My Valentine

I love quotes. I really really love quotes. I admire the quoters for being able to express exactly what I am feeling by using the least amount of words possible, which is something I can rarely accomplish. There is one in particular which I have applied to Philip from the moment I read it, and it goes like this:

"I didn't need, or even want, to be with the best-looking man in the room, but the one who inevitably got my attention was the one whose eyes held a glint of something magnetic: humor, mischief, curiosity, a sense of adventure." - Meg Donohue

I must admit, yes (of course) I did have an attraction to all the 'best-looking' guys out there, because isn't that how 'the hunt' for a partner begins? In like... every species?...
But the point is, even though there was a sensible amount of other dudes out there who might have been a better fit than Philip, they didn't hold my interest very long. For some strange, complicated, otherworldly reason, it was him who caught my interest, and who holds it still. I'm not going to lie, ours is NOT a Prince Charming and Cinderella relationship. We don't spend our days doting on each other, we have to play on opposing teams in any sport, we don't give each other the heavens or the shooting stars, we rarely see eye to eye, and we have conflicting views on 90% of anything that we could possibly disagree on (and I'm not even kidding. or exaggerating.) We can be childish, insensitive, stubborn, ignorant, and selfish a dozen times a day... but we get through it. Before meeting Phil, I used to disbelieve that opposites attract, and he proved me wrong.
I have come to realize what really matters. I don't care for songs and sonnets written about me... I care for thumb wars that turn into pillow fights that turn into wresting matches. I care for weird, made-up goodnight stories about Prince Philip and the Chupacabra. I care for moments when we laugh so hard that we just lay there for minutes recovering from belly aches. I care for spur of the moment late-night dinners, for code words about restaurants, and for yelling "bread makes you fat??!" in public places.
It's definitely not easy just living a normal, married life and make normal, reasonable decisions. We kick and scream our way through things we don't feel like doing (him folding laundry, me making important phone calls) and argue about the uselessness of stuff the other makes us do (him not leaving his shoes where I trip over them, me not leaving on the lights when I leave the room). We push each other to our limits almost every day. And living a normal life can get kinda hard.
But you know what is NOT hard? It's never hard to laugh with each other, for each other, or about each other. It's never hard to take long road trips and discuss important topics for hours. It's never hard to agree on money management, careers, education, family, or our futures. It's never hard for us to drop whatever we are doing and go help a friend in need when the call comes. It's never hard to bring each other up when we are down. It's never hard to listen to each other's vents, dreams, jokes, and stories. I always have a best friend in my husband. And really, that's all that truly matters.
Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Valentine's Day with the one who matters most :)

He totally lost at Battleship the other day.