Love

So...inexplicably I'm awake at 12:45 at night. Since returning to Louisiana last Friday, Patrick and I have become big fans of video chatting. However, I have fallen asleep twice talking to him, for those of you who know me well...this is not a surprise. At all. Last night my family came in and found me asleep with my phone in hand and laptop open in front of me. Falling asleep early comes naturally and easily for me, which is why being awake this late on a school night (for those of you who don't know, I teach high school English) is pretty crazy. Maybe it's the time of night, maybe it's all the talk of wedding plans and moving, but I am full of thoughts tonight.

I am going to be moving away from Shreveport in a few months, which on one hand is awesome and I couldn't be happier; however, on the other hand even the thought of leaving behind so many friends and my family has already made me cry a little bit. I always thought that I would be a world traveler, but as it turns out, I have found my niche here in Shreveport. Here's the thing though, I am leaving Shreveport and moving to begin a new life with my best friend. Friedrich Nietzsche said, "It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." This makes me happy because I know that Patrick and I have a solid and authentic friendship that will help us to enjoy life together even more but will also assist us in getting through tough times together.

Another topic on my mind is love...due to the whole marriage thing and the being in love thing...Here are some things that I love about Patrick, and I know that I could list many, but I will stick to just a few for today.

1: He is friendly to everyone. I know this might sound obvious, but that's not the case for every person you meet. Patrick smiles and says hi as we pass people on the street. He makes conversation with strangers, AND he genuinely cares about what they say. I am ecstatic that I get to marry a man that will set such a great example for our children of how to love those around them.

2: Patrick loves to cook and loves good food. This is incredibly important because I love eating good food. I also enjoy cooking, but I know that Patrick is going to have to give me some pointers. My friend Emily and I will go for long runs and after the first 30 minutes all I want to do is talk about what we'll eat when we're finished. My point in telling this story is that if Patrick hadn't recognized bad food, then we would have been in big trouble. Admittedly, I probably think about food a little too much, but I get to marry someone who also loves good food.


3: Patrick is good at recognizing the needs of those around him and doing what he can to help. Case in point: please notice the picture to the side. Here I was in Chicago, and I had been a little cold. Patrick bought wood to make me a fire in the fireplace. It was awesome, by the way. He will also give up his seat for women who are standing, which I think is so gentlemanly of him.

4. Patrick also falls asleep while video chatting. This probably sounds like a weird thing to love about him, but it's true. We have both fallen asleep video chatting. We both have busy days and wear ourselves out to the point of exhaustion. I do not yet have a picture of Patrick asleep with video chatting, but when I figure out my new webcam, I will take one and post it. The most important thing about his sleepiness is that it is just another thing we have in common.

I could go on and on, but I will save more reasons for later posts. It boils down to this...love will make us do crazy and wonderful things. Yes, I am sad about leaving all of my family, friends, and youth in Shreveport, but, on the other hand, I can't wait to marry Patrick and move to Chicago!