Introducing: The groom

So, this is Caleb. I love him. I love him, a lot. I have been trying to write my vows the last couple days and I am discovering it's really hard to articulate the level of love I feel for him. In writing my vows my feelings for him have been oozing all over the place. So, I decided it may be the perfect time to shout out 5 wonderful things about my man (in no particular order).

1. He treats me like a lady, like a precious pearl that he's promised to keep. I didn't realize it was possible to treat anyone with this level of care and tenderness and respect. I can actually feel his adoration.

2. He challenges my intellect. He's smarter than I am and I am so happy to say that. Being an intelligent girl makes dating challenging. There are few things more frustrating than being with a man you think is a moron. Caleb keeps me stimulated and interested in a way that few people ever have.

3. He makes me laugh. and laugh. and laugh. We are always laughing. Even when things are hard or I'm mad he can still make me laugh.

4. He is honest. I know I can trust everything that comes out of his mouth. I have met few people who's word is as valuable as his. It's soothing to know that even though he's not bubbling over with emotion at every turn, when he says something he means it.

5. I love him. Deeply truly love him in a way that's different than love I've felt before. I can't explain why we work or how we work, but we do. It just works.

In looking for a good quote to put in my vows I found this, Eric Fromm quote, "Immature love says: ' I love you because I need you.' Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you."

After much soul searching, I discovered that reason #342 why my first marriage failed was I didn't love him for the right reasons. I loved him because I needed something from him (something it turned out he couldn't give me). I was too young to know that wasn't love.

Now, I have my shit together. I don't need anything from Caleb, except him. I love him and now that I've found him I can't imagine living without him. I feel light and hope when I'm with him. Our future radiates brilliantly and thinking about our life together makes me giddy.

I love him, the words sound so small, but they are all I know to say.