all my loving

   Dearest soulmate, I've made a resolution tonight. I let you know about it, but I'm writing it here so we both can remember it and be happy.

   We say "I love you" a lot. It's healthy, and it's true. I really do love you beyond words. 

   But I realized something: I don't tell you it enough.

   We say it before our goodbye's, we say it before our goodnight's, and the occasional random declaration. But it's obviously not just then that I love you. Hopefully you know that already, but let me tell you - there are some moments where I'm blown away by how strong my feelings are for you. I didn't know it was possible to love someone (aside from Christ) this much before you. So I should list some of these moments, shouldn't I? Of course.

   

   I love you when we're in the car or walking and you just offer your hand to hold. As I've previously stated, I treasure that, and not only do you know it, you also just love to hold hands as much as I do.

   I love you when you're watching something on t.v., and you're focused, and you make this adorable concentration face.

   I love you, believe it or not, when you've been working on something and you're a little sweaty. You're a hard worker, and you STILL manage to smell good. How!? {Side note: I promise you've never smelled bad in the time I've known you, and you pull off a little sweat like the most manly gentleman I've ever met.}

   I love you when I'm stressing out about school, and you sit down and try to help me figure things out. I hate coming across as helpless, but you don't make it seem like a bad thing. You put me right back in my comfort zone.

   I love you when you drop everything to run around with my niece and play games with her. She loves it so much, and it is so attractive when a man is good with kids.

   I love you when you take out the trash at my house. No one ever asks you to do it, nor are you looking for anyone to praise you for it - you just like to be a helpful person.

   I love you when you treat people with respect, even when they don't deserve it. I call you out for it and occasionally expect you to be just as irked as I am, but you're such a kind-hearted person, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

   I love you when you talk baseball with my dad. Yes, I get tired of watching baseball and sometimes even talking about it {and it's not something I avidly keep up with}. It's a fact you're well aware of, because my dad is just the opposite: he loves baseball. You know that, so you ask him and you really do listen to what's going on with his team.

   I love you when you try to see the good in people before judging them. This goes hand in hand with treating people with respect, because you don't let prejudice get ahead of you. You really are such a good-natured gent.

   I love you when you sing, then realize I'm listening, so you switch to your falsetto-joking-singing-voice. I do wish you'd sing normal more often, but I think the falsetto-joking-singing-voice is adorable. 

   I love you when you play with my dogs. They are attention hounds {literally!¡} and you take time to pet them and let them in and out...and in and out... of the door. They adore you because they know you'll pet them and love on them, despite their bad breath.

   I love you when you put on your ties. I know this is more random than the rest, but gosh. You stick your neck out slightly, look into the mirror, and tie that tie like a gent, giving a {I'm gonna say it} sexy {there I said it} face while you do. You're so classy and handsome, I can't even handle it.

   I love you when I'm mad. This is one that we've had to debate before, because sometimes I play silent treatment {usually when I'm wrong, just sayin'.} or I say it in an exasperated tone, because {here's the important part}, anger blinds my romantic AND rational sides. I say "blinds" because it doesn't mean my normal, rational self is gone, and it certainly doesn't mean I've stopped loving you. It means that I'm being stupid, and inside, my heart's going, "YES, SHE LOVES YOU. SAY YOU LOVE HIM, YOU IDIOT." True story. I will never stop loving you, even when times get tough, because I literally cannot imagine life without you - at least, a life where I can ever be happy again. So yes. I love you when I'm mad, and you're mad, and you still manage to say you love me. I'm making a resolution to say I love you the most when I'm mad, in fact. Because guess who's the ONLY person I want to talk to when I'm upset. {Hint, it's you.}

   And finally {but not lastly, because I have approximately an infinite number of other reasons why I love you, but it's almost 7 am and I'm pulling an all-nighter}...

   I love you because you are Brandon Daniel Morris and you are my soulmate. 

   I am SO blessed to even know you, and more so to be a part of your life. 

   For around the 25th time, but absolutely not the last... I love, love, love you, sweetheart.

yours,
m.g.e.