(If someone unabashedly gushing about her husband makes you want to gag, you might not want to read this post. I’m sure the farmer will be embarrassed when he read this, too, because although he reads all my posts, he just never knows what I’m going to write from one day to the next. But, I just have to brag on him because he deserves it.)

Let me preface my story by saying that I’ve been having some pretty terrible pain in my neck and shoulders for the last couple months. That is where stress settles for me and I am under a good deal of stress. Our house isn’t selling as fast as I wanted it to, I have a teething toddler that maintains constant messes in my “show-ready” house, and the farmer and I have been living basically apart for two and half years while I, on most days, single-handedly parent our daughter. It’s not an ideal situation and we’re doing everything we can to remedy it.

Anyway, the farmer came home Tuesday night and ended up having to soothe our screaming baby back to sleep 4 or 5 times. (This might have had to do with the fact that I was sleeping, which might have had to with the fact that I went to the doctor and got some muscle relaxer meds, of which she assured me were not at all addictive. Although I wasn’t unconscious, I might have been slightly incoherent and capable of mumbling things that didn’t make sense. Sleep deprivation mixed with muscle relaxers can do that to you.) During one of the times the farmer got up with Peanut, I managed to steal his pillow and move to the middle of the bed. Due to the lack of sleep my neck and shoulders had been causing me, he hated to wake me up, so he slept on the couch. When all was said and done, he ended up getting 3 hours of sleep and had to leave early to go back to the farm and milk. The fact that he willingly took “baby duty” in itself is praiseworthy, but here’s where the man prepares for sainthood.

The next morning, I was due at the farm to go talk to the farmer’s hometown bank about going ahead and getting a construction loan to build the little house while we were still trying to sell our current one. I planned on coming back to the city that same evening so the farmer could get some sleep. However, about an hour before I had to leave, I got a text message:

“Stay the night with me. I love you.”

Maybe I’m just weird, but this struck me as extremely romantic, especially after the night the farmer had just had. After he insisted that he was sure he wanted us to stay, I packed my bags and threw them in the car. When I was about 45 minutes from home, I realized that, in one of my typical Breauna moments, I had left my prescription and my fancy chiropractic pillow at home. I couldn’t turn back at this point. I was already running late. Plus, I had been fine for a few days and thought things that night would probably be fine.

Long story short, they weren’t. I made it through the whole day until the farmer and I rode in the Badger to go get the cows. I had a limp noodle of a baby in my arms who had lost her battle with sleep and my neck was starting to feel the strain. (I chalk up my problems to the fact that I have a giraffe neck. It adds a good 4 inches to my height.) The farmer took Peanut at this point, but the damage had already been done.

We went to bed at 9 and I was still up at 11, crying at this point because 1) I was completely exhausted and 2) it hurts really bad. I told the farmer I had to go home. I wasn’t going to get any sleep, therefore, he wasn’t going to get any sleep. I assured him that although I wasn’t looking forward to the drive, I wouldn’t fall asleep because I hurt too bad. But, you see, the farmer is fiercely protective and a huge worry-wart. The man ends up following me home at 11:00 at night without one cross word, and mind you, this is and hour and a half drive.  We didn’t get to bed until 1 and I know I fell asleep before he did. He left a little later this morning than he usually does, but I know the poor guy is just exhausted.

So, this is my way of thanking him for being so selfless and extraordinarily caring and letting all the girls know that there’s still some really good guys in the world. And ladies, if you have a story about something really sweet that your man has done, post it in the comments. I love to read that kind of stuff!

Wishing I had the ability to teletransport  between here and the farm,

The Dairymaid