Oh, Joy down in My Heart

Tonight marks the one year anniversary of Boyfriend asking me to be Girlfriend.

It's only appropriate I relive the story.

After a long afternoon and evening of rehearsing with my choir on Sunday, January 24th, 2010, I met Boyfriend and a few other friends in the Upper Union for some games. It didn't last very long, and I was cranky from rehearsing all day. Boyfriend asked if I wanted to hang out more, and naturally.... DUH. Yes. So we headed to the music center. After finding my favorite practice room- the one with the beautiful Yamaha- we sat and chatted for a while, until Boyfriend slid me my favorite candy bar - Hershey's Cookies'n'Cream. I looked at him, and was overwhelmed by the sweet gesture. As I tore it open, saying something about definitely needing a "pick-me-up" that day and how sweet he was, Boyfriend stopped me and said, "Uh, isn't there something on it?" I looked, flipped up the flap, and found a half post-it reading 

                                                 "WOULD YOU BE MAH GIRL FRAHN?"

I was quicker than a Steeler tackle on Superbowl Sunday. I hugged him, somehow told him... DUH Yes Joyness I thought you'd never ask Of course i'll be your girlfriend  ECSTATIC. 

In the past 365 days, I've fallen in love with the most honest, caring, ridiculous, hilarious, crazy, confident, studious, passionate, loving, forthright, and handsome man I've ever met. At many points throughout our relationship, I've told either him or other people, "I wish every woman in the world could get the chance to date you, because they'll never know what they're missing." That sentence is consistently followed by a long pause -- a moment for me to comprehend how blessed I am to call him mine. He's my Boyfriend. And if you know him, you know that all those adjectives I used to describe him don't actually do him justice. He's just the best. (Again, an insufficient description).

I love that he sings one line of a song over and over. 

I love that he thinks I'm (sometimes) funny, and when I'm not, he still laughs. 

I love that he says exactly what he means, and means exactly what he says. 

I love that he puts up with me. 

I love that he loves his family; that he finds his parents the wisest people he knows. 

I love that I finally got a sister.

I love that he tells me I'm pretty. 
I love that he puts me in my place.

I love that he is passionate about education. 

I love that he is intelligent (even though he chooses homework over me... haha). 

I love that he is supportive. 

I love that he speaks Spanish (and gets to study in Costa Rica for 16 weeks). 

But most of all, I love that he loves Jesus. In his eyes, I see Christ's love for all people. He worships and lives out his love for His Savior so outwardly -- it's contagious. And from that stems all the other things I love about him. It's awesome.

In the good, the bad, the ugly, the times apart, the times we see too much of each other, miscommunication, being annoyed, misunderstood, or hopelessly in love... I have learned and grown so much because of him. I could't be more thankful for the opportunity to know him.


This poem makes me think of him. Especially while he's in Costa Rica. So, I'll leave you with the wonderful words of e.e. cummings: 

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in

my heart) i am never without it (anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate (for you are my fate,my sweet) i want

no world (for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) 

I love you, "my sweet." Happy 1 Year Anniversary. Go team.