To My Love

I told the manfriend I wouldn't write about him (too much). He gets squirmy when I get all mushy and, as he puts it, 'engages Koala mode'.

And this is our one year anniversary. I have been itching to tell the story of how we got together in its fullest for ONE WHOLE YEAR.

But... I'm trying to be good. And I'm having a tough time finding an anniversary gift for him that's not somehow tied to his having to fix/do stuff for me/Stoneyhaw. So I won't get into the gushy details of the wonders of eBay and how it managed to bring two people 3000 miles away, and from completely different upbringings, together ... Happy Anniversay my man! (you do have a gift pending)

8 or 9 months of the last year was a long stint of trading back and forth between our two places every weekend. In that time I think we only missed one weekend together (and that sucked). When I had major water issues and thought I was going to lose it, I packed up and went to Mike's for a week. I spent another week at his house over Christmas and had one of the best ones I can remember. He got to actually rest (wrangling water heaters and whatnot is a form of rest, right?) when he came out here, and when my Mom and Dad left to go back to Canada in December he and the Spawn came out to visit even though he was sick as a dog. He muscled through driving out here, having dinner with my parents (they actually get along great, but he doesn't remember much - his eyes were glassy he was so ill), and consoling a near inconsolable me that night. I cried my eyes out, and he just held me and told me he loved me for the first time. I had known since the first night I spent at his house after the DC trip that I was falling hard for this guy, and I have been continuing to fall hard ever since.

We're now in the next phase - living together and sorting out our lives together as a unit of sorts. Now our plans are intertwined, and working on getting them figured out is so extremely rewarding. And exhausting.

And to Mike (who I know probably didn't make it through this whole post without wanting to throttle me, and definitely didn't make it without squirming and thinking of ways of getting back at me for it): I love you and all that you continue to do for me and us every single moment of every single day. Nothing on this property would be in current working condition if you hadn't have had a hand in it somehow; my batshit self included. Nothing that you do for me is taken for granted, and I am so grateful that it was too damn windy that day for my Dad to haul Melvin back himself. I love you I love you I love you, and your little spawn, too.

This is still one of my favorite pictures of the two of us. It's just so representative of our relationship.

Mike and I don't go out too much (except to Lowe's). But this is a picture from one of the most memorable nights we've gone out - we sat inside our favorite food joint and watched people stare at my car. It should be noted that we looked like that, too, from the knees down.

I love Mike. My dog loves Mike. And I'm pretty sure that's the prodigal hen, there - that would explain a lot of her current behavior!