{microblog} How I Knew I Loved Him

Full disclosure: the time that elapsed between our first date and our wedding was barely more than five months, not to mention we dated long-distance from Dallas to Houston. My husband and I have answered confidently over the last seven years, “When you know, you know!” to people who ask how and why we fell in love and got married so quickly.

I knew I loved him because he showed up in big and small ways.

I took a girls’ trip to San Francisco a few weeks after we started dating and he sent a Valentine’s Day present to my hotel and then a birthday mimosa for me the next day to mark the two special occasions. I never told him where I was staying but I mentioned that I had entered a contest on Twitter for freebies at my hotel. He created an account to stalk my Twitter feed to figure out where I was staying. If you haven’t seen How I Met Your Mother and the conversation about The Dobler-Dahmer Theory, you should. He took a risk, went out on a limb, and made me so feel so pursued. As Ted Mosby said, “If both people are into each other, then a big romantic gesture works: Dobler. But if one person isn’t into the other, the same gesture comes off serial-killer crazy: Dahmer.”

He called me one night and the first thing he said was, “So, I really have nothing to talk about. But, I told you I would call, so I’m calling.” I knew this guy was a man who kept his word.

And, at some point, though I can’t remember the context, he told me, “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” He has never failed to prove that over and over again. He cheers me on from the sideline (literally) at races, in my career and thoughtfully considers my perspective on raising our kids – even if he might not agree at first.

Thanks for showing up, love!