True Love

This past week was spent celebrating with the man I love.  Wednesday was my boyfriend's 26th birthday and happened to be my 4th birthday celebration with him.  4th birthday, meaning another year has passed and we are stronger than ever.  The following day (Thursday) was our three year anniversary (I know the day after each other).  Long story short, we really consider ourselves having started dating before November, but I wanted it to be confirmed and official, so the day after his 23rd birthday I told him either you consider me your girlfriend or I am done. (We were basically boyfriend and girlfriend but I wanted an anniversary date).  So our relationship became official in Chicago on November 11th and now three years later from that day,  we are living life together in the city where we became official. 

Three years when you really think about it is a long time, but the years seem to fly by and I still continue to fall more in love with him and our relationship as time goes on.  Of course we have had our ups and downs, but the down times are what have made our bond closer and deeper.  Loving someone to me means you are living and experiencing life together no matter what.

To start off our anniversary, my lovely boyfriend decided to surprise me at the office with a beautiful bouquet of roses and a card.   I received a call from my front desk saying I had a "package" even though I was not expecting one, so I decided I was in no rush to go and get it.   Finally a colleague was sent to grab me from my desk because my signature was "required," and when I arrived to the front lobby, I was suddenly surprised to see my boyfriend standing there with a HUGE smile on his face.  Butterflies instantly came and I felt so special.   He told me that 1 red rose means "I love you" and white roses represent friendship.  (For rose color meanings I love this website www.teleflora.com/rose_colors.asp)

Red for Love; White for Loyalty.

For as long as I can remember I have always been a "sucker" for super romantic moments.   Moments that take your breath away,  times when you are caught off guard, and especially those moments you wish you could stay in forever.   I don't know about you, but I LIVE for these moments.   Of course I will drop hints to him to get his wheels turning and after three years, he knows that if he was to "surprise" me shortly after my "hint" I would not enjoy it as much, and he is right.   If I received these special treatments all the time,  they wouldn't mean as much and turn it into something expected.

Which leads me to the real reason why this day was extra special, surprises.  One thing about me is that I am rarely ever surprised.  Almost every time a surprise has been planned for me, something goes wrong.   A secret leaked, a waiter getting confused on who's birthday it was, to seeing messages on numerous occasions that I was not suppose to see.   The list is endless, however, my boyfriend even after three years continues to find ways to surprise me and give me the butterfly moments that I love.  How lucky am I!!   Even now when I think about the times he has surprised me, I can't help but smile from ear to ear.   I truly believe that sometimes we need those small gestures from time to time to make us realize how lucky we are and how much you we loved.

 

Cards are my favorite way of expressing how much I appreciate someone, care about them, and value them.   I absolutely love giving people cards and keep every card I receive.  Throughout the year I will re-read my because I like to remind myself how much I am loved and have caring people in my life.  One of the cards my boyfriend gave me on our anniversary nearly brought me to tears.  He is amazing when it comes to writing and really knows how to express himself.   For a man who gives me a look when I suggest we play the "hypothetical" game or the "what if" game, he usually opts out on participating because he can be a man of a few words (just like my father).   And yet every time I receive a little note or a card, his emotions and feelings are poured onto the paper and are always worth the wait. 

To keep a relationship strong and successful you have to want to give each other little reminders of how much you love each other, appreciate each other and are invested in the relationship.   Every day we have the opportunity to do a little "act" to show how much we care and I always try to do that for him.   To me that is true love and the ingredient for what makes relationships last.  There is nothing more I enjoy in this world than making someones day.  I want the people I love and care about to know how I feel and by doing little acts is the best way to do it. 

Westley: Hear this now: I will always come for you.
Buttercup: But how can you be sure?
Westley: This is true love - you think this happens every day?

Buttercup: Westley and I are joined by the bonds of love, and you cannot track that, not with a thousand blood hounds, and you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords.

~ The Princess Bride (My boyfriends favorite movie)

"The chemist who can extract from his heart's elements compassion, respect, longing, patience, regret, surprise, and forgiveness and compound them into one can create that atom which is called love."

- Kahlil Gibran