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Did FireDad Win Redbook's Hottest Husband?

Jun 192009

It’s official. FireDad did not win Redbook’s Hottest Husband contest. I logged onto Redbook this morning to find that the winner, Rob Myers, has been announced. (Congrats to Rob and family! FireDad is not surprised as the winner is a Navy pilot. That gets a thumbs up from the FireFamily!) I had figured, as we hadn’t heard a single word from the magazine in either direction, that no news wasn’t good news but I had held a candle of hope just in case.

I informed FireDad this morning as we enjoyed a quiet, no-kids morning (as they have been kidnapped by my mother-in-law). He smiled and said it was okay. I asked him if he was upset. He said, unsurprisingly, that it was fine. I said, “That’s a shame, because I was going to make it up to you later.” He would like Redbook, our readers and the world to know that he is now very saddened by his loss. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

We had a good time with it. He had a good time with it. He took it all in stride, has endured months of, “So, did you win,” questions and has done it all with his beautiful smile. These, of course, are just a few of the reasons that I love him. I love that he can take something as cheesy as a “hot husbands contest” and barely bat an eyelash. I love that he agreed to pose for the newspaper. I love that he loves me despite all of my crazy antics. I love his sense of humor. I love how he is with our boys, how he is with the Munchkin and how he loves with his whole heart. I love everything there is to love about him, even when he leaves his socks on the bathroom floor. (Mainly because he puts up with me leaving my towel on… every… floor.) That’s love, folks.

He may not have won the popular vote on Redbook… but he’ll always be my hottest husband. (I mean, right?!)

Blue Us, This Morning

Blue Kisses

How FireDad Feels

And that’s how he feels about that comment.

Thanks to EVERYONE who took the time to vote. Thanks to everyone who tweeted, blogged, emailed, talked on the phone and generally spammed their real life friends with the URL to vote for my (hottest) husband. Thank you to all who have laughed with us and poked fun at my husband as he honestly had a good time. Thanks to WHIZ-TV for airing a piece about the contest and the Daily Jeffersonian for photographing my (hottest) husband for an article that ran on the front page of our local newspaper. And, lastly, thank you to my mother-in-law and father-in-law for not only combining genes but raising one wonderful, strong, funny, intelligent, mannerly and loving man.

I am the luckiest.

What It's Like Being Married to a Redbook's Top 25 Hottest Husband

Living Life 4 Responses »

Mar 092009

I’ve been asked this question a few times over the past week and a half: what’s it like being married to one of Redbook’s Top 25 Hottest Husbands?

Well, same as it always was.

He’s always been easy on the eyes. He turns heads. Our friend’s six year old daughter wants to marry him. (In fact, on Father’s Day, she gave FireDad the mug that she was supposed to make for her own Dad in Sunday School. Thankfully they’re friends… still.) Teenage girls working in fast food restaurants stumble over their words and blush when he gives his order. Teachers and moms alike at the local elementary schools inquire about his identity after assemblies on fire safety. Older ladies just love him to pieces. My friends routinely tell me that he is hot or attractive or sexy or handsome or cute or etcetera and so on.

It’s not like I don’t know he’s attractive. Have you seen his smile? It still makes me melt. His green eyes make me feel all mushy inside. Does all of the attention he receives get to me? Rarely. The teenage girls make me giggle because I remember having “goo-goo eyes” (a term BigBrother is using right now) for handsome, older men when I was working in my first few jobs. The teachers and moms are usually informed that he is married with children by those who know him. The older ladies make me smile and think about how I’ll react when a handsome twenty-something holds the door for me at church someday.

Very rarely has any female stepped over a line since he put a ring on his finger and made my hair stand on end. Like that one time that we were at a restaurant-slash-bar with my parents. My Mom and I got up to use the restroom. When we returned to our table, two females had descended upon both my father (!) and my husband (!) and were “making small talk.” My Dad and Josh were amused as were my Mom and I after my cat claws went back in. I didn’t have to say a word. I just gave the look. I know you know the look. Whether you’ve given or received it or just witnessed it happening, I know you know that look.

So, all of the attention (from the newspaper articles to the local news station running the story) to the comments from everyone in the community hasn’t really fazed me. Yes, my husband is attractive. I don’t mind if you say so. I know where he sleeps at night. For two nights in a row, it’s in our bed. Then every third night he sleeps in a room with five other snoring men. I’m not all that worried. He’s still the same happy, goofy, loving, attentive, patient, loyal, hard-working, fun-loving husband and dad he’s always been. See picture to the left as an example from yesterday. (Best way to wear the kids out early for change-of-bedtime thanks to Daylight Saving Time? Visit the fire department after supper. Win.)

What has been interesting is the fact that my husband is suddenly getting all of the attention. I mean, hello? I’m the Internet Superstar here! I’m getting email for him, about him and offering him things. Any time we go out, people aren’t asking what I’m up to right now or what new projects I’m tackling. No. It’s all about Mr. Redbook! He is handling his fifteen minutes of fame rather well, complete with his signature perfect-toothed smile. I’m standing right by him, smiling my not-so-perfect-toothed smile as well. But it’s different, this not being in the spotlight.

I say this all in jest, of course. (Or, somewhat.) He isn’t a spotlight type person. That’d be me. Obviously. And soon enough, we’ll be gearing up for my chorale’s Spring Show and I’ll be thrust under the lights once again (with quite the sizable part this year). And, so, I suppose I could let him enjoy his little bit of fame right now. (I’m also pretty sure I owe him a steak. Or a Primanti’s sammich this weekend in Pittsburgh. Something, right?)

I mean, especially with an eight night, seven day vacation to the Cayman Islands running on that perfect smile. (You have voted for Joshua H, haven’t you? What? You didn’t see our initial announcement? Read this post. Then head to this link and vote for Joshua H. We’re serious. If we win, we’re vlogging the trip!)

Vote for FireDad in Redbook's Hottest Husband Contest!

FireDad 27 Responses »

Feb 242009

If you follow me on twitter, you already know the news. But I’ll officially share the news with everyone here:

FireDad is a Top 25 Finalist for Redbook’s Hottest Husband contest.

I should provide some back story. It started last year when I was reading Redbook’s Hottest Husband results for 2008. Only a few of the top 10 were under 30. This upset FireDad greatly (or, to some degree) so, to rectify the situation, I threw together an entry, picked some photographs and sent them into the contest. I may have mentioned that time he won an award for saving some guy’s life. Months passed. A new year began. And on the day that I returned home from a trip to the mountains, an email was waiting in my inbox. From Redbook. They wanted to talk to me for a phone interview and they needed some more face shots of my (hot) husband. Amused, I made the phone call and then told him the news. He laughed, saying that would be the end of it.

Weeks passed. We figured it was a bust. And then, last Thursday, I got another email informing me that he is, in fact, in the Top 25 Finalists. And, the kicker for us, that online voting would begin on February 24, 2009 (today, folks). Now if you know anything about me, you might know that I have a large internet footprint. And so FireDad and I are hoping that you’ll vote for him. Why? Well, we could win…

You could win an eight-day, seven-night trip for two to the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa in Grand Cayman.

Doesn’t that make your toes tingle with glee?

And so, I’m imploring my readers to please go vote for FireDad (otherwise known to the rest of the world as Josh Hatfield). His individual finalist page can be found here. I’m sure he’ll love the stories I told. To be fair, I was nervous and rambling. In case you don’t know or remember what he looks like, I’ve thrown this video together. As an added bonus, you get to see how much LittleBrother really looks like his Daddy.

And, if you’re not the video viewing type, here are a few of my all time favorite pictures of my Husband thrown together in a quick collage. He really is quite handsome, no?

But more than handsome, he is an amazing, awesome husband. He has supported me through some of the most difficult days of my life. He loves me unconditionally, even when I leave the coffee pot on all night or spill things on a burner on the stove and accidentally attempt to burn down the house. That’s enough to drive any firefighter insane. He has supported my writing and working from home. He makes me laugh. He dries my tears. He tells me he loves my post-baby body. And the list goes on. Furthermore, he is an amazing, hands-on dad to those two brothers. I never have to nag about spending time with the boys. I don’t have to worry about leaving the kids with him as he takes on his fair share of the parenting duties and knows exactly how to handle them… and their moods. I’ve seen him melt into a puddle of goo when given a hug, kiss and nose kisses or just simple cuddles. I know the love he has for his boys and our family in general. He’s not just a hot husband. He’s one heckuva husband.

While I don’t normally ask for something on the blog without offering something in return, I don’t really want to bribe people for their votes. So, very simply, I am asking people to head on over to the Redbook online voting page and vote for Joshua Hatfield (listed as Joshua H. on the actual voting page). I can promise that if we win, we’ll be vlogging the entire trip. While that may not be the same as relaxing on the beach yourselves, I can tell you that the two of us will soak up enough sun, fun and relaxation to share with the entire blogosphere. I promise.

If you feel so inclined, I’d love if you’d help spread word about this little contest. Again, I don’t have anything to offer in return but my extreme gratitude. Some places you could share the voting link ( http://tinyurl.com/vote4JoshuaH ) would be Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or your own blog. You can also link to the video ( http://tinyurl.com/firedadvideo ) and this post ( http://tinyurl.com/sdbvotepost ) so people know who they’re voting for. You can also embed the video if you feel so inclined! You can only vote once per IP address so I will need the help of the blogosphere and my internet friends to keep word going about this contest. While our families are big, I’m hoping the help of online friends will give us a shot!

I’m sure the 24 other finalists are attractive, great husbands. But I’d love to give my hot, awesome husband a real, relaxing vacation for all of the hardwork that he has done and continues to do for our family. If you could help me achieve that by voting for him, I’d be forever grateful.