FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: MY FUNNY VALENTINE

Let's get over the fact that Valentine's Day is a Hallmark holiday for a second, and move on from the nausea we feel induced by the overabundance of pink and red heart-shaped garlands everywhere and the overconsumption of chalky conversation hearts (seriously, why do those still exist and why has no one thought to change the formula to make them taste less like I'm licking the underside of a granite countertop?). Instead, let's focus on how Valentine's Day is just another day where we can celebrate something wonderful: love.

Tara + Daniel!

When Tara B. first asked me to do this love-themed collaboration with her, I was super excited. I had stumbled on her blog when the sweet man in her life was "just" a boyfriend, and was there to read about the exciting engagement as well as the beautiful wedding that transformed this loving boyfriend-girlfriend duo to a loving husband-wife duo. I actually cried when reading Tara's wedding post -- because I just felt like it was a clear case where love triumphed. These two people who loved each other madly, purely, and dearly could finally celebrate that fact with the world. This type of crystal-clear love makes my heart flutter with hope and light more than any Hugh Grant movie could ever aspire to. Head on over to Little Girl Big Closet to scope out more of this gorgeous couple -- I swear you can see their warmth radiating in every photograph.

For this project, Tara B. had requested a light, humorous write-up on the subject of love and relationships. Perfect! I thought. After all, what is love and relationships if not fun and hilarious? But then I started to write this post and my mind went blank, as it is apt to do when it is most inconvenient. So, rather than stress myself out over a post that is supposed to be light and fun, I thought I'd just take you on a stream-of-consciousness journey of what I know about love with Boyfriend. Take notes. There will be a quiz afterwards.*


Love is one of those things that's universally understood. It transcends language, cultural, religious, age, and gender barriers. No matter who you are, where you came from, and where you are going, you know what love is -- to an extent, anyway. I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about love and relationships, but I do know that it can bring as much heartache as it can bring joy, and it can leave you soaring in the stratosphere as much as it can leave you dredging in the depths. In short, love is infuriatingly perplexing, like aeronautical physics and all six seasons of Lost. But at the same time, love is simple, like the absurd swelling of warm fuzzies I feel whenever Boyfriend surprises me with a kiss on the head or delivers a pick-me-up-off-the-ground hug.

My love with Boyfriend is by and large a simple one. Boyfriend isn't my better half -- he's just a rad dude I enjoy being with. I say this because I'm a whole person all on my own, and so is he, but we made the shared decision that two rad people being together is much more crazy amazing (cramazing?) than one rad person on his or her own.




Boyfriend and I are just two people who enjoy one another's company. We help each other grow and learn. I taught him that there is much more to the joy of eating than just fast food and uh... more fast food. Now he knows that he in addition to Whataburger, he is also a fan of sushi, pho, Cantonese-style Chinese food, and Thai cuisine. On the other hand, he taught me the finer points of Nerf gun wielding. Now I can shoot down a target the size of a Monopoly game piece from across the room with suction darts. Trust me. That's impressive.

We're both still on the journey of growing up and figuring out our lives and ourselves, and let me tell you, that journey is a lot more enjoyable when you've got a rad person to share it with. We've figured out how to do my taxes together, decorate an apartment together, cook many a delicious meal together, and plan trips and careers together. Big things and little things alike are just more wonderful when you're sharing it with someone you love and love being around. I mean, how much more boring would commuting to work be if Boyfriend weren't there to join me in talking like a 1920s gangster?




So all in all, make it a point to spend your Valentine's Day (and all other days) with someone you love, whether it's your hubs, boyfriend, brother, sister, mother, father, best friend, cousin, or pet goldfish. If it can make commuting to work more enjoyable, it can make everything more enjoyable.

Finally, a special thanks to my photography aficionado, Karen Ho! She captured all of these moments at Boyfriend and I's old high school and made it so much fun. Check out her site, and if you're ever in Texas and are looking for someone awesome to come along and document your adventures, give her a shout! She's amazing!

*just kidding. there's no quiz.

Also also, a giveaway.