Side By Side

"Every day is special when we are side by side."

These sweet words grace a card given to me by my boyfriend on Valentine's Day, yet it wasn't until this last week and, in particular, the last two days until they really wrung true for me.

Truthfully, every day can't be special in a super romantic kind of way but every day is truly a gift.  And each day right now can be touched with my boyfriend's presence along with his God-given personality, qualities, characteristics, and love.  For all this, I am grateful.

I traveled to see his family this past week and gained new insights and understanding.  It was actually quite fun to visit the place he called home growing up and meet many family members and some friends who love him and want the best for him.  We were able to do a lot just the two of us, such as hiking, beach time, and sightseeing, which were all very nice, and do things with others as well, like a demolition derby, Six Flags, and beach time. We also were able to witness his half-sister's lovely wedding and wish the happy couple well for the next chapter in life. 

Experiencing all this opened up the canvas of his life to me and helped me see things better and understand things more fully.  There were even moments when I saw pure love in his eyes for me.  I love moments like those and look forward to more.

So, yes, those words in the card came alive in those moments but also the last two days when we were trying to get home.  We flew standby, so did not have a guaranteed seat, and the flights were horrific.  We got as far as Chicago and had to break down and buy tickets to finish the journey.  After spending literally 48 hours in airports, planes, and buses (but more so in airports) and getting only about five hours of sleep, we are still together.  If that's not a relationship victory, I don't know what is!  We were in good spirits the whole time, I felt.  I mean, we each had our slip up moments of exhaustion, bad attitude, or just generally being over it but they didn't last long.  We got each other to laugh (he definitely made me laugh more), we let the other take a nap (he slept more), we talked (pretty even on this one), we made sure the other wasn't hungry or thirsty (I'm always hungry), we watched a movie together (I cried a second time seeing I can only imagine), we got each other's bags (he is so chivalrous and got mine a lot), he patiently waited for me at the bathroom (I have to go way too often -- well hydrated, ha!), and so on. 

He was a trooper.  It was the absolute worst standby experience I've ever had.  Having not flown standby very much at all and having gone through all that with a stellar attitude and frame of mind, not to mention holding my hand, letting me love on him in public, and staying with me, gives him superstar status!  

It was a bad ordeal and would have been a zillion times worse without him.  I'm so glad he was and is by my side, that IS special.