New Year Notables

Well, we have said goodbye to another wonderful year together and it was full of beautiful experiences, heartfelt conversations, intense disagreements (just one or two), and a growth of love that neither of us could have ever imagined. Let's flashback for a second shall we?

• I have seen the bond between Perry and Nia grow and multiply exponentially; she has always liked him, but I think she realized last year that he's the one to keep around. She accepts him and he accepts her for who they are and it really is a beautiful thing to witness as a once single mother. 
• He did end up receiving the new Violence Prevention position and even better, found great inspiration for his novels in doing so.
• During his short time in that position, babe landed a new job that's is pretty much directly related to his graduate studies to become a mental health counselor and I couldn't be happier for him.
• We took 3 trips to the beach last year, which was perfect considering I hadn't been since 2005. 
• Babe took me to my first professional football game to see my favorite team, the New Orleans Saints, play (and lose) to the Carolina Panthers. 
• I took him to Baltimore to meet pretty much my entire family and they accepted him with open arms.
• We moved in together and now we can both call this place "home".
• We celebrated our first "anniversary" in the most simple way, just spending time together.

The list could go on and on, but based on the year 2012 was, I know that in this new year, 2013, even more wonderful bonds, relationships, experiences and conversations will be taking place.  We have a pretty full agenda we've set for ourselves this year.

• We'll be sending Nia off to Kindergarten, she's so excited about that. 
• Nia's ready for us to put our "fancy clothes" on and have a wedding. Although I'm not sure we'll make it to that milestone this year, I do foresee my "title" changing in this relationship from girlfriend to something more. 
• We're both going to be in another year of graduate school, motivating and supporting each other's professional passions of education and mental health and learning about both. 
• He'll be working diligently on his novels while...
• I continue to work on my Resume Business (www.resumerevamping.weebly.com). 
• We want to write children's books together as well, so hopefully we can get that ball rolling.
• We're planning another (and hopefully long-term) move to one of the Northern cities of where we work.
• Getting back to the beach will be great. Because I just KNOW that he's taking me back for my birthday again this year.

Geez, I'm sure we've got more on our agenda that SHOULD get done this year, but there's just no telling with us, we're unpredictable. Happy New Year to you around the world, make it as prosperous and positive as possible!

Love, 

The Platypus Family

I Can't Wait.

My one and only Perry J,

I’ll finally be back at home with you tomorrow and I can’t wait. This has been the longest 6 days of my life without you! I hope you had a productive week while I was away; mine was quite redundant. It was just up and down the highway to chill in a hospital room every day. But to see the smile on my dad’s face when we walked into his room was totally worth it. You could just tell he needed us there with him for him to feel alright.

He’s recovering quite well but Monday will be the true test. On Monday we will know if and when his feeding tubes can be removed and he’ll be able to swallow and digest properly. If the test doesn't give the expected results he’ll have to have another procedure done to assist in the loosening of that stomach muscle so that food can pass through his system. I really do hate to see him like them; having to leave the hospital each day this week without him coming with us was truly a hard thing to do.

 It was also quite the reflective week for me too in the sense that I honestly do believe that true love is real and necessary in life. To see my parents interact this week has been validation of this; soul mates exist and it’s possible to end up with your very own. I could see that they wanted each other to just be alright and happy and were willing to do whatever it took to ensure it. My mother is diligently doting upon dad making sure he has everything he needs to get his good health back;  my father is helping my mother stay strong and keeping her stress levels down because she needs to be well in order to help him get well. It truly is a beautiful thing to observe quite honestly.

After watching this all week long (and reflecting on how it looked when the roles were reversed during my mother’s own cancer recovery 10+ years ago), I can say that I know you and I would be the same way in this situation and any other that arises. After years of not knowing if it could happen, I do believe that I've found my soul mate in you and I love that I can say it without hesitation. I know that we would go to great lengths to ensure each other’s well-being and that our own personal happiness is contingent upon the happiness we see in each other. I love you PJ, we’re less than a day away from being back together, and although this time apart hurt me deeply because I was missing you, it’s opened up my eyes to what we are destined to be become and I can’t wait.

Love you.

There’s Something About Her

It is Anniversary Eve and I’m absolutely clueless about where to go with this. Every possible way of conveying my admiration for her has been exhausted in person. It just comes off as especially redundant in written form. Maybe some novel insight into our relationship will come of this, maybe not. But above all, my chief aim for any of my entries is to convey my complete admiration and love for every aspect of her.

As we drew closer to the one year mark, I found myself reflecting on a lot of the changes I have gone through as a result of being in this relationship with you. I feel that I have evolved so much simply from witnessing the example you set for your daughter as well as your students. One of the central purposes of being a good person is to inspire good qualities in other people and I am grateful to say that the life you lead has added new dimensions to my altruistic attitude. I feel like I’m more inclined to seek simple ways to bring a little light to people’s lives on a daily basis now. Previously I had become absorbed with ways to help people on a larger scale and would subsequently become cynical about the hopelessness in achieving meaningful change on such a large scale. While that definitely still matters, you have a more healthy approach to altruistic behavior that stipulates that one must do what they can in the here and now regardless of the bleakness that life seems to offer at times. You don’t indulge my more cynical impulses and that is a reflection of your pure sensibilities that I truly admire.

But don’t get me wrong to say that this relationship has been effective at smoothing out some of my rough edges may be slightly on point but it’s a drastic oversimplification of what this relationship is symbolic of for me personally. But to avoid diving into the realm of pretentiousness I will just say that we are not much different from anyone else when examined individually. I’m a 25 year old with an extreme passion for hip hop, movies and writing while she’s a passionate teacher, excellent mother with a very solid goal to help Spanish speaking populations. Our worlds couldn’t be more disconnected but whatever the fuck this, it seems to make sense. I don’t quite know why there’s just a lot to her and I’m glad that we click the way we do so effortlessly.

I love you Kia, Happy anniversary.

Organically Us...One Year Later...

There’s this guy I know and I must say, he’s incredible. The smile on my face has been there since our very humble beginnings. I can remember our first conversation quite vividly as if it happened yesterday. Was it 6 hours? it could have been longer. I just know that we were both hating life at work later that day. Only 2 hours of sleep because we just couldn’t hang up the phone. But oh how marvelous our conversation was, full of nothing and yet we covered everything under the sun. It wasn’t the typical “getting to you know” dialogue either, it was more along the lines of “I believe we all live in ‘The Matrix.’” followed by “Oh really? Well, uh…I like shoes, a lot.” Lol. Randomosity was highly prevalent from the very beginning. And if I’m not mistaken, just three days later we spent 8 hours (an overnight shift) in Oovoo video chatting and creating “columns” where we’d add qualities of each other. And it was also on that night that you ask me on our first date…for July 19, 2012 to see The Dark Knight Rises. I said yes, not because I cared to see the movie, but because you saw yourself hanging out with me 9 months in the future. 

I fell in love you and all of your quirks because they somehow made sense coming from you. Coming from anyone else, I’d write him off as crazy and uninteresting, but with you, you’re so comfortable in your own skin, how could I not be comfortable with you as well? I love where our relationship has gone since then, one year later we’re just as happy and in love like we were back then. I smile just as hard when my phone rings just as I did last year. My heart is still “school girl giddy” over you just as it was back then. A quick reflection over what has come from our connection…let’s reminisce:

·        We have profound, philosophical conversations about the simplest of concepts. “Who washes the dishes for the food network stars?” Lol.

·        We still write each other love letters and leave each other cute little notes on the fridge just to say what’s on our minds.

·        We still manage to find at least an hour (usually more) to spend talking to each other on the phone on the night’s we can’t be together.

·        You still entertain my random questions and TRY to validate them with some type of answer just to appease me.

·        We still tell each other “bed time stories” on occasion to fall asleep to.

·        I’m pretty sure we still have “who can use figurative language better?” competitions.

·        We still miss each other immediately after we’re apart.

·        Nia has fallen in love with you just as much as I have. She’s probably more ready for you to marry me than you are. *wink*

·        We have been integrated pretty successfully into each other’s families.

The list goes on and on, but for “only” one year together, that’s a lot to have accomplished. I can only imagine what else is in store for us. So happy “one year but the best year of romance I’ve ever had” anniversary Cuddle Bear. My heart has never known such joy until I met you.  Our love is beyond genuine, it’s all naturally felt and expressed.

Simply put, our love is organically and innately established. I love you.

Happy Birthday My Platypus!

Babe's Electronic Birthday Greeting...

This greeting personalized with Smilebox

I Love You Today Because...

We have something called the "I love you today because..." statement. It's not something we give every day, but only when it crosses our mind. If he does something that just sparks the "Damn, I love him" thought, I disclose the reasoning behind it and he does the same. It's a very simple and endearing way to stay interested in each other because it's always not only great to know that you're loved but why you're loved as well. Little does my Perry know, for the past few days I’ve racked up plenty of these, harboring my urges to blurt my random reasons for loving him, specifically for this post. You see, tomorrow is Perry’s birthday. He’ll be 25 years old and I’ve been wondering how to express just how Nia and I love him on his special day. So I saved all of my “I love you today because” statements to compile this special list of all of the things that make him wonderful and lovable.

Perry, I love you today, your 25^th birthday, because…

·         Being loved by you is magical, theatrical and fantastically amazing. There is never a dull moment when I'm in your presence. Simple things are all we need to be content with each other. Our moments are special just because we create them with each other.

·         You're so dedicated to what you're passionate about in life. Whether it's your novels, your graduate coursework or our relationship, you always give 100% of yourself because they're what mean the most to you.

·         You're so good with Nia. I don't think I thank you enough for what you do for her and with her. She really does love you, which goes to show how good of heart you have. You love her as your own and let her know just how special she is just by being so active and present in her life. Thank you.

·         Your intellect is incomparable. You have this ability to express yourself so eloquently, with the most colorful vocabulary I've ever known a man to have. Your mind is able to comprehend the most complex of thoughts and your creativity goes beyond the typical human mind.

·         Your affection is natural and from the soul. Every kiss, caress or glance sends the message of how much you love me. You're able to tell me how much you love me without even saying a word. Your actions precede your words to the point where they don't even need to be said.

·         You have this skillful way in which you go about life, so meticulous and thoughtful. You never go into something without having thought about all of the possible outcomes, obstacles and results. You're actually quite organized in that sense; to a certain extent, you know where you want your heart, soul and physical being to end up in life with a unique way of getting there.

·         You're a man of mystery to most, but for me, you're transparent. I can see your heart, your intentions, your motivation, so clearly. You’re open with how you feel about everything when you’re with me and I’m glad that the trust and comfort are there for us to make this a lasting relationship.

Happy birthday Perry My Platypus. This past (almost) a year with you has been the most enchanting, reflective and heart opening I ever could have experienced having with a man and I want the whole world to know just how remarkable you are. You’re awe-inspiring, influential and brilliant, I hope you have a day even a fraction of that today, I love you, now, tomorrow and always.

Love,

Kia (and Nia)

When I Grow Up...

When I was a little girl I remember looking up to my parents thinking “I want that.” By “that” I meant the relationship I saw taking place between them. I could see just by how they looked at each other that the love they shared was real and that they would never leave each other’s side. I knew even way back then that I wanted to be loved just as my mother was; I wanted to be the friend and companion that my husband deserved. As I grew up, the more I reflected on my love life, the more I realized that I was looking for what they have and that’s why I was never happy. I never quite got it right in love, I had never met a man who was so doting over me like my father is to my mom. I had never found a man who I was so unconditionally and unconventionally in love with, willing to conquer all things to go to him and stay with him, just like my mother is for my father.  For the past 25 years I’ve watched my parents interact and as I matured I’ve created a list of what I knew my relationship would need to be like to keep me in it:

·         Love was the glue that made it all work, but it’s even more important to LIKE the one you’re with. You don’t need to have every interest in common to be happy, but the ones that mean the most need to be accepted and embraced by your partner regardless of their attitude toward it.

·         Communication had to be open and honest, no matter the message or emotions it may spark. For a relationship to work, talk through your grievances until your conscious is completely clear, hold nothing back because it may be brought up later and become an even bigger issue.

·         Make sure you discuss your major desires in life; if they don’t intertwine, you won’t make it. If you want children and your partner doesn’t, you can’t force it, you can’t change people, they can only change themselves.

·         Support is NON-NEGOTIABLE! No matter how small or irrelevant the passion, never undermine it, it means more to your partner than you probably know and shunning it can ruin your connection forever.

·         It’s okay to be affectionate. You never know what a simple caress of the hand or a kiss as you pass through a room can do for the one you love, or even for yourself.

·         Date each other no matter how long you’ve been together. Take time out to be together, alone, doing something you both enjoy and reflecting on after the night is over, it keeps you young.

The list could go on but just from observation of my parents I knew that these were the bare minimum of what I’d need in a forever type love. Then Perry came along, the man who gives me all of that and more. He walks into a room and blows me a kiss. He asks me out on dates that are as simple as a trip to the movies, but the conversations we have after the movie are usually the best part of the date. We talk. Like REALLY talk. We can talk through any situation, be it our own or someone else’s. He writes me love songs and kisses me goodnight. He sends me “I miss you” texts randomly during the day. He loves Nia like his own, always making sure he makes her as happy as he makes me. He’s a beautiful man and I can honestly say that for once in my adult life, I’m secure and satisfied with him. My puzzle, although complex, is complete because of him. I’d go to the end of the Earth to make sure he was okay and not think twice about it. I respect his decisions, his thoughts, his heart, and I think that’s what matters the most. No matter the angle that I look at the future, he’s in it, and I’m smiling. I can only pray that this is the love I wanted as I child, the love that my parents raised me to desire for myself, because I don’t want to be anywhere but with him. 

Looking ahead, our future is clear...