I met Matt when I was 16 years old.

He was 21.

Before some of you start clutching your pearls and making that face, calm down. Nothing happened. In fact, I absolutely could not stand the man.

We met downtown in York, Nebraska on a Friday night while we were both doing what all respectable small-town teenagers and young adults did back then: cruising the strip, hanging out in parking lots, and generally participating in what can only be described as York Hoodrat Activities.

Matt was dating one of my friends at the time, and for whatever reason, I didn’t like him.

At all.

If I saw him somewhere, I would literally hide so I didn’t have to talk to him.

I’d duck behind people.

I’d suddenly need to go somewhere else.

I’d become invisible if necessary.

I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

Then three years later, in March of 2005, I got a message online.

“Hey! I remember you! Weren’t you friends with Becky?”

UGHHHHHH.

He found me, peeps.

“Oh hey. Yeah. I remember you. Yes, I’m still friends with her.”

And that’s how it started.

One random message.

One conversation.

One giant pain in my ass that somehow became my husband.

And thank the Gods he did.

Because somewhere along the way, this man became my best friend.

I don’t just love my husband.

I genuinely like my husband.

He’s my favorite person.

He’s my rock. The steady hand in our family. The one who keeps me grounded when I’m spiraling and reminds me that maybe, just maybe, I shouldn’t tell every person exactly what I think of them.

Honestly, Matt has prevented several arrests simply by physically picking me up and placing me back into the truck and telling me to shut up when my Aries personality decides someone needs their attitude adjusted.

People can say whatever they want about him, but if you’re in the group that doesn’t like my husband, I hope your pillow is hot on both sides for the rest of your life you f*cking a$$hole!

Matt has ADHD, a form of Tourette’s, and the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.

People don’t understand him, how he communicates, they think he is mean,grumpy,an asshole.

People are mean to him.

Not in front of me, because that would be a poor life choice.

But regardless, I love him.

He’s mine.

And quite frankly, he’s stuck with me whether he likes it or not! (The lucky f*cker!)

Now don’t get me wrong.

The man drives me absolutely insane!

If you’ve met Matt, you already know! (I’m sure he has driven you insane too!)

He’s ALWAYS talking.

Always moving.

Always doing SOMETHING.

I, on the other hand, would prefer to sit quietly, observe people from a safe distance, and silently judge everyone’s life choices and admire how pretty you are from a distance.

Matt?

Matt attracts people!

He talks to everyone!

I don’t care where we are in the world.

Matt WILL find someone he knows.

I swear someday we’ll be standing in line in some random corner of hell and I’ll hear:

“HOLY SHIT! MATT MILLER! IS THAT YOU?!”

And somehow he’ll know them.

He always does.

I love him.

I genuinely don’t know how I’d do life without him.

But let’s be honest.

The man snores impossibly loud.

He gets brilliant ideas at 1:00 in the morning like, “You know what we should do? Paint the bathroom.”

No, Matthew JOPHUS…

No, we should not!

He is also permanently banned from being the navigator on road trips.

Because somehow every trip turns into:

“Well according to the GPS…”

Followed by us being an hour out of our way!

Every. Single. Time.

And while we’re discussing his flaws, the man can’t drive.

I said what I said… he knows how I feel.

But after all these years, all the chaos, all the adventures, all the wrong turns, all the late-night projects, all the endless talking, and all the moments where he’s driven me completely insane…

I’d still choose him.

Every single time.

Even if I do have to listen to him explain directions while we’re lost.

Where he goes I go (not always happily…but we go)!