Oh Valentines Day...

Sorry It has been so long. Life got busy. Got a job. Found a church etc etc.. :)

So it has been a week since Valentines day, and I have been thinking. Why do men hate Valentines Day? In my book.. for any man in a relationship... especially long term.. V-day is a gift from God.

Why do you ask? Well I will tell you.

It seems that most men struggle with romance... or rather a woman's view of romance. I am constantly reading things how women need to adapt to how men think and love yadda yadda blah blah.. ok I get it. Women have unrealistic movie inspired views often of what their daily life concerning romance should look like. I understand learning how your man loves... but it does not mean the desire just goes away.

I like pretty things. I LOVE getting flowers. I like to be doted on. I pretty much love to be loved on. I don't think any woman.. no matter how practical she is.. can say she does not like when her man pays special attention to her in the form of gifts, notes, so on and so forth..

Now Taylor as I have said before.. is very loving. In his very own manly ways. And I appreciate this. I did not marry a woman, and if he did have the emotions that I pretend I wished he had... I would probably go nuts. TRUST ME... I have enough emotions for the two of us combined.

But still.. I fully support the expectations that come with Valentines day. You see Valentines day for me is easy.. I know what Taylor likes. I know how to make him feel special and loved and happy. In fact, in general I know how to do that. Not that hard. And this is what makes Valentines Day sooo wonderful.

It is ALL laid out for men. Plain and simple.. just how they like it. Yes there are expectations from the woman.. the expectation to be shown that she is loved. And maybe every day of the year a man struggles with this.. a womans definition of love. But on VDay... every producer of commercial goods is standing waving a flag showing men some very generic and easy steps to romance.

This is why I feel like a man's brain should appreciate about the day of love:

a- Walk into any grocery store and there are beautiful flowers waiting for you.
b- There is candy and teddy bears in almost every store you go into.. I mean take your pick.
c- There is a WHOLE section of Valentines day cards.. they even split them up by relationship status. Example: "Wife" "Girlfriend""Funny Wife" etc
d- There are so many commercials about gifts on TV.. and I know these commercials come on in between sports shows.
e- These commercials if anything can be a reminder to maybe make a reservation for some good food... and I know there should be no protest against that.

I mean how much easier could it get. EVERYWHERE one goes is a reminder that love day is coming. A man does not even have to think or stress about it. It is like God is giving all men a free pass for one day to prove to women that they too can adapt to the needs of their significant other.

And no I don't care about all this "commercialization" of love baloney... especially women who say this. Shush please. You guys read WAY too deep into everything. Seriously.. lighten up.  Leave me alone with my flowers, cards, and food. I don't care how generic it is.. I don't care if greeting cards make a billion dollars off VDay. My man read that card and thought it displayed his feelings pretty well.. and I did not even have to pull ir out of him... and I like flowers... so let me bask in the cheesiness and awesomeness that is the day of love.

Taylors response to all this: "It is still a pointless day."

I just feel like Blabbing about the Hubster

I must warn you... I am not feeling too inspired right now. I had a great workout, yummy food, and now am in this euphoric food coma/leftover excercise endorphins trance that I can't seem to shake.

Anyways, as I come upon Valentines day and almost my 2 months of being married ( I know I am practically a pro) I decided towrite about some of the interesting differneces I have noticed between Taylor and I. Some, are just because it seems that males and females are different (who would have thought). Some are purely Shelbi and Taylor idiosecrecies.

-Taylor has to fall asleep with a. the fan on and b. something playing on the tv. Now I get the fan thing, his inherited tendency to overheat requires the constant stream of air. Lucikily I have a comforter AND a down comforter on my bed so that I can bury myself in their warmth while being accosted by the cold air.

The tv thing I am not entirely used to. In college, I would keep the tv on because.. well frankly.. I lived in the bottom floor room.. by myself... and I was never one who liked being alone in the dark. Sooo I would place the channel on ESPN (it is boring and there was no chance of a scary commercial being on that I would wake up too) and try to fall asleep. Ok.. yess... I am wimpy. Anyways, this worked for awhile until I had to stop due to unforseen circumstances.Why you ask? Because when the basketball dudes would run down the court.... I would wake up in a panic. I guess I sensed/somehow saw the movement and always thought someone was in the room. I have Taylor now so I have no need for the TV. In fact, I may be a little bitter.

-Taylor likes things nice. He definitely appreciates when I make our home nice to live in.. or when I show him nice things to wear.. but there are still instances that make me laugh.

Example: Taylor had labeled his binders with duct tape. Like he took duct tape.. put it on the binder.. then wrote the subject on them. I could not stand how this look so I secretly took colorful sheets of paper.. labled them.. took the duct tape off.. and secured the clean looking papers onto the binders. Well the other day I got a peek at Taylors binders. He had DUCT TAPED the pretty paper down.

I throw in the towel.

Although I must say I am not completely guilt free with the duct tape. I like my grandma try to make due with what I have and I have more than once tried to block the sun by duct taping a blanket over the windows.

It was just until we get our blinds haha

-Sentimental. I am sentimental. Taylor not so much... or well not in the ways that I deem so. After forcibly telling Taylor I want a love note I will get something like this: I love you. The end. I could write notes ten pages long detailing how I feel about Taylor. I would love to write love notes and leave them everywhere. But you know what... Tay would be exasperated by ten pages when he could sum it up for me in three words. I love you. And I don't think he would really notice my notes unless they are put directly in his field of vision.

Example: A friend posted on facebook about how she loves looking down at the two rings on her finger. I completely get this feeling of awe at being married. I love when my ring sparkles too :) It was also stated that her husband feels the same way and that he never wants to take his ring off. I think this is very cute and sweet. But it also made me laugh when I though of Taylor... because of this:

After reading these posts I lovingly look over at Taylor and ask "Do you ever look down at your ring and just smile? " I get  a look something like this:

I don't even know why I asked. I have found Tay's ring by the shower and on the dresser... there is no awe or amazement over a ring... maybe over a scoreboard...

As a person who cries when someone on TV or in a commercial achieves their dream... or over the fact that I will never get to be a princess (I don't want to talk about that).. I sometimes dont understand not thinking and feeling constantly. I mean I could whip up an emotional tale for you right now if you want. Taylor says sometimes he literally does not even think. NOT AT ALL. Say what? I mean I even remember most of my dreams my brain is so obsessive. How can anyones mind go completely blank?

Anyways.. once in awhile he will come voluntarily to cuddle with no expectations.. or I will get a random squeeze or random hug me.. and I cherish these moments. Because it is in these moments that I know he has had the surge of emotion I experience on a continual basis.

But in place of the emotional wordy love I do get this...

If I ever ask Taylor for help he drops what he is doing and helps me..
If I feel sad and I am homesick..  I get held until I feel better..
We have the same sense of dry humor so he can always make me laugh..
He knows I hate doing dishes so he does them for me..

I know for a fact Taylor loves and cares for me so much that he would do anything for me.. He gave up a whole summer for me.. It still makes me cry to think he loved me so much that it did not matter that he had to work a job he hated or that he would have to leave his friends or would still have to pay rent in Sioux Falls while in California.. or that he would lose his starting position in football.. He came home last summer so that he could propose to me and give me the courtesy of having time with him that was not long distance.. Anyone who knows how much Taylor loves football and how hard he works at it, would understand what a great act of love this was.. I will forever be amazed by his selflessness nature and ability to love without thought of praise. Yet, if I get mushy with Tay over this.. he shrugs and says "I know what I want."

Sorry Tangent.. I really could go on.. I was not lying about those ten pages of love haha

Anyways... He never expects me to do anything or demands anything from me..
He hates the same AWFUL marriage books I do that push the woman having no personality or opinion..
He always supports and encourages me..
Notice all the me in these sentences.. I may be spoiled ;)

I get a quiet and steady constant love.

Well I told you I was not feeling too inspired or witty... so this is all I got :)