My Hero

I write quite a bit out our “Superhero” roots on this blog. Lloyd and I both know that we don’t actually possess super powers, but this metaphor really works for us; it is part of what brought us together.

Super powers or not, though, I can still claim Lloyd as my hero. In the time I’ve known him, he’s driven into Boston for the first time (and many more!), flown on an airplane, taken a road trip, and ridden on a roller coaster. From what I know about the Lloyd before I knew Lloyd, five years ago most of his peeps would have never guessed that any of things would have ever transpired.

Yesterday, though, he completed another new life adventure–his first job hunt. Now, don’t misunderstand: this is not Lloyd’s first job. Before this time, though, he has kind of fallen into all of his jobs and worked as a freelance designer. After working for five years in the marketing department of a company in his home town, he received interesting news the Friday after we returned from our Honeymoon–his position was being eliminated. The honeymoon was definitely over!

I’ve heard in the best-of cases, the first year of marriage remains one of the most difficult. Here we were, not three weeks in, and my husband was being laid off. It was a bit stressful. Added to that stress was the fact he had never really job hunted before, and he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do. Good times. (As my mother says, “I don’t think those words mean what you think they mean.”)

Fortunately, he received a severance package and was eligible for unemployment. We’d get by, but he was terrified. He worried that my family would think that he’d let them and me down, and no amount of trying to convince otherwise would get that thought out of his head. He’s a bit of a traditional family man; he wants to provide for me, for Toto. He knows we’re a team, but when push comes to shove, he wants to be able to take care of me, and for that I do love him.

So, he set out on yet another new adventure, one of many in the last year, or so since meeting me. While it was a difficult journey at times (ok, most of the time), he pushed through. We pushed through. Yesterday he accepted a position at a design firm in Boston. I took him out for prime rib to celebrate.

Lloyd loves and cares for his family. He fiercely protects them. These are not new traits. His nieces and nephews and sisters can tell you countless stories of Lloyd backing them up, being there to watch over them, protecting them from the big, scary Chuck E. Cheese (as pictured below), or buying them the American Girl Doll accessories that no one else would (we’re so screwed when we have kids…our “No” will mean nothing between the spoiling we’ve both done!).

He likes to think of himself as Batman, and he thinks it’s a wild fantasy. It’s not so far from the truth, though. He’s the hero to so many, and now he’s my hero. Part of me thinks that if we can make it through this in the first three months of our marriage, we can make it through anything. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I think good things are on the horizon. It certainly seems to me that good things come to those who wait.

I know that Lloyd is often worrying about doing things “right” or the “right way.” Honey, you’re doing just fine. You’re doing better than just fine. You’ve wormed a place into my heart, and that will never go away. I can’t wait to see what’s next! To borrow a line from Ladybug Girl…With your hand in mine, “we can do anything!”