Things I love: Cara

I love Cara. You wanna know why? I'll give you three reasons:

(1) She's incredibly patient and understanding. Cara truly is the first person where I have felt comfortable being my true self. In previous relationships, I always tried to be PERFECT. Granted, I never was (and I'm still not) perfect, but I was afraid to let my guard down and show my insecurities, fears, anxieties, stress, frustrations, etc. I'm sure Cara doesn't always appreciate getting to see these less than perfect sides of me come out (and there have been many instances in the past year with the stresses of job searching and dissertation defending), but throughout, she has been patient and understanding. She is, without a doubt, a constant, steadying foundation in my life.

(2) She's spontaneous and fun. You see, I'm not a particularly spontaneous person. On top of that, I'm an accountant which is on the opposite end of the spectrum from fun. Cara, on the other hand, loves doing spontaneous, fun things. Things such as spontaneous dance parties. Or buying bicycles and becoming "quasi-cyclists". Then there was the time she up and registered us for a "Down and Dirty Mud Run." Okay, so she ran that one by me first and yes, we'll be mud-covered and exhausted this Sunday (more on that to come). The point is, she encourages me to live a bit more spontaneously and a lot more FUN. And I love that about her!

(3) She's my best friend. I don't have much to add to this one - it's quite simple. Whether I'm in a good mood or a bad mood. Whether we're engaged in serious conversation or watching brainless television. Whether I'm anxious and stressed or "on top of the world." Whether we're sitting down for a carefully orchestrated dinner, or eating fast-food on the go. From the highs of life to its lows and for everything in between, I cannot picture spending my life with anyone but her, my best friend, my wife.

I love you sweetheart! It's been an incredible first year of marriage - here's to a lifetime of incredible memories together!