With 5,741 miles between us, I too am a bit glum he’s not at my side, but he’s always with me…until the end of our days.