25 years of you.

We celebrated your 25th birthday on Saturday, mon amour. Yes, Valentine's day too -- which I've always thought to be charming. But your birthday first. Always first.

Always first because I get love day with you every day. And I am eager to see the vastness of all the other love days. A warm day in June. A busy day where we just miss each other and there's only time for good morning-see you laters and hello-goodnights. A day so full of bits of things and dancing in the living room to sounds from the perfectly intimate speakers of our Crosley. An evening where our eyes both synch shut as our tired heads hit the pillows, reaching for a spot to touch -- an arm, a leg, on the cusp of unconsciousness, and then sleep. I get to have all these love days with you, and you with I.  Naturally, all I wanted was to love on you for your birthday.

So I hope your birthday was as sweet as mine. Though you weren't feeling well, and though we had an early night, you were joyful. And I fill with joy when you do -- sniffles and all.

I love you my 25 year old (very) soon to be husband.

Ye olde Christmas tour.

A merry set of snaps of our wintery, Christmas-y, abode!

Fresh Balsam is my favorite candle. Ever.

I think we moved into our own cozy little place at just the right time. Fancying it up, decorating, lighting candles of balsam and joy, staring at our glowing tree at every chance I get, and sneaking into the living room to wrap presents when he's not watching have been some of the happiest moments I'll keep sacred and safe. 

Christmas has always been and will forever be one of my favorites of all things...of anything really. But minus the part where I was terrified of Santa for years and dry-heaved when my parents read me The Night Before Christmas and minus the time I sang "The Little Drummer Boy" alone during Christmas mass -- I really, truly grimace at that song to this day.

My parents always made every holiday so special for us kids, without fail, every single year. From a big decadent Portuguese feast to yuletide adornments in every nook and cranny of the house. I feel so honored to love and preserve their tradition.

7 Years.

I just adore the little traditions we have. August 15th marked 7 loving years together. We decided to recreate some of last year's celebration, which was oh so special. Last year, after filling our bellies with the best Italian food we've ever had, Daniel whisked me away to Snoqualmie Falls and asked me to be his bride in our lovely room at the lodge -- he was too nervous to propose at the waterfall! This year, we made reservations at the same restaurant and to our surprise, they sat us at the same table! I was over the moon about that and could not stop praising the cute little accordion player in the corner, the chandeliers, brick interior, bubbling spirits, and gorgeous food in front of us. Everything was perfect -- especially walking around, holding hands, in the warm evening with the summer sky boasting its paint-brushed clouds above us.

And how could I forget? We began another tradition last year where we indulge in a delicious anniversary waffle from a quaint breakfast spot in town. We create beautiful moments all the time, but to share ones far too special to occur more than once a year, feels so wonderful. This life with my soon-to-be husband -- there isn't anything more precious to me.

P.S. I am thrilled to announce we will be attending our first Sounders game in September with a jersey of my own! He really knows how to shower me with things I love. And I didn't do too shabby this year either -- he's so thrilled about his new red chucks!

Thoughts this evening.

Flora during my afternoon walks. Always always.

Oh let's talk about expectations. Let me take a moment and nod to my pesky, oftentimes overly sensitive feelings. There comes a time in one's grown up life where a path appears -- a fork in the road of circumstance if you will. One way basks in the bitterness of others' negativity. It's a disheartening boulevard I have roamed down too many times. The other direction, a lane where the air is crisp and the soul is free. The sun forever shines -- where things feel good because they are good and nothing else matters. Where no one can bring you down.

You can probably take a guess at which path I've meddled with as of late. And quite honestly, I'm burnt out.

So here's to letting all of that go. Shame on them for not being reliable, considerate, decent human beings. But shame on me for expecting anything different. Here's to protecting myself from other's negativity, and making a conscious, thoughtful decision not to be the emotional sponge. I will hold dear the beauty I already have around me. The love and the kindness that's already here.

And be done with all the rest.

Us.

A candid from Memorial Day weekend. I love this one of him.

I think it's about time I tell you about my person. A brilliant human doing this thing called life with me. Several people have asked about our story and I think I put it off for so long because nothing I could ever type would live up to how this man makes me feel.

I met him in junior high and we flirted as much as awkward teenagers knew how to. He would be quite the gentleman and walk me to gym class every day after he'd copy my social studies homework. We'd exchange this awkward one-armed hug before we parted ways. He always held his binder off to the side. He always wore his Adidas sneakers and sported popped collars. Years, separate high schools, different people happened and it wasn't until a random afternoon in late spring I called him up. It was the end of 11th grade and warmer than usual in June. He was outside air drying from his post football practice shower. Whether it was curiosity, boredom, or an impulse, finding his name on my bulky Nokia phone was the best thing I've done. Nearly 7 years later, I'm marrying that nerd boy who pulled at my hair and copied my homework. He is my person and I have never been more sure of anything in my life.

We work because we are a hundred percent ourselves and we accept each other. One Direction often appears in mix CDs, we're health nuts and foodies at the same time. We both have passions for something; my writing and photography, his career and fitness. We both love nothing more than to spend quality time doing everything and nothing. We also know our own flaws and we make a conscious effort not to unload them on one another. We believe in patience and honesty and having conversations instead of letting adverse emotions overcome our words. We give each other grief all the time and joke around and the amount we still flirt hasn't changed a bit. And he has the best arms to snuggle with. The absolute best. I'm an arms and hands kind of girl; good arms are serious business and hands show hard work. His hands are rough and I love every callus. 

What we have is just so easy. It's always been easy with him. He is my oxygen when everything around me often becomes suffocating. He is the most gentle, kind, understanding man I have ever been blessed to meet. His light visibly radiates from his pores. 

Time and time again I have been asked how I knew he's the one. It wasn't some monumental moment where sparrows appeared in the branches of the trees and started to sing as we kissed in a warm embrace with cheesy background music. I knew he was the one when the butterflies didn't go away. I knew he was the one after I talked to him on the phone for 4+ hours as we watched YouTube videos at the same time. I knew it a couple nights ago when we literally could not stop laughing at some obscene thing I did. I knew as I held his head in one hand and a bucket in the other when he was so sick in the hospital as he puked out 2 liters of bile and I knew it on the last loop of the roller coaster we rode 7 times in Disneyland. I knew as I Googled hiccup remedies and tried them for hours because he couldn't stop hiccuping. I know each and every time he pulls the Forrest Gump when he blinks in pictures and when he plays with my hair and when we disagree and when we agree. How do you know ice cream will be delicious or that the moon will be up there in the night sky regardless if it's clear or if it's tucked away behind the clouds. I just know.

I know all the time.

Weekend.

Some tiny moments from a wet, dreary, and quite typical Washington weekend. Sometimes comfort food, free comics, a charismatic dachshund, and a gentleman you share your heart with are all you need to create sunshine.

Hawai'i 2014 Video

The land, the water, the turtles, sun, and food. My family and the love of my life.
It was absolutely perfect.

Back to the Islands.

7 years ago.

That's the last time I wiggled my toes in the warm sands of the beach, breathed in the floral air, ran around looking for sleeping grass, stared at the Ko'olau mountain rage for hours marveling at its beauty and power, and listened to the sweet coos of doves that don't sound like any other in the states.

Tonight I'm hopping on a plane with my darling fiance and we're going to Hawaii for a much-needed 11 days of paradise. I can't wait to show him my roots, even though I'm the only one of the family born in Washington, it was my home for a month out of every summer as a little girl. I can't wait for him to see the memorials of my Grandparents because he's never met them before. I can't wait for the sunsets, the beach, family time, love, and adventure. I'm so excited it doesn't even seem real. Daniel is bringing our new GoPro camera and it is the coolest little thing. Be sure to expect a vacation post with lots of photos and videos when we get back.

Until then, adieu!

Him.

One of my favorite times together is right before we go to bed and suddenly we’re wide awake and cracking up and talking to each other into the nighttime surrounding us. It reminds me we’re still playful and so much best friends just as much as sweethearts. I can't help but always think there’s something special about him. I've always thought so. I’m aware that’s almost like the most cliché thing you can say about your man, but I really really know so. He’s just a uniquely wonderful person, I have never met someone as caring, understanding, and as selfless as he is. I feel so safe in knowing he'll have those same qualities in a husband and father.

As wedding planning has begun, I realize we’ll be wrapped up every tiny little detail of what we have to arrange and it’s very likely we’ll down a few glasses of wine at the endless list of things to remember. He actually pulled me aside today and gave me a huge long hug after we began to look through the huge wedding planner I bought. It was really up there in the list of hugs we've shared and it's been a ton in 6 and a half years trust me. He said we've been so busy lately and will only get busier in the months to come but it's always important to stop and just love on each other. To not get so caught up in everything that affection is sacrificed to keep up with deadlines and details. I was completely caught off guard and fell in love with him all over again in that moment. I love his mind, how he always puts us before anything else. All that matters is that he'll be waiting for me at the end of the aisle to begin the journey we started so many years ago. And after all he’s been through, my priority is to create the loving, caring, home and family with him he’s always deserved.

An all over the place post today, but goodness I love him so. I don't want to kiss the bridge of anyone else's nose or eat frozen kitkats with anyone else or have anyone else call me his honeybird or dove. I don't want to go out dancing with anyone else or catch anyone else's stray eyelashes or warm my hands under anyone else's' armpits. 

Things just make sense with you. Life just makes more sense with you. I want to say I'm lucky I found you, but we really kind of found each other.

Love day.

We had quite the lovely Valentine’s Day last weekend, and I must include it was also Daniel’s birthday because it’ll always be his birthday more. It has gotten to a point where I almost need to count on my fingers how many Valentines we’ve spent together and even though we've reached lucky number 7, it was just as sweet. I remember how he hid a promise ring for me in a plant on our first Valentine’s Day together. Or how we shooed his parents upstairs so we could have some fettuccine with homemade alfredo sauce straight out of the tub from Costco. Or how we completed the night by watching Across the Universe and ate chocolate covered strawberries with "Strawberry Fields Forever" playing softly in the background as we laughed and acted like the freshly turned 18-year-olds we were.

This year, though we may have had to work, though we were greeted with the same struggle of trying to go out on his birthday while every other couple would be doing the same thing, and even though we decided on going to the gym and then having some teriyaki with my parents, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The next morning was breakfast at our favorite corner bakery, a movie, then dinner, and froyo. We like to do holidays big, because blessings are meant to be celebrated. These are a part of his Valentine’s Day gift; letters to open during any situation. Yes, handwritten letters on stationary including envelopes you have to lick to secure because technology has ruined some of the most special things in life. Anyway, a few are: open when you need comfort, open when you need a laugh, and open when you turn 24 years old.

Love should be celebrated all the time, and I’m so thankful to have a life full to the brim of it with this sweet man. I hope you all had just as perfect a love day as we did.