our love in bloom

Jacob and I first met on Hinge. I had lived a few years on my own in a new city, a new state, and was originally looking for someone to get out of the house and explore with. One day, he popped up in my profile's likes, and I immediately thought this man was going to be a handful - the fun and carefree vibes, the many Hawaiian shirts. "You might be too serious, and what if you weigh him down? He's going to think you're a stick in the mud, and he can't cut loose" Then there was one photo - a Halloween simple costume, just regular ol' "Joe" with glasses and a beanie. Maybe I wouldn't be too quiet and serious for him, maybe he's just what I need to embrace more of coming out of my shell and becoming more active and enjoy life. So we matched! A few days later, we had our first date at Dunkin'. We sat there for what maybe felt like an hour, but we were there so long we sat through the sunset and closed down the store. Anything and everything, what's your family like? Do you have many brothers and sisters? What do you do for fun? What's your bucket list vacation? Would you ever go camping or hike a mountain? We drank coffee and held hands as we snacked on Muchkins, talking and laughing for hours.

On a regular basis, CJ and I will take "spur of the moment" trips or excursions. We will go anywhere from our local city park to an ice cream date, or take our dog (Ollie) on a 3hr trip to hike in a state park. Every one of these trips is filled with thousands of moments where I fall even deeper in love with her. It's all of the tiny imperceptible moments of spending time with her that spark the greatest joy in my life. Almost daily, she surprises me with a new way to be amazed by how much love my heart can hold for one person.