Today is my sweetie’s fortieth birthday. I’m a lucky, lucky girl to have a husband who is funny, romantic, hard-working, and a wonderful sport. So, indulge me as I share with you forty of the many-million reasons why I love this guy:

1. He makes me laugh.  Especially when he does the "lizard dance", talks in his Brooklyn accent, and hams it up just for me, his audience of one.
2. He makes the bed nine days out of ten (I do the honors on the tenth because he hates an unmade bed); he does dishes; he always takes out the trash; and he does more than his share of the household chores.
3. He has a really cute French accent that makes me (and others) swoon whenever he talks in English.
4. He always reminds me to take my cell phone when I leave the house.
5. He encourages me to sleep in, relax, take naps – anything to see me work less and take care of myself more.
6. He has a green thumb and makes sure that we are surrounded with beautiful, flowering plants throughout the year.
7. He likes children.
8. He is an excellent traveling partner who strongly encourages frequent stops at antique malls, flea markets, and roadside attractions.
9. He (eventually) says "Yes" to my crazy photo shoot ideas like dressing up as Forest Gump, wearing a Santa suit in Central Park, posing with the Easter Bunny, etc.
10. Every now and again, he plans an amazing surprise get-away for the two of us.
11. He has his own unique sense of style, which these days consists of Adidas flip flops with socks, cargo shorts, a chef’s jacket, and a South ‘n France visor.
12. He cuts fresh pineapples and butternut squash and all of those other tricky fruits and vegetables perfectly – even when it’s my turn to cook.
13. He says: "Bingo!" when somebody "hits the nail on the head" with a perfect idea or suggestion.
14. He’s cute. 
15. When he’s in the checkout line at the grocery store and I call him to say: "Oops! I forgot one thing… will you please buy me a tomato too?", he pays, gets that forgotten tomato, and gets back in line a second time to pay for it, even though it’s an annoying inconvenience.
16. He makes perfect JiffyPop popcorn, managing to get almost every kernel to pop perfectly. (They don’t have JiffyPop in France, and he thinks the concept is truly fascinating!)
17. He makes sure our car always has gas (I forget to check…)
18. He tells me "Je t’aime" several times per day.
19. In the winter, he allows me to put my freezing hands and feet on his warm body, even though he complains a little at first.
20. He gave up his country, his culture, and his food to be here with me and has done a beautiful job of adapting and learning English. Sometimes I’m astonished at how advanced his English has become.
21. He hardly ever complains about me keeping the nightstand light on, reading in bed into the wee hours of the morning, even though he prefers to sleep in total darkness.
22. He is incredibly charming, and a very skilled flirt.
23. There’s that saying that Frenchman appreciate things that age: wine, cheese, women. True to the cliché, he often tells me he prefers the woman that I am now (fine lines, big curves) to the young, skinny girl that I was when we met.
24. He’s sentimental.
25. He wears a bathrobe with panache (it’s a French thing).
26. Even though I’ve bought him a dozen travel coffee mugs, he insists on driving with a china coffee mug nestled in the car’s cup holder. (And yes, this strategy has backfired on him more than once!).
27. His laugh tickles me (especially when he’s laughing at his own jokes).
28. He’s got a deep, raspy singing voice (that I wish I would hear more often).
29. He’s been my faithful partner-in-crime through many a crazy adventure, including the launch of this bon bon business.
30. Even though I’ve known him for more than fifteen years, I’m still learning new things about him, uncovering new layers.
31. He plates food beautifully, even when it’s just the two of us, sitting down for a simple dinner.
32. Occasionally, he’ll do something completely out of character, like agreeing to watch episodes of Ugly Betty on DVD with me.
33. He whistles.
34. He gives me sweet little kisses (love pecks) almost every time I walk by him.
35. He likes to see me wear my Bon Bon Queen outfit.
36. He drives us everywhere because I don’t like to, even though he enjoys being a passenger too.
37. Our musical tastes differ greatly (I can only listen to so much of David Bowie, U2 or Pink Floyd), but once in a while, I come home and find him listening to someone like Andrea Bocelli.
38. We share the dream of having a second home in France, traveling the world, and sharing the European "good life" with friends and family.
39. He puts on this gruff-tough-talking exterior – don’t tell him, but it doesn’t hide the fact that he’s really a soft-hearted, sensitive guy.
40. He’s my mon ami, mon amant, mon amour, pour la vie.