Ddddddd-Dan

Well, today's post is dedicated to the letter D, and the best D I know, is my D: Daniel Dean.

In 13 days, it will have been FIVE. YEARS. since Dan and I first met. FIVE. YEARS. It's so strange that it feels impossible that it has been that long - and, yet, like we have known each other for always.

You know?

When I first met Dan, I was interested. I loved talking to him; it was such a great conversation. I loved that he was ambitious; he had an actual vision and desire of what he wanted his life to look like. When we met, he asked me out right away. I loved his decisiveness. He was the antithesis of many of the guys I knew/had been interested in.

It wasn’t love at first sight. I mean, come on, it is me. No one has cautious and conscientious as me can be in love right away and be okay with it. …and Dan, well, he’s sorta similar to me. He wasn’t ready to cash it all in right away either.  God needed to work on things within each of us. For me, I needed to love God more than any other – and be willing to be honest and real – loving what God thought/desired more than I wanted the other person to love and desire me.

…and now, 5 years later, I can unabashedly say I love him whenever I want. He completes me. I know; Jerry Maguire made that line cliché, but it's true. He and I are good complements to each other, and were exactly what the other needed. In many ways, Dan and I are very similar. We have similar priorities, values, and interests.

Our senses of humor are spot on. That man makes me laugh and smile when I desparately need to laugh. Let me give you an example: on Sunday, we were watching the news. There is a man in Tucson running for 48 hours straight (a running marathon – but not “running a marathon”) to raise some money for a charity. Dan started thinking of alternatives way to make this work. His solution: “I would run 30 minutes a day for 96 days.”

He said this and several things ran through my head at once: 1) WOW! He’s fast with the math skills. 2) “You know, regular people would just call that a ‘work-out routine.’” A marathon to Dan is a normal running schedule to the rest of the world.

…and I love that I can say that, and he will laugh. Every time. He lets me be funny and come up with quips. I love that. And then, I immediately think as I laugh, how much I love him.

I am too serious. I need someone to lighten me up. He does that.

Case in point, tonight, he surprised me with a 6-pack of Blue Moon and some pretzel M&Ms. Two splurges that help me relax – but I would never buy for myself.

Thanks, Babe, for knowing me and loving me better than I love myself.