Today is Karim’s 25th birthday, and as she works this morning, I thought I’d take a few minutes to write a post in celebration. Karim and I started dating exactly one week before she turned 19, so this is her 7th birthday we’ve spent together. Here are 25 of my very favorite things about Karim (in no particular order):
25. Her sense of humor. I’m still not sure I entirely understand it. When we watch TV or a movie together, she and I rarely if ever laugh at the same jokes. In fact, Karim doesn’t laugh at most jokes–she prefers to see someone fall over or wipeout. Nothing gets her laughing like a good accident.
24 and 23. Two days before Karim turned 19 (and 5 days after we’d started dating), I took her to a Utah Jazz-New Jersey Nets basketball game in Salt Lake. In an effort to impress her, I bought what I’d thought were (or what seemed to me as a relatively poor college student) quite expensive tickets; it turned out our seats were in the upper bowl of the arena (though the first row of the upper bowl!). I was a bit embarrassed by the whole episode, but Karim made me feel like it was the greatest date of her life. Her knowledge and interest in basketball and her ability to make anything we do together feel special are still two of my favorite things about her.
22. That she’s a Dallas Mavericks fan. Closely related to her basketball IQ mentioned above, this one may seem insignificant. But for those of you who know me, this is an obviously crucial point of agreement in our home. I’m sort of convinced that Dirk and Jason Terry won the championship last year at least in part to make up for the sorrow Karim experienced watching them lose 5 years earlier in the Finals during her first year cheering for the team.
21. Her love of family. Karim cares deeply about family—me and Sofía, her parents and brothers, my parents, siblings, their spouses, our ever-growing number of nieces and nephews, and extended family on all sides. When we’re with her family, I’m always amazed at her ability to spend quality time with each person, to listen and be a friend; and the same is true of my family, as well. During our time in Utah, she developed close relationships with my grandma (Granny), my aunts and uncles, and several of my cousins.
20. Her faith. Karim exemplifies all of the best aspects of Mormonism—the community, the commitment, the desire to reach out and help others, and the focus on family. She’s the type of Christian and the type of Mormon I hope someday to be.
19. Watching her spend time with Sofía. Karim and Sofía’s eyes both light up when they play together; Karim has the ability to know what each of Sofía’s cries mean; to know when she wants to be cuddled and when she wants to laugh and play. Sofía reminds me so much of Karim, from her beautiful and kind smile to her curiosity about everything and everyone around her. And that just makes me love them each even more.
18. Her desire to learn. Karim values education and has a diverse set of intellectual interests. She changed her major 3 times in college, going from Middle Eastern Studies to Latin American Studies and finally settling on Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and Marketing. That Karim has not pursued a career in that field doesn’t seem to disappoint her—she really seems to value the skills she learned along the way.
17. That she’s a teacher. For those who don’t know, Karim teaches Spanish to children (ages 4-7) here in Williamsburg. I’ve had the opportunity to observe a handful of those lessons, and not only do her students absolutely adore “Miss Karim,” they also have developed a passion and ability in speaking Spanish. While I’m sure they’re all smart and able children, I know that Karim’s abilities as a teacher deserve much credit, too.
16. Her ability to make friends. Karim has just a few “best friends”—those with whom she shares much in common and with whom she’s shared some of her most personal experiences. She keeps in close contact with those friends, no matter how far apart they now live. But she also has close friends with whom she shares little to nothing in common—from nonagenarian grandmothers to middle-aged women to infants and children. She has the rare ability to love and be a friend to people from all walks of life.
15. Her love of dance and music. While we don’t share much in common in terms of musical tastes, I do enjoy watching Karim sing along to Jack Johnson, Shakira, or Stevie Nicks. And while I know it disappoints her that she didn’t marry someone who shares her love of dance, I love that I married someone who does love to dance—even if it’s mostly in our living room or the car on road trips.
14. Her support of me. Karim has, so far as I can tell, next to no interest in academic history. But she is also, with no close competition, my biggest fan and supporter. And that means more to me than I can ever express.
13. That she constantly surprises me. In spite of what I just said above, Karim has become something of a historical researcher extraordinaire over the last several months. Hired by her employer to do some genealogical research, Karim dove in head first and has not only discovered much about a very interesting family but developed a real knack for historical research more generally.
12. Her love of travel. Karim and I have been on some pretty amazing trips—to El Salvador (several times), Korea, and Mexico. Potential trips to England, Italy, and Brazil are on our potential itinerary over the next few years, and we hope to travel to many more countries together and as a family. But we also love shorter road trips together—to historic plantations just down the road from us and to unique spots all over the East Coast.
11. Her smile. When Karim smiles—and I mean really smiles—her whole face lights up. You see it in her eyes, her cheeks, and especially in her smile. Sofía looks like she inherited that smile, too.
10. Her concern for others. Karim genuinely cares about others, and reaches out to help others in need regularly.
9. Her love of food. Thankfully, Karim and I both enjoy not only eating delicious food but learning to cook it together, too. We now have a pretty good list of recipes we do well and always are looking out for new ones.
8. Karim knows me, and knows me well. She can read me like a book, and that both helps to keep me in line and makes me love her even more.
7. Speaking of books, Karim loves to read. She’s currently making her way through some classics, as well as reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
6. Karim loves dessert. I know this is something most people love, but you don’t understand—she really, really loves dessert. Seeing her get excited about going out for frozen yogurt or just eating a popsicle or gummy bears after dinner always makes me smile.
5. I mentioned above that she supports me in my educational and professional activities, but really Karim supports me in all that I do. She always takes an interest in things that I’m interested in—or at least gives them a shot.
4. She’s a participator. This is a bit of an inside joke between us, but from day one, Karim has always consciously participated in activities, whether they be with our family, just us, or with friends. She loves trying new things.
3. She has great style—from her wardrobe (and mine!) to our home, Karim always makes sure that everything is put together fashionably.
2. She’s the yin to my yang, the macaroni to my cheese, the quesa to my dilla. For example, she doesn’t use silly sayings like I apparently do.
1. At the risk of sounding cheesy (wait, you mean this whole list is sort of cheesy?), she completes me. I cannot imagine without her, and look forward to spending the rest of forever with her.
Happy 25th, my love.
