integrity

Yesterday, my sweet husband came home from work to take me to the doctor (more on that later). So I got in his car and looked down to see what appeared to be underwear in the door pocket thinger. I went to grab it, feeling a split second (just a split second) of panic surge through my veins when I realized it was my sheer scarf I had forgotten on our last date. HAHAHA!! I told him when he climbed in the car that at first glance I thought it was underwear and he started to laugh and said I should blog about it. So I did.

My split second of panic was due to plain old stupidity. Just a gosh darn brain fart is what it was. I have never EVER trusted anyone more in my entire 35 years than I trust Andreas. You just can't help but trust this man. He has impeccable morals and values, and doesn't much care to bend any rules. All in all, a model citizen. A freak of nature, really (and I say that in the most loving way possible). I mean, how many people can you say you know that are like that, honestly? Not many.

integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. In a word, Andreas.

I will give you some examples of his level of integrity:

He won't let the kids use the popular "sentence enhancer" darn. It comes naturally out of most peoples mouths, at least the mouths of kids and others who choose not to use the more potty-mouthed version, damn. So, it took them a while to learn not to say it. Now, if it slips out, they instantly look at Andreas to see if he caught it and what he's going to say about it. *snicker, snicker* I personally don't care that much about it if the kids say darn or crap. I know it doesn't help their chances of obtaining perfection, but it just isn't a big deal to me. Because I'm not on his level of integrity. And that is why I am in awe of him everyday. It means something to him. And while I might tease him about it, saying it's a bit silly, maybe a little too strict, I really think it's an admirable quality. Because not many people (myself included) really care. Some people have a problem saying one sentence without a swear word and it just makes them look stupid and vulgar.

He's not a rule bender. The kids will be in booster car seats until the DAY they are the EXACT weight they need to be to ride without one. There is no exception. We will not sneak branches into the dumpster that says "NO BRANCHES" even though there are tons of branches in it already.

These examples are just a drop in the bucket. And although it may seem a little like I'm making fun of him, I'm simply pointing out that my moment of panic was foolish. I love him SO much. I respect him and admire him as much as humanly possible.