I will post oldest to youngest so if interest begins to wane, you can stop well before the adults :)
Michael!!
Michael is 27 years old now; he works at Scoggin Dickey as Internet manager, certified technology expert, and certified to sell Subaru, Buick, and Chevrolet vehicles. It is not his dream job but he does very well at it and is respected by management there. He doesn't have many nicknames--I call him Mickle Bear, but mostly he is Michael or Daddy.
Favorites
Games: Easy--"Star Wars: The Old Republic"!
It is a PC MMORPG made by the incredible Bioware; as it recently went free-to-play (meaning online access without subscription fees and a free limited copy of the game), Michael and I both decided to give it a try. Michael has always been more into computer games than I have; I prefer consoles because of the ease to play. But in this game, we can play together!! We rarely get the chance, as it is difficult for both of us to focus on a video game while watching the children, but it is fun when we have a night off.
There are endless customization options for your character, which means that you can play well over 100 hours and never play the same story twice. Thousands of missions that maintain uniqueness and fresh gameplay without getting stagnant--for anyone who has not played "The Old Republic", it is a rare and very enjoyable experience.
Activities: Michael likes wrestling with the boys and playing Superheroes with Emerald. He is always happy to cook, although his creative creations are sometimes a little much! He plays his Old Republic game after we have all gone to bed, and reads as much as his very busy schedule will allow. Michael is not happy unless he is learning--he discusses religion and philosophy, researches every topic from ancient mythology to history to the most cutting edge medical advances, and can debate any current issue. Technology is his real area of interest though; his love of new devices is well-known, and he spends a great deal of time working on strengthening his knowledge of software, manipulation of codes, and development of data. This particularly works to his advantage at work, where he creates and maintains the Internet business for the Subaru side of Scoggin Dickey.
TV Shows: Mike doesn't get a wealth of time to dedicate to watching shows, but there are a few we have shared together over the years. "Supernatural" was a big hit with us--as with many topics, religion and the paranormal have been subjects of interest to him in the past, so it is interesting to us both.
The "Doctor Who" reboot from 2005, starting with the ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston), is a current favorite of his. With the kids he likes to watch "Ultimate Spider-Man", a very cute cartoon that is fun for all of us.
Food: Michael's favorite restaurant is Chipolte--he always gets the chicken burrito with rice, sour cream, corn salsa, and cheese. He was quite sad for years because Lubbock did not have a Chipotle; we finally got one not too long ago....and Michael still rarely gets it! We don't eat out very often, and when we do he tends to defer to things that I or the kids like better. Chic-fil-a nuggets are also a big favorite for him; he used to like McDonald's but as the years have gone on, it now just makes him full of regrets whenever he eats it. At home, he loves my Chicken Monterrey (chicken baked with salsa and Monterrey cheese sprinkled on top), my homemade Chili with cornbread muffins, and my breakfast burritos.
Movie: There are a few that are his favorites--if we are talking modern, contemporary movies? "The Avengers", of course. We both love Joss Whedon and he did everything exactly right with that movie, from casting to the respect shown to the female characters, to story lines...it was just everything he had hoped it would be.
More long term, he loves "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer; he has a special place in his heart for westerns as it is because of memories of watching them with his grandfather, Daddad (Rhonda's father). Everyone that knows him is familiar with his love of the Star Wars franchise; he has been watching those movies since he was a little boy, and used to collect some of their figurines and novels. I currently have a "Mike" corner over by where his chair is set up with framed artwork from the movies hanging near his head.
I think the top cake, though, goes to "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I recently got the 70th Anniversary special for him for Christmas; he was so excited :) Since a film course he took in high school, he has had a special appreciation for the classics, like Charlie Chaplin, "North by Northwest", and of course "Casablanca".
Songs: So this one is much harder to nail down. For one thing, his musical taste is all over the place. Some of his favorite artists are Huey Lewis and the News, Frank Sinatra, and Dave Matthews Band. Our song is "Happy to Be Stuck with You" (Huey Lewis); it was played as the final song at our wedding and if we had a first dance, it would have likely been to "As Time Goes By". But he also listens to contemporary stuff--Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Neon Trees. I guess it really just depends on what kind of mood he is in as to what song he likes the best.
Books: "I, Jedi" by Michael A. Stackpole has long been at the top of his list. A few Christmases ago, I read it aloud to him a little every night until we finished it--it is a really good book. With big franchises like Star Wars you will often get what amounts to fanfic--novels written by fans who just really love the story--which means you get some sub-par crap. Stackpole writes a genuinely good, entertaining story with strong characters and an engaging plot. That's my plug for that; moving on.
Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series is also a favorite of his. It kind of combines the best of what Michael loves--it is a bit western gunslinger, a bit science-fiction dystopian future, a bit supernatural, and surprisingly thought-provoking. Many of King's other novels have references and tie-ins to Roland's epic, which Michael enjoyed searching out and reading.
Michael is a laid-back guy that loves his kids more than anything. He brags about them at work, shows off their pictures and artwork to anyone who comes to his office, and is the highlight of their day every time he comes home. He searches out monsters and scares away spooks, never tires of playing with the inexhaustible children, and soothes away nightmares. There is never a question that Daddy doesn't know the answer to or a problem Daddy can't fix. As a husband, he is patient and loving--he notices when I clean or rearrange (but politely ignores it when I don't), eats every one of my clumsy meals like it is the best he has ever had, and constantly seeks out ways to ease my burdens or make me feel cherished. He is the best part of all of our worlds.
--Andie
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