Today is Joe's and my third anniversary! :-) It's hard to believe it's been that long. Three years ago we were clumsily sorting out our feelings in Joe's car on the way to dinner and a movie with Locke and Adam... we had some sort of agreement of "we like each other, but we can't do anything about that yet"... I was very confused, newly-broken-up, and trying to quell my giddy-as-a-schoolgirl feelings of having a new crush. Joe gave me a present, a manicure set, and carnations which ended up all over the car. We spent all of dinner flirting and tickling each other, and I spent all the time at the movie forcing myself not to touch his hand. It's funny the awkward way that relationships start. Wondering "is it okay if I do that? What will he think? Am I coming on too strong? What does he mean by that?" Those first four weeks were packed with activities, conversations. We spent so much time just driving around and talking. I remember funny little things like trying to find a place to eat cookies at night, teaching Joe how to pronounce my name, making conversation at my first-ever hockey game. The first night I went to his house, when his dad did a double-take and then offered to build us a fire. :-) I remember looking forward to 3:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and not getting any sleep on those nights. I remember not being able to kiss him and how much I wanted to. I remember one night when we went to get a soda and then ended up in one of the Gregory penthouses. I remember all the fluttery little feelings I had when he sent me an email or when I walked into the lab and saw him, or when he touched my hand or gave me a hug. And the first time I kissed him... the first time he said he loved me... yeah.
And here we are three years later, engaged to be married. That in itself gives me those fluttery feelings all over again. Do I still get that every time I see him or touch him? Maybe not. But then there are the times when he's doing something as simple as putting together a puzzle, and I look over and notice how tall he is and how bright his eyes are. Or he stares into my eyes like he's looking for something, and I look back at him until he says "there they go" and his whole face breaks into a smile. Or he gets teary-eyed just by singing me a song. Or he's doing something on the computer, perched on the chair on his toes, rocking back and forth without realizing he's doing it. Or he sends me an ecard about how he followed my footprints through the snow. Or the look on his face when he realizes what's written on the M&M's. After three years, I still get a little thrill when he sends me an email. I still get excited to see him coming. I still look up at every car that pulls into the parking lot, checking for the tell-tale headlights, even though I know he's at work. It still takes us half an hour just to say goodnight, because neither of us wants to leave.
In three days I'll be leaving for vacation and won't see him for ten whole days. Ten days! Maybe it doesn't seem that long to you, but this will be the longest we've ever been apart since we started dating. Even longer than spring break '03, the cruise. Is this really that big of a deal? No. It will be fun, and I will eat pralines and tan and show off my ring and build sandcastles and climb the lighthouse and make wedding plans. But I'll miss my cute!
Anyway, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to say happy anniversary to my future husband, whom I can't wait to see in a few hours. :-) We shall build puzzles, and drink bubbly, and giggle like loonies. It will be an awesome night! :-D