Wouldn't Trade it for the World

Relationships come with a lot of tribulations. We fight, we yell, we get jealous, we cry, we feel pain, we hurt, we scream, we get frustrated, we get angry, we get upset, we break up and our emotions take us over. So why do we do it? Why would we want to feel not just sad, but truly hurt, sad to the point where your whole body hurts just because of one person, sad to the point where you feel empty when everything falls apart, sad to the point where your heart aches for the company of that being? I’ll tell you why I do it. Its because besides all those moments when your stupidity gets in the way of what you are truly feeling and you “fight”, the moments when you are truly loving someone are the most touching, astounding, magnificent moments you will ever experience. When two people are just loving each other its magical. And to those of you who are too scared of getting hurt and too scared of the baggage that comes with relationships, let me tell you this, having someone you love and having them love you back is a feeling that you can not substitute. Having someone look at you with such a deep emotion is remarkable. Having someone touch you with so much care brings a feeling of weightlessness throughout your whole body. Having someone whisper they love you feels like they screamed it. Having someone to hold your hand at all times just feels special. Having someone to be your best friend and be loyal to you and never lie to you feels so safe. So yeah, relationships suck, breaking up hurts, but having that someone that you feel so comfortable with, someone that you let inside your soul, someone that lets you inside theirs, someone to talk to at all hours during the day, someone to laugh with, someone to fall asleep with, having someone that is your other half for whatever amount of time you are together, is true beauty and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Hope

Even when life gives you every reason to give up, remind yourself of the reasons you're still standing.. Yes, sometimes it's hard to stand up for someone who doesn't love you back.. But love is blind. Love is unconditional.. Actually, what is love? It's not something we feel in our heart or something we contemplate or try to understand in our brains.. It's the energy between two people.. That's love. Love is food! Love is family.. Love is friendship.. And that's what we need to stand up for.. We sit and complain about how life isn't fair and how we might never find love.. But we forget the most important thing: Everything turns out okay in the end.. If it's not okay, it's not the end. So what if the love of your life won't talk to you? So what? You can cry and you can worry but that won't make him see you for YOU. You are your best when you are HAPPY. Forget about them.. Forget and live to the fullest.. Find something you LOVE. And when they realize what they've lost, they'll come back... DON'T play "hard to get" unless you know deep down you really don't want them anymore. If they come back, accept them.. or forever regret what could have been..

If you are afraid of showing someone how you feel, don't be.. Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? We are still at the beginning of our lives, there is so much more for us to live for! Life goes on.. Don't let fear hold you back and keep HOPING. Hope got me through the roughest times of my life.. And it will get me through all the others that are bound to come my way.. Don't be a coward, either.. Fear is merely a feeling, cowardice is a choice of action. Be the best you can be, and don't do things you might be ashamed of to live life with no regrets.

Cliche'

We are so cliche'. We finish each other's sentences, sometimes I think you're a mind reader.

I cannot count the times in a day we say the words "I love you" yet this countless amount never seems like it's enough. I love you infinity past beyond, because this love really does transcend this universe. Your love for me makes me grow childish- a feeling more amazing than could be described- for while everyone is busy trying to grow up and move on, you bring out the joyful youth in me. You've reminded me what being happy is and have shown me that I've been missing out on happiness for far too long. The first time you told me how you felt - that you loved me - my heart seemed to melt and overflow my ribcage. This was a feeling like no other. People say they get butterflies around "that" someone, that they feel all warm and fuzzy inside and that their heart just melts as it is overcome by such a strong and pure emotion. I doubted that possibility, laughed a bit at how cliche' it seemed. I mean of course I'd fantasized about the possibility, but I never thought I could feel that way so literally. When we first started talking, you promised you'd never fall for me or see me as anything more than a friend because I was frustrated with the guys in my life who couldn't just be my friend. I thought I just needed a friend. But what I needed was you.

And darling, we are the best promise you could ever break.

We are so cliche'. We fawn over each other, constantly declaring our love and proclaiming every possible reason why our love is the perfect love. We'd get so deep into these conversations of outpouring affection but then try and pull ourselves out, for fear of being too cliche'. Like today, when you said we were "losers and oh so cheesy". I told you that "honey, cheesy is what it's called by the people that don't get to experience it. And as far as I'm concerned, as long as it's real then I love it and shall not frown down with 'cheesiness nonappreciation'" . You said "that's probably the most sensical thing i've ever heard". I smiled.

Because that's what I do when I see you, or hear you or read something you write. I smile. You always give me that instasmile. You are the sunshine in my life when I'm a stormy cloud, so together we create a rainbow. And that will never make us cheesy.

I love you, my rainbow sunshine.

Soul Mates

Do you believe in soul mates?
I didn't. I used to think that I would never find the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with in this little town.
I thought I would have to leave and start over new somewhere else to start my life...I thought I would have to leave if I was to ever find my true love.
So I did. ANd then he came along... and it's like everything I ever knew changed. Everything I ever wished for, hoped for, wanted to do... changed.
Because of him. Because I knew that no matter what, he was the guy I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
We have taken a little while to get to know each other, even though we both practically felt like we knew each other inside out from the first moment we said "Hello."
What we found out though, was that we really were perfect for each other. Where he was speechless, I was there to say what he couldn't. Where I was sad and had shut down, he was there to make everything better again and to put that smile he loves to see on my face..
We had weird moments that I could only laugh about with him.... our own little private jokes that we will never forget about. Everything was perfect...he was even into the same taste of weird music as i was into. Because of all this and more, I knew he would be the one.
He got a new job. It keeps him busy, so it's not like he's out there doing things that could potentially break my heart..... but all this separation is killing me. I'm proud of him for trying to make our life better, and I wouldn't tell him to give any of it up. But I do wish I would see him more... I wish there were more hours in the day, more days in the week, just so I could spend a little bit more time with him...
This separation will be good for us in the long run. It will be a test of our love... So far we have had a wonderful 8 months together, and he has become my lover, my partner, my best friend..
I know that we will get through whatever obstacles we come across because I love him and he loves me..
So do you believe in soul mates? Because I do.

Not Going Anywhere

So I'm 28 and I've found true, pure, honest love. I'm going to do my best to keep it. He means more to me than sleep, and I LOVE sleep. He's the only man I've ever been able to picture myself marrying. We agree on most important things, and we balance each other well. He helps me be goofy and happy while I help him get down to business. We also know how to maintain friends while being in a relationship. If I were to give someone advice about love without having them ask me a specific question, I'd tell them to make sure that you can find the right balance, not just with each other but with the rest of the world. You have to keep other people around because you don't want to be left alone if something goes wrong. Also, age doesn't matter. You can find love no matter how old you are. It may not be the same kind of love that someone else finds, but you can certainly have your own. And when you do find it, hold on to it. It's the best feeling you'll ever have. If it's taken away, remember that you can find joy again. Very few people marry their first love, and I certainly am be one of those few, but I think 3rd love is just right for me.

I love you Michael, and I'm not going anywhere.

Ladyfinger Cheesecake

Ingredients

3 (3 ounce) packages ladyfingers
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions

Place ladyfingers on the bottom and around the edge of a 9 inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, whip cream until peaks form.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Spoon 1/2 of cream cheese mixture into springform pan; cover with a layer of lady fingers and add remaining cream cheese mixture.
Layer remaining ladyfingers and top with fruit pie filling. Chill before serving.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

4 cups water
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 carrots, shredded
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon hot chile paste
1 head iceberg lettuce leaves, separated

Directions

In a saucepan combine the water and rice. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until water is absorbed. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, green onions, and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly brown. Add the tofu, carrot, Hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring frequently until heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil and chile paste.
To serve: spoon a small amount of rice into each lettuce leaf, top with the stir-fry mixture, and drizzle with additional soy sauce or hoisin, if desired. Wrap the lettuce leaf to enclose the filling.