My husband, Fernando

I'm being selfless...as I write.  Can you believe it?  It's true. 

Fernando is, as I write, probably half-way through his second movie for the night.  He and his brother had (chocolate) cake and coke and are, I'm sure, laughin' it up through quite a few flicks tonight.  My job?  Leave them be to have their fun.  :P  I guess it makes sense, since I'm not there.  It's quite the luxury for him, so I'm glad he has this night just to do something he enjoys and that is relaxing for him.  He's usually working with no end in sight.  And I'm usually (sometimes) requiring/attracting/demanding his attention towards whatever topic of conversation I've cooked up for the moment.  But not tonight.  It's his night to relax with his brother.  Besides, I get to keep him forever.  :) 

Fernando is...wonderful.  He has this way of bringing lightness and humor to situations that I am desperately trying to make very stressful and frustrating.  Okay, so it's not a conscious thing I do...I just tend to magnify the stress factor of anything that's making me the tiniest bit anxious.  But he makes me laugh.  Even when I don't want to!  And you all know how annoying that can be sometimes...except it really DOES help.  Not that he can't take things seriously...he also has an uncanny way of knowing how to listen to me the way I need to be listened to.  Let's face it: in general, women are talkers that just want to be listened to.  We want to "talk about it" and process it through.  And men, well...they tend to want to "fix" things.  And we all know that those two things do NOT always "click" in the right way.  Now, Fernando's not THAT different...he does tend to want to find the solution and get it all patched up, put away, pit-pat, that's that, let's move on.  Me?  Not so much.  So you'd THINK that a guy would go absolutely NUTS by now, with all my "I need to talk about this!"  And maybe he is nuts...he asked me to marry him, after all. :P  But he's patient with me.  He listens to me and the fact that he DOES try to find a solution to help me...well, that has a charm all its own.  But his patience...goodness, his patience.  I've gotta give it to the guy...he is PAAAATIENT! 

Fernando is smart.  Very smart.  I'm not saying he's going to discover all of the secrets of the universe or anything like that.  But his mind is quick and clear and bright.  He stimulates me intellectually, not only because he can actually speak like an adult, but because he has had such different life experiences than I have had and (get this!) he's actually learned from those experiences and grown as a man.  Believe me...I know plenty of men my age who are still in "college" mode, if you know what I mean.  Not my man...and I love that about him.  He's smart.  Which also means that we can actually work things out when we're not seeing eye to eye.  And it means that he's smart enough not to fight dirty.  And it means he's smart enough to handle life...to be a good husband and a good father, when that time comes for us.

Fernando is hard-working.  Yes, he knows the value of money.  But that's not the only reason he's hard-working.  You see, Fernando is passionate.  He brings such vitality to his work as a photographer.  But it's not so much that he's passionate about pushing a button on his camera...he is passionate about capturing moments in people's lives, in bringing to light the feelings and expressions, the experiences, the laughter, the unity, the love that really makes us incredible as a human race.  He sees all of it and he captures it in such a way that even one who doesn't know the subjects in his photos feels a pull, a yearning, a desire to laugh and smile and hug and kiss also.  And, you know, he's the same way with his family and with me.  Sure, he gets frustrated with all of us...but he'll be the first to be there for any of us when we need it.  Absolutely loyal, absolutely trustworthy...just don't betray him.  He's passionate about that, too.

Fernando is sexy.  Now, I'm not sure how everyone else defines that word.   For some it may require muscles and a tan and a come-hither grin.  Well...Fernando is definitely a handsome devil.  He has beautiful eyes that crinkle and laugh when he's making a joke, or laughing at one of mine.  I love the softness in his eyes when he leans over, either falling asleep or just waking up, and wraps his arms around me and nuzzles my neck.  I love the energy in his eyes when he flirts with me, just to make me smile or to give me goose bumps.  And I especially love the strength in his eyes when he is hardening up to do what needs to be done.  He has wonderful lips.  I love the way they touch mine and linger there, as though they are home and there is no other place they need to be.  I love the way they move when they tell me of his dreams, of his love, of his hurts, of his life.  I love the way they spread to let out his laugh.  I love the way they look so happy when we're together.  He has a wonderful voice.  His voice is soothing and the most comforting timbre.  His voice supports me, uplifts me, tells me how I can be better and also how I am already so good.  He has powerful hands.  Powerful enough to make me feel safe, as no one in my life ever has before.  Hands that reach for me, at every opportunity, to hold my hands or touch my hair or cup my face.  His hands caress me and make me purrrrr...they are so sweet to me, and that is a power all its own.  No other hands have had enough strength to make me feel so complete and whole when they touch me.   And, as you all well know, Fernando has absolutely beautiful hair.  Now, his hair doesn't do anything for me except excite me by it's softness, thickness, and great smell.  I just can't keep my hands out of it.  :) 

But I digress.  What is sexy?  HE is sexy.  Not just his eyes, or his lips, or his hands, or his hair.  No, HE is sexy because of the WAY his eyes look at me and the way his lips kiss me and the way his voice soothes me and the way his hands touch me.  HE is sexy because of the way his mind stimulates mine and the way his patience wraps me in security.  HE is sexy because he makes me laugh when I want to cry and lets me cry sometimes, too. :)  For all of those reasons and so many more, I WANT him, all of him...every single Brazilian/German bit of him.   I want his good days and his bad days.  I want his dreams and his fears.  I want his successes and his failures.  I want his goodness and his flaws.  I want HIM.  I love HIM.

And that, my friends, is just a glimpse of the man I am so privileged to call mine.  Just a taste of the person that I am blessed to belong to...yes, I say that with a sense of joy.  I am his and he is mine.  That, my friends, is Fernando.  That, my friends, is the man I love.

Happy birthday and good night, baby.

Eternally yours, Nefilinda  

Eternal love is real

Come Away With Me